Seal surveys
For many, the main attraction of Looe Island Nature Reserve is the chance to view the amazing grey seals. We are working with volunteers from Looe Voluntary Marine Conservation Area (Looe VMCA) and Cornwall Seal Group to carry out seal surveys on the island. The surveys will help us get a better understanding of the seals that make the island's shores their home, which in turn will help us protect them.
Through the project we will discover
- The sites used by seals in the sea and on land.
- The seasonality of any seal sites.
- The number of seals visiting the sites.
- Information about the seals’ ages, sex as well as information about their nutritional and health status.
- Links to other seal sites in Cornwall made by individual seals, using photo identification techniques.
What happens on a seal survey
Volunteers are ferried to Looe Island Nature Reserve by the Islander, the island's passenger boat in the morning. A planning meeting is held to organise the day’s activities. The volunteers then walk around the Island to orientate surveyors, identify survey sites, familiarise new observers with the recording protocol (new surveyors are paired with experienced ones) and carry out a bird count. Then the seal survey begins lasting two and a half hours, from approximately one hour before low tide to one and a half hours after low tide. This is when the seals are most likely to be hauled-out on the exposed rocks, making them more easily identified. At the end of the day, the volunteers gather together to collate, discuss and analyse the results of the survey. They are then taken back to the mainland by the Islander. Results so far
The surveys have so far identified over 30 individual seals at Looe Island Nature Reserve; a mix of adult males and females, juveniles and even a common seal. Around a third of these seals are repeat visitors to the Island. For a full report on the survey results so far, please download Sue Sayer's comprehensive report. Sue is the Chair of Cornwall Seal Group who work to increase our knowledge of seals on the Cornish coast.
