News

 
11 - 14 July 2008
There has been a Grey Seal in the River Great Ouse in Bedfordshire since
Friday 11 July 2008 first spotted by fishermen at Kempston.  It was seen heading back towards the sea at Cardington Lock at 10:00 am on 14 July 2008. This is the first Grey Seal recorded in Bedfordshire (the first seal of any sort in Bedfordshire).

Report by Richard Lawrence

Image 1
Image 2

3 March - 26 May 2008 onwards

A Bearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus, was spotted at Loch na Keal on the Isle of Mull, a large island in the Inner Hebrides, western Scotland. The healthy seal had hauled itself up on to some dry rocks when it was first seen. Subsequently, it has been unpredictable in its movements. The Bearded Seal was first seen by David Woodhouse (Mull Wildlife Expeditions) on 3 March 2008.

Photograph by Rob Baxter
Report by David Sexton (RSPB, Mull)

19 March 2008 

A Common Seal, Phoca vitulina, swam up the River Medway in Kent as far as Allington lock which is several miles upstream of the Medway estuary mouth and is at the tidal limit. My understanding is that the seal was in the area for several days. I also understand that now it has gone further upstream to East Farleigh, as a result I believe the RSPCA were called but have left it in situ as it was not in any distress.

Report & Photograph by Tony Thorogood (Photony)

February 2008
Up until now it has been assumed that the Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, that we see along the Sussex coast are either from the Wash area or from the Chichester colony. Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus, have been assumed to come from either further west or east. However a Common Seal tagged in 2007 by the University of Rochelle crossed the English Channel and swam east along the Sussex coast.

Adastra Forum Report by Steve Savage

3 January 2008
A Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus, was washed up dead on the shore at Sheringham in Norfolk with a large 35 cm wound reminiscent of a predator attack. The jury is out on the cause of the wound which could be as a result of fishing activity. Or it could be a deliberate attempt to mislead the Sun newspaper?

Report and Photograph on the Sun Newspaper Web Page

Discussion on the Marine Wildlife of the NE Atlantic Yahoo Group
More Discussion

The previous week in Kent we had a dead seal turn up with large wounds on it. They were circular and about 50 mm in diameter.

Report by Jon Bramley on the Marine Wildlife of the NE Atlantic Yahoo Group

19 November 2007
A Bearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus, was seen at Chanonry Point area on the coast of the Moray Firth near Inverness, Scotland, having been there for about two weeks. 
Link to a Photograph

Report by Farnboro John on the Bird Forum

BMLSS Bearded Seal page

21 October 2006

Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus, pup on the Farne Islands
Photograph by Kevin Boothroyd

The Farne Islands (National Trust) are home to around four thousand Grey Seals, and the birthplace of over one thousand seal pups in October and November each year. At low tide the seals will haul out on to the rocks.

24 February 2006
An oiled and very old and worn Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus, was washed up on the rocky shore at Cuckmere Haven (near the Seven Sisters), East Sussex. It was at the end of its life span and was euthanised. 
NB: Grey Seals are almost unknown off Sussex, where the Common Seal is only occasionally seen.

Full Report on the BDMLR News

Marine Life of Sussex News

15 November 2005
A Common Seal, Phoca vitulina, swam up the tidal area of the River Ouse in East Sussex up a narrow winding river for three miles to Southease (south of Rodmell) which is a tidal stretch. (The Ouse is tidal as far as Barcombe Mills, north of Lewes.) Common Seals occur of the coast of Sussex but they are only occasionals and not regularly seen off East Sussex, although there is a small rookery in Chichester Harbour in West Sussex, and they are seen around Selsey. 
Marine Life of Sussex

15 October 2005
I spotted a seal in the River Thames near Kew Gardens in west London. It was probably a Common Seal, Phoca vitulina. This part of the river is tidal up to Teddington. 

