Common seals are declining in parts of the UK, with disease, disturbance at haul-out sites, and entanglement in fishing gear affecting individual and population welfare.
Common seal pups separated from their mothers experience acute welfare harms from starvation, hypothermia, and the stress of being alone in an unfamiliar environment. Rehabilitation of separated pups is intensive and requires specialised expertise. Disturbance-caused separation at pupping sites is entirely preventable through appropriate exclusion zones during the pupping season. Entanglement causes prolonged suffering in gear-trapped seals unable to surface.