The deaths of several adult seals and their new-born pups over recent weeks has raised serious concerns for the survival of north-west England’s only grey seal breeding colony near Barrow.

We've witnessed several incidents in which boats have disturbed and worried seals on the South Walney foreshore in the last few weeks. This time of year is critical as the seals come to the beach to give birth to their pups. Mothers and newly-born pups are highly vulnerable and can be extremely sensitive to boats and people if they get too close. 

Sadly and alarmingly, several seals have died in suspicious circumstances this year. We're now worried about how much more disturbance the seals can tolerate.

So far this autumn, a porpoise, two adult seals and two new-born pups have died in two separate incidents. We fear these deaths may be the result of boats getting too close. The porpoise and one of the dead adult seals appear to have been killed by collisions with boats, whilst the pups may have become separated from their mothers following disturbance.

Beth Churn, Marine Conservation Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “October is usually an exciting time of year for us, as we await the first sightings of seal pups at South Walney Nature Reserve. But this year, our excitement has turned to sadness, anger and frustration, following two separate incidents of seal pup deaths, which we believe may be the direct result of human disturbance.

“The first was two weeks ago when we found two adult seals and one seal pup washed up at the nature reserve. There was also a dead porpoise with them. One of the adult seals and the porpoise had injuries that suggest they’d been hit by a boat. The cause of death of the seal pup and other adult are not clear, but may be linked to the same incident. When mothers with pups are disturbed or alarmed, they flush into the water, potentially abandoning the new-born pups which can then starve.

“Last weekend, we were pleased to see another seal pup on our sealcam, but concerned to also see on the sealcam how a seal-watching boat trip and several small boats were far too close to the colony. We could see from sealcam that the mother was scared off. When they flush into the sea, it causes them to waste their much-needed energy stores and risks them abandoning the pup. We went down to South Walney on Monday 9 October to conduct our seal count and monitor the pup but couldn’t find it, leading us to believe that the disturbance caused by the boats may have led to the death of the seal pup.”

Since then, there has been one confirmed live, new-born grey seal pup at the nature reserve, which was spotted on the webcam on Tuesday 10 October. It had been born overnight, as shown by its yellow-coloured fur.

Paul Waterhouse, Reserves Officer at Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “These terrible incidents have happened despite repeated appeals to small boat users and local ferry companies to keep their distance from the seal colony, especially during pupping season. We’ve reported the incidents to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the local Wildlife Crime Police Officer.

“Defra, the wildlife tourism industry and conservationists have produced clear guidance for how sea users, including kayakers, anglers and operators of small boats, can enjoy watching wildlife in a responsible and wildlife-friendly way. This recommends that boats must keep at least 100m from seal colonies. Footage from our webcam shows a commercial operator and some small sailing boats coming much closer into shore than that.”

“We welcome the news that one operator has suspended seal tours during the pupping season (October to early November) and we thank them for their responsible decision. Others, however, continue to operate despite requests for them to avoid disturbing the seals. Continued disturbance may drive the seals elsewhere, leaving us with no colony at South Walney and nothing for the seal-watching ferry trips to see.”

The best way to see the Walney seals is to follow us on social media and watch our live sealcam. Alternatively, visitors to South Walney can watch the seals in the sea at high tide from a safe distance in Groyne Hide, but there is no access to the beach where the seals haul out.

We appeal to all sea users, including kayakers, anglers and boats, to maintain at least 100m distance from the seal colony at all times. Good views of the seals can easily be had using binoculars from a safe distance, and there is no need to get too close. Generally, you’ll know if you’re too close because the seals will start to look at you and move nervously. If this happens, you should immediately start backing away quietly to avoid further disturbance. More guidance is available here Marine & Coastal Wildlife Code.

The seal colony at this nature reserve is recent – it has only developed since the 1980s and 1990s - and this is only the ninth year in which the seals have bred.  With the help of volunteers and local people, we've worked hard to make this site safe and secure for the seals, so that they feel able to return here to breed. This includes keeping disturbance to a minimum.

Thanks to these protective measures, the colony has grown and by 2021, some 518 seals were counted here.

South Walney Nature Reserve near Barrow is open daily from 10am to 5pm (4pm in winter). Visitors are welcome. The visitor cabin is open with information and activity packs for children and a monitor streaming the live sealcam. With stunning views across Morecambe Bay, this shingle island reserve is full of interest and is also a fantastic place for bird watching. Please note dogs are not allowed on the nature reserve, apart from assistance dogs.