Report by Richard Clayton

25 August 2005
A seal was trapped in Sharpness tidal basin after the morning tide, and when the basin was levelled that evening for two ships to leave, it managed to escape up the dock. The following morning, the seal was sighted in the canal between Purton and Shepherds Patch, but luckily it found its way back to Sharpness where the lock gate men locked it back out into the river. The seal species was not identified.

Report by John Putley
(from the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal Newsletter,  August 2005)
on the Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group

30 April 2005 to 3 May 2005
A Bearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus, is seen at Easter Quarff (north of Cunningsburgh), Mainland, Shetland Isles.

Bearded Seal 
Photograph by John Coutts
Report on Shetlands Sea Mammal Sightings and Photographs 

1 April 2005 for 2-3 weeks
A Bearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus, was resident in the Ouse, Finstown, Orkney for 2-3 weeks from the beginning of April. It came as a great surprise to me when I was informed by a dog walker on the Ouse that she had come across an unusual seal asleep on the shoreline. On investigation I identified the seal as a juvenile female Bearded Seal. Bearded Seals are normally found all along the European, Asiatic and North American coasts of the Arctic Ocean. Its food consists entirely of bottom-living animals including shrimps, crabs, clams, whelks and bottom fish such as flounder. It is a very unusual seal to be found in the waters of Orkney.
 

Report by Ross Flett (Orkney Seal Rescue)
on the Marine Wildlife of the North-east Atlantic Ocean Group

BMLSS Bearded Seal page
 

 

24 June 2004
When Mike Rafter was at Inchmery Quay (at the mouth of the Beaulieu River), Hampshire, he saw a large seal resting on a floating landing stage and wondered if it had been driven inshore by yesterday's storms. Val Lowings responded to this query, saying .. 'A Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus, has been using the landing stage on the Beaulieu River to rest on for quite a few months now. It is very tame and does not move when people/boats approach. The RSPCA seal expert has had a look at it and it seems quite healthy. I believe it is tagged, but not with a UK tag, so it is thought to have come from a 'sanctuary' in Europe'.

Report form Ralph Hollin's Nature Notes

13 June 2004
A young female Hooded Seal, Cystophora cristata, was discovered on Dunnet Beach, Caithness, Scotland. It was treated by British Divers Marine Life Rescue who plan to return the seal to the Orkney Isles nearer its natural habitat around Greenland and the Denmark Strait (between Iceland and Greenland). 

Report by Alistair Jack of British Divers Marine Life Rescue

British Marine Life Rescue News Page (with the Full Report)

31 March - 2 April 2004
Another Common Seal, Phoca vitulina, ventures up the River Thames to the densely populated urban area at Lambeth and gets covering in mud, prompting a rescue mission by British Divers Marine Life Rescue. 
British Divers Marine Life Rescue News Page (with the Full Report)

26 March 2004
A Hooded Seal, Cystophora cristata, was discovered on St. Ives beach, Cornwall, by British Divers Marine Life Rescue. The Hooded Seal is an Arctic species and even discoveries off the coast of Scotland, including the Orkney and Shetland Isles are rare. It moults around Greenland and the Denmark Strait (between Iceland and Greenland). 
British Divers Marine Life Rescue News Page (with the Full Report)
Hooded Seal 2001 (SW Wales)

17 February 2004
A seal was spotted in the River Thames, London, by Richmond Bridge. It was about 120 cm in length. It was most likely a Common Seal, Phoca vitulina.

Report by Phil Stubbs

20 October 2003
A seal caused a bit of flutter when it was spotted a long way up the tidal River Thames, swimming eastwards towards the sea between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge in a busy part of the city of London. This is less than a mile from the House of Parliament, Westminster.

Report by Lloyd Goodman

27 September 2003
An outlandish and completely unexpected addition to the Portland Island (Dorset) mammal list came today in the form of a Harp Seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus, that was found hauled out on rocks along the East Cliffs at the Bill during the afternoon; it remained there for three hours before being flushed off by the incoming tide. 
Photograph
The Harp Seal is an Arctic species that is hunted (cf. culled) in the frozen north of Canada. 

