Seal population in the Wadden Sea: dramatic decline of 12%!

Seal population in the Wadden Sea: dramatic decline of 12%!

Alarming news from the Wadden Sea! The 2024 seal census showed a dramatic 12 percent decline in the population compared to the previous year. This worrying development shows that the number of young animals has fallen to a shocking 8,230, compared to 9,334 in 2023. A trend that is ringing alarm bells!

The situation is particularly critical in Schleswig-Holstein, where the number of young animals has fallen by 19 percent. While Denmark recorded an increase of 14 percent, things look bleak in the Netherlands and Lower Saxony: there the numbers fell by 15 and 2 percent. No young animals were even counted on Heligoland! Experts suspect that the falling birth rates are linked to a decreasing number of reproductive females, which has been affected by the low survival rate of young animals in recent years.

Possible reasons for the decline

Although 23,772 seals were counted in the Wadden Sea in August, a slight increase of 5 percent compared to the previous year, the population remains worryingly below the numbers from 2012 to 2020. This indicates a long-term decline that has continued for the fourth year in a row. Migration and disease have been ruled out as causes, but human activities and competition for food could put significant strain on the seals. The exact long-term effects of these factors are still unclear, and the urgency for further research is obvious.

“We need in-depth knowledge about the survival and behavior of individual seals in order to better understand the mechanisms of population changes and to develop suitable protective measures,” explains Dr. Anders Galatius from Aarhus University. Time is of the essence as seals in the Wadden Sea are facing a serious threat and it is crucial to act quickly!