Wildlife

Grey Seal Welfare on UK Coasts

The UK hosts 40% of the world's grey seal population, and while populations have recovered strongly, welfare concerns include entanglement in fishing gear, plastic pollution ingestion and pup disturbance at breeding colonies.

Key Facts

The UK holds approximately 120,000 grey seals, representing about 40% of the global population
Grey seals breed on beaches from October to January, with pups vulnerable to disturbance
Entanglement in fishing gear and plastic debris causes injury and mortality across all age classes
Climate change is affecting pup survival through increased storm frequency disrupting breeding beaches

Welfare Considerations

Grey seal welfare is affected by multiple human-related threats despite strong population recovery. Entanglement causes injury, drowning and starvation in individual animals. Disturbance at breeding colonies causes pup abandonment and thermal stress. Plastic ingestion causes chronic internal damage. Awareness and regulation have improved welfare outcomes but challenges remain.

What You Can Do

Never approach or disturb grey seals hauled out on beaches, especially pups in autumn and winter
Participate in litter picks on coastal areas to reduce entanglement and ingestion risk
Report entangled or injured seals to British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Support campaigns for stronger fishing gear regulations to reduce marine mammal bycatch