Report by Martin Cade via John Young via UK Cetnet

Report on Portland Wildlife News
ORCA (Organisation Cetacea) Report with previous sightings

20 September 2003
When walking around Thorney Island, West Sussex, the number of Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, was 14, one more than has been previously recorded in Chichester Harbour 

Report by Barry Collins on Ralph Hollin's Nature Pages

Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV)

17 December 2002
Between 11 December and 17 December there have been 47 dead seals reported around the UK bringing the total to 3682 since the beginning of the outbreak. The English deaths were down to 16 in the last week and are falling in Scottish seas after a sharp rise to 133 dead carcasses in the week ending 4 December 2002. 
It is the total number of dead seals reported, irrespective of what they died of and this recent rise of mortality in Scottish seals has probably got more to do with the Grey Seal pupping period than any extra spread of the virus.
Weekly Graph (epidemic started 14 August 2002)
PDV Update
Status Report 19

27 November 2002
Between 20 November and 26 November there have been 77 dead seals reported around the UK bringing the total to 3387 since the beginning of the virus outbreak.
PDV Update
Status Report 16
24 October 2002
Between 16 October and 22 October there have been 195 dead seals reported around the UK bringing the total to 2845 since the beginning of the Phocine Distemper Virus outbreak. 2451 of the seals have been found on the English coasts, with all but 24 of the above total discovered dead on the east coast. Confirmed cases are mostly Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, but also a few Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus.
Sea Mammal Research Unit
Status Report 11 (with further details)

11 September 2002
Between the 4 September and 10 September, 209 dead Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, were reported around the UK bringing the total to 1005 since the beginning of the Phocine Distemper Virus outbreak. 890 of these were from around the coast of England, predominantly from the Norfolk coast with smaller numbers reported from Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Northumbria and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Report by the Sea Mammal Research Unit

Sea Mammal Research Unit
Phocine Distemper Virus among European Seals 2002

13 August 2002
Tests on dead Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, found on carcasses from the coast of Lincolnshire and Norfolk have confirmed they died from the Phocine Distemper Virus. The British outbreak was confirmed by the RSPCA after five dead seals, including three pups, were found around the Wash.
News Story (Independent)

22 June 2002
The Phocine Distemper Virus has been identified as the cause of a new increased total of 461 Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, carcasses tested in Denmark, with a further 150 in Sweden and dead seals also recovered on the shores of the Netherlands. 
Ananova News Report

Any dead seals should be reported to the marine mammals stranding telephone line maintained by the Natural History Museum on 0207 942 5155 (24 hr answerphone).

Seal distemper (PDV) helpline number 08712 447999

> 10 June 2002
The bodies of more than 310 Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, have been washed up on the Danish and Swedish coasts, raising fears of an epidemic of the highly contagious and usually fatal Phocine Distemper Virus. The origin of the outbreak on the Kattegat and Skagerrak coast of Denmark and south Sweden prior to the breeding season is the same place as the 1988 epidemic which quickly spread to the east coast of England and killed about 2000 seals in the Wash (60% of the population). The first test was after high mortalities on the breeding seal population on the Danish island of Anholt (between Denmark and Sweden) 

The virus causes pregnant seals to abort their pups, pneumonia and nervous system abnormalities including convulsions.

