Survey Spots Nearly 708 Seals in the Thames Estuary

A latest survey carried out by the Zoological Society of London counted 708 seals in the Thames Estuary.

This survey was done by air, land and sea. The estimation provided is based on mere seal sightings. The survey even encouraged the local residents to participate by reporting their own seal sightings at the ZSL's interactive Seal Map.

There are basically two species of seals found in United Kingdom. Nearly 36 percent of the world's grey seal population dwells in the U.K. and  4 percent of the world's harbour seals (common seals) are found here too. Despite the fact that these two species are spotted all around the coastal lines of the U.K., they are considerably more abundant in some areas than others.

Reports published earlier highlighted the fall in common seals populations, one of Britain's largest and most charismatic marine predator. The reports published in The Guardian stated that there was a decline in seal population in Scotland waters and along eastern England.

There has been a dramatic fall in the population of harbour seals in a few regions of Scotland. Hence, through this survey ZSL aims to monitor the seals in Thames in order to avoid a similar decline.

ZSL's conservation scientist Joanna Barker said in a news release, "Recently, we have seen drastic declines in numbers of harbour seals across Scotland, with populations almost disappearing in some areas. Reasons behind the decline are unclear, but other seal populations may also be vulnerable. This broad approach will produce the first complete count of harbour seals in the Thames and south-east coast, so that we can accurately monitor the species to better understand and protect them."

The survey coincides with the annual seal moult. During this time, the harbour seals hobble onto sandbanks to shed their coats and grow a new layer for the coming winter.

They plan on conducting this survey annually in order to see how the seal population changes over a period of time. The teams hope that the survey will allow them to know more about the threats these species face in the U.K. waters.