Save our Seals

Back in 2013, WDC and nine other UK and Scottish charities wrote to the UK and Scottish governments asking them to do more to protect seals and harbour porpoises. Otherwise healthy harbour and grey seals and harbour porpoises were (and still are) dying around the UK coastline due to “corkscrew” injuries thought to be consistent with impact by ducted propellers on numerous maritime vessels, such as tugs, self-propelled barges and rigs, various types of offshore support vessels and research boats.

The topic is back in the news, with Ministers being reminded that they are breaking environmental law by failing to prevent harbour seals from being sliced to death by ships’ propellers. Declining populations of harbour seals on the east coast of Scotland could be wiped out, exposing ministers to multimillion pound fines for breaching the European habitats directive, that gives the seals’ legal protection.