BBC Norfolk Report
BBC National News Report
BMLSS Seals

Orange Seals (an explanation)

Phocine Distemper Virus (Wikipedia)

Shetlands Seal Page
This is an excellent page and an essential site to visit for anybody interested in the two species of resident British seals and records of vagrant seal visitors around the Shetland Isles. 
Seal Pup Rescue

20% of Grey Seal pups on the Scilly Isles die in the first few weeks. 
(BBC 2 Natural World)

United Kingdom's Conservation of Seals Act 1970

Seals and Sealions (Jaap's Marine Pages)

Marine Mammals of the English Channel Smart Group

Zoonosis: Marine Mammals to Humans 
 

1 August 1999
The Scottish Wildlife Trust paid tribute to the mystery benefactor whose cash gift enabled them to buy the 56-hectare uninhabited island of Linga Holm, in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, as a sanctuary for Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus. Linga Holm is the world's third largest island-based breeding colony of Grey seals with 2,300 pups having been counted there in 1997.
Scottish Wildlife Trust at EMail: scottishwt@cix.compulink.co.uk

March 1999
A marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for Harbour Seals,  Phoca vitulina vitulina,  has been proposed under the EC Habitats Directive for an area around the island of Sanday in the Scottish Orkney Islands. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has begun a public consultation exercise on the proposed site. 
For more information, contact Ross Flett, Orkney Seal Rescue, at
EMail: SelkieSave@aol.com or  Tel: +44-(0)1856-831463.

SNH also announced  that it has deferred notification of the South East Islay Skerries, an important area for the Harbour Seal, as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). SSSI designation is necessary to underpin designation as an SAC, for which the area has been proposed by the government as a candidate site. Although both the U.K. Sea Mammal Research Unit and the Advisory Committee on SSSIs specialist adviser supported SNH's view that the site met the requirements for designation, the decision to defer notification came after the objection and compilation of a report by a local landowner, Sir John MacTaggart.
For more information, contact Nancy Fraser, Public Relations
Officer, SNH West Areas, on Tel: +44-(0)141-951-4488 or John Robins, Animal Concern, at 
EMail: john@jfrobins.force9.co.uk or Tel: +44-(0)141-445-3570.
(Sources: Animal Concern; Orkney Seal Rescue; SNH)
Report from Paul Haddow, Pinniped News.

Seals in the Shetland Islands 

Fast tidal streams near headlands are the areas  preferred by the very large population of 
Common and Grey Seal which live in the Shetlands in vast numbers. 

A Common Seal, Phoca vitulina, count by an aerial survey, carried out in 1993 showed the breeding sites were widespread around the Isles and there were 6,227 animals, about 22% of the UK's population.

The pups of both Common and Grey Seals were protected by law from exploitation in 1973.  The Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus, has 108,500 animals or 40% of  the world population around the Great Britain, with 99,300 associated with breeding sites around Scotland and 3,500 animals associated with breeding sites all around the Shetland Isles. 

The Killer Whales, Orcinus orca, feed on both fish and seals; as Grey Seals inhabit the more rugged coasts and deeper water, they are more vulnerable to Killer Whale attack than Common Seals.  There have been numerous sightings of the Killer Whales chasing and taking them. One observer has watched the Killer Whales come up on to the rocks in front of him in pursuit of seals. It must have been an incredible experience. 

30 July 2001
A Ringed Seal, Phoca hispida, was discovered at Cullivoe (Yell) in the Shetland Isles. It is only the second record for Shetland of this Arctic species. The only other definite record was one shot on Whalsay in 1968 (Berry & Johnston 1980). This species looks similar to the Common Seal, Phoca vitulina, and has probably been overlooked before, although they are still rare in British seas.  Their main distribution areas are the Arctic coasts of Europe, the USSR, Canada and Alaska, including Nova Zemlya, Spitsbergen, Greenland and Baffin Island. The Baltic population is the subspecies Phoca hispida botnica.

c. 11 September 2002
A Bearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus, was found near Leenane (the entrance is Killary harbour), in south County Mayo, on the west coast of Ireland. This is the first record of this Arctic seal for Ireland. 

A Grey Seal pup was released from Dublin on 27 June 1999 with £5000 worth of satellite tracking equipment (the satellite tag) fastened to its head. The signals stopped off the Isle of Colonay, SW Scotland on 11 July 1999. The seal has never been heard of again and the tracking equipment has not been recovered. The seal dived to 130 metres (over 400 ft) and travelled 50 miles a day.
"A male Grey Seal was rescued by the Irish Seal Sanctuary on New Year's Day and with us for almost 6 months. He was released on June 27th from Dublin Bay, with a satellite tag attached (courtesy of Stena Line). 
He headed south for the first few days, before turning north again, passing Dublin, heading up to Strangford Lough, Belfast Lough, Larne, Fair Head, before heading over to the Mull of Kintyre and up along the west coast of Scotland up as far as Colonsay Island until the 11th July from where we have received no feedback.
It is a mystery to us what happened, but we feel that the problem lies with the tag and not the seal. We believe that it may have fallen off the animal. Bran (the seal) was doing particularly well in the days prior to the 11th."
"The satellite tag  is about the size of a mobile phone, weighs about 300 grams and its casing is made of translucent toughened plastic. It has an antenna about 15 cm (6 in) long and our name, phone no., address and e-mail is clearly visible within the tag.
The seal (minus the tag) should still be noticeable as it will still have the patch (approx. 8 x 6 inches) of epoxy-resin glue on its back and should be visible until the animal moults in about 6 months time.   Even though the tag is not presently relaying information, it is still recording data and if we were lucky enough to retrieve it will be able to find out what happened (we hope). "
Terry Flanagan, Irish Seal Sanctuary (also The Times 29/7/99).
EMail: flanagan@indigo.ie.

Sea Mammal Research Unit (seals)
Seal Mammal Research Unit (Satellite Telemetry)

http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/Times/frontpage.html?999

Mike Turner who takes sailing boat trips out to the sand banks in the Thames Estuary (usually Last Sand and Margate Sands off north Kent). He keeps a watch on the numbers of seals on the sands, which is his main tourist interest. We have seen about 70 plum Common Seals though the winter (2 years ago) we did not get out there the last two winters. Numbers drop in the Summer. There were about 25 on the NE Last Sand on Saturday, plus one Grey Seal on the Margate sands. Last summer there was one lone Grey there most of the time. We don't know if its the same one this year.

27 September 2003
An outlandish and completely unexpected addition to the Portland Island (Dorset) mammal list came today in the form of a Harp Seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus, that was found hauled out on rocks along the East Cliffs at the Bill during the afternoon; it remained there for three hours before being flushed off by the incoming tide. 
The Harp Seal is an Arctic species that is hunted (cf. culled) in the frozen north of Canada. 

5 October 2002
Down the beach this morning to check the sea state for diving when I noticed I was being watched by a seal, bobbing in front of me. I first saw it in the surge five metres from the shore, in front of the new sea defence works, east of the Widewater Lagoon. A fisherman in a boat must have just passed the seal moments before I had arrived, maybe he gave the seal some titbits?
It was a Harbour (Common) Seal, Phoca vitulina, as I have photographed Grey Seals many times and this seal is different.

23 August 2002
A seal, probably a Common (or Harbour) Seal, Phoca vitulina, is spotted off Lancing beach between the breakwaters. It was mistaken for a dog at first which is often the case. Seals are a rare sight off the mid-Sussex coast, but a few have been seen off Shoreham beach before. The nearest rookery is a small group of seals in Chichester harbour which are occasionally seen around Selsey (Seal Island).
The seal was also seen by Francis Garard in the same area sharing the same swimming space with her in the morning 8:40 am on 29 August 2002. 

25 November 2001
A seal was seen off Brighton beach, Sussex in the English Channel. This is outside the normal range of all species of pinnipeds. It was swimming between Brighton's two piers heading east to west. The seal swam at the surface and dived on occasions and appeared to be in good health. They have been seen as occasional vagrants before, notably off Shoreham a few miles to the west.

3 June 1999
A pup has been born to a female on the rookery of a half a dozen Common Seals, Phoca vitulina, on the Pilsey Sands, Chichester Harbour, West Sussex. Seals are uncommon between the Isle of Wight and Dover on the English Channel coast, the total is only about 12.
Ralph Hollins Nature Pages
Common Seals in Langstone Harbour, Hants

Jersey Marine Heritage

Jersey Seal Project

Marine Mammals Portfolio including Grey Seals
 

Seal Pup Rescue (at Brighton, Sussex)
 

Welsh Seals
Grey Seals have been observed feeding on Sewin (Sea Trout) in the River Tawe that enters the Bristol Channel past a weir at Swansea.  Report from Dr Michael Isaac.
 

29 July 2001
A Hooded Seal, Cystophora cristata, was washed on a Little Haven beach, Pembrokeshire, south west Wales and found a home at the Seal Hospital at Milford Haven. The seal was healthy apart from a small cut on one flipper. The Hooded Seal is an Arctic species and even discoveries off the coast of Scotland, including the Orkney and Shetland Isles are rare. It moults around Greenland and the Denmark Strait (between Iceland and Greenland). 

Walrus
April 1999
A Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus was seen hauled out on rocks in County Mayo, Ireland for six hours. Lying within 100 metres of the busy coastal road and spotted as a "rock that moved", the resting walrus finally disappeared at dusk. There have been several walrus sightings at sea off County Donegal in recent winters, and a couple of walruses were reported to have been seen by surfers in Killala Bay in December. A dead walrus was found in County Kerry in January 1995. 
The Walrus is an Arctic species and is rarely seen even off Scotland and the Shetland Isles.

Cornish Marine Wildlife Reports 1999 (by Ray Dennis)

Harp Seal Report (1997)
Hooded Seal - Cornish Report (1995)

Seal Sanctuary at Gweek, Cornwall

September 1999
A sick and exhausted six-month-old female Hooded Seal, Cystophora cristata, found in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, was only the third one  to have been seen  in the islands. She was taken in by Orkney Seal Rescue but unfortunately died after only a few days. For more information, contact Ross Flett, Orkney Seal Rescue. 
EMail: selkiesave@aol.com. 
 

Hooded Seals spend most of their life on the Arctic pack ice.
Hooded Seal - Cornish Report (1995)

17 May 2000
A pink (leucistic) Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus, was seen around the Isle of Skye, western Scotland. As soon as the seal saw the boat, it took to the water straight away. The other seals continued to lay around on the rocky shore. The seal remained pink in colour even when wet, they normally turn dark. It was clearly visible under the surface due to its light colour.

Sound of Mull Seals

Back in July 2000 we watched a Bull Grey Seal, catch, kill and eat an adult common seal at the entrance to Lochaline. It was quite spectacular to watch but I couldn't help feel sorry for the Common Seal..

Davy Holt, Paisley, Scotland
ICQ 81258455
Yahoo: davyh_2001

SCOS 00/2
Scientific Advice on Matters Related to the Management of Seal Populations: 2000

Under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has a duty to provide scientific advice to government on matters related to the management of seal populations.
NERC has appointed a Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) to formulate this advice so that it may discharge this statutory duty.

This document is available as a *.pdf  electronic file, readable using Acrobat Reader, from Peter Haddow of the Seal Conservation Society. BMLSS members can request a copy from Glaucus House. 

The book is divided into the following chapters:

Introduction 
Seals & Sea Lions 
Food and Feeding 
Life in the Water 
The Breeding Cycle
Man, Seals & Sea Lions 
Enjoying Seals & Sea Lions 
Seal & Seal Lion Facts 
Index 

It is worth having a close look at this book in a bookshop and reading some of the informative text. Page 35 is a good page to start where the explanation of the seals utilisation of oxygen when diving is clear. There are no caption boxes with extra information as it is all included in the main body of text. This can make it quite a hard read as there is so much information that the reader cannot take it in at once. There are no wasted words. Occasionally, the explanations require a large vocabulary, which will be OK for BMLSS members but may be too difficult for children. 
 

Conclusion:  a very good book for the general wildlife enthusiast.