British Divers Marine Life Rescue
England is home to half the world’s grey seal population, along with small rounder-faced harbour seals. Pups live on their mum’s fatty milk for the first few weeks, before learning to swim in small pods. These mammals close their nostrils to dive and swim, then open them again to breathe. Seals ‘sniff the beach’ to check it’s the correct one from before!
Seals are often called ‘water-dogs’ as they are fun-loving and naturally inquisitive (they even enjoy having their tummies tickled by divers). Mostly found in eastern and southwest England, they spend a lot of time on land, but do need to be by the sea. The life of a seal is hard (rough seals, fishing waste, pollution, oil, noise, orcas and sharks trying to eat you – only half make it to adulthood).
There was outrage recently, when over 100 seals stampeded into the North Sea (almost crushing each other), spooked by a swirling plastic bag they thought was attacking them. One kind lorry driver drove a seal he found on a motorway to a sanctuary, with no idea how it got there.
how to help our coastal seals
- Live a simple zero-waste life, take all litter with you. Young seals are very curious, so more at risk of getting tangled up in fishing waste (see tips to be a greener boater).
- Most places in England where seals reside have volunteers, who cordon off areas so you can watch from afar, but not get too close (good news, as the bite from a frightened seal is vicious).
- If you find a (healthy) seal, stay far away (the length of 2 London buses at least). Keep quiet to avoid mothers attacking. Don’t take photographs of seals, as the flash could also startle.
- Dogs are natural predators, so keep them on short leads and avoid beaches with seals, especially during breeding season (just a friendly dog approaching could send terrified seals into the sea, baby seals could freeze as they don’t have enough blubber). Seal mums often hide pups in sandy dunes, so be extra alert.
- Don’t play ball or frisbee near seal colonies. One open-centred frisbee got stuck around a seal. It fortunately recovered, but the neck injuries almost took her head off.
- If watching or photographing seals, stay downwind so they can’t see or hear you, avoiding high-contrast colours, not getting close, not flying drones and not telling people location of the photos.
how to help injured or orphaned seals
Most places with seals in England have expert volunteers nearby (keep the number in your phone so you can call them or British Divers Marine Life Rescue (RSPCA or coastguard can put you through). Seals regularly haul themselves out of the sea to spend time on land (they are mammals, so don’t assume they have to return to sea immediately – often they are having a rest after swimming in rough seas. Pups don’t swim and could freeze if returned to the sea, before they have blubber to keep them warm).
Pups with visible ribs, baggy wrinkled skin, coughing or sneezing with thick mucous (or showing little fear of humans) are likely injured (often fishing line gets caught around the body, neck and flippers. Call for expert help with as much detail. If safe to do so, stand between the seal/pup and the sea, to prevent them going back into the water, until help arrives.
banning seal culls worldwide
We all know abroad of the awful seal cull in Canada (Green MP Caroline Lucas helped to bring the ban on EU imports of seal fur when a Euro MP, so now most of the market is concentrated in Asia for fur and so-called medicine). The amount hunters earn is minute (they would earn more from ecotourism) which has prompted Canadian Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson to write a public letter to the Prime Minister, asking him to keep his promise to ban the cull (he has not yet done so, despite being years in power). Hunters are allowed to kill pups after 12 to 14 days.
What can we do? Obviously don’t wear or buy traditional medicine if you don’t know the source. Some people choose to boycott Canadian seafood. However, seal culls go on elsewhere (like Namibia) and only recently did Scotland take action on seals being shot to save fish stocks. An upcoming US law will ban the sale of salmon, resulting from seals being shot.
Seal Protection Action Group asks everyone to write to your MP demanding action. All major supermarkets sell salmon from companies that shoot seals and promote and acoustic deterrents that ‘torture’ seals and whales). . If you eat fish, choose plant-based alternatives or wild-caught.
