The UK has approximately 114,000 grey seals, representing 33% of the world population and 95% of the European population. Whilst grey seals can be spotted at several locations within the Berwickshire & North Northumberland Coast European marine site, the breeding population is located on the Farne Islands. The islands provide suitable undisturbed habitat where seals can haul out and moult, usually in the spring, and breed in the autumn. Some 1000 seal pups are produced on the Islands each year, providing 3% of the annual pup production of the UK.

Using satellite-tracking techniques, it has been shown that grey seals can travel great distances, travelling as much as 100km per day. Despite this, most seals will hunt within 50km of a haul out site, foraging trips lasting an average of 2-5 days. The Farne Island seals seem to favour certain foraging "hot spots" offshore from the Islands. It is apparent that some of these areas have a gravel/sand seabed. This is sand eel habitat (Ammodytes spp.), a favoured prey item of the Farne Islands seals.
However, not all seal foraging patterns are explained by sand eel distribution and further research is being carried out in order to establish how young seals establish these favoured areas and return to them time after time.

Grey seals are the largest carnivores in our coastal waters. The diet of the Farne Island seals appears to consist mostly of sandeels, cod, and flat fish. Other prey items include whiting, dragonet and bullrout. Cod and sand eels are taken early in the year, Dover sole and other flatfish in spring and early summer. Sand eels become the main prey through the summer, changing to cod in the autumn and bullrout late in the year.

Given the natural variation that occurs in the size of seal populations, the conservation of grey seals within the Berwickshire & North Northumberland Coast European marine site is carried out by conserving suitable haul out and breeding habitat on the Farne Islands.

Much of the information on this page was provided by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St. Andrews, Gatty Marine Laboratory. Click on the link below to view the SMRU home page.

http://www.smru.st-and.ac.uk

The distribution of grey seals within the Berwickshire & North Northumberland Coast European marine site can be seen in the Map Gallery

Pictures of grey seals can be seen in Sights and Scenes