The Trust welcomes today’s announcement of proposed sites that will protect seals from harassment where they come ashore.
194 haul-out sites, where seals come onto land to rest, breed or moult, have been selected by the Scottish Government based on advice from experts at the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St Andrews. Seals are particularly vulnerable at haul-out sites and can be easily disturbed by human activity.
Scotland is home to globally significant populations of both grey and harbour (or common) seals. Around 33% of the world’s grey seals breed at colonies in Scotland – mainly in the Outer Hebrides and in Orkney – and nearly a quarter of the European harbour seal population is found here, although several areas have seen major declines. Numbers are down by 75% in Orkney, 30% in Shetland, and 85% in the Firth of Tay since 2000.
Living Seas Policy Officer for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Alex Kinninmonth, said: “Seals should be free from harassment wherever they are, but the designation of these haul-out sites is certainly a step in the right direction.
“Along with other conservation measures, this will aid the protection and recovery of these iconic animals.”