Increase in grey seals and shark egg cases in Cumbria coast

The team at Cumbria Wildlife Trust reported their highest grey seal count of the season at South Walney Nature Reserve, 466, in January 2023 after a dip last year.  

This seal colony is recent – developed from single figures since the 1980s - and this was only the ninth year the seals have bred.

The trust has also recorded nine seal pups this autumn. However, the pupping season was blighted by news of several disturbances in the colony.

An adult seal and a porpoise were washