Harbour seals are familiar coastal mammals facing threats from fisheries entanglement, infectious disease, and human disturbance during the critical pupping season.
Harbour seals face acute welfare crises from entanglement in fishing gear and infectious disease. Entangled seals may drown rapidly or suffer prolonged injury from gear embedded in skin. Disease outbreaks like PDV cause pneumonia, neurological symptoms, and mass mortality. Human disturbance during pupping causes pups to enter the sea prematurely, risking hypothermia and drowning. Public education about appropriate seal watching distances and reporting of entangled or injured seals enables timely rescue interventions that save individual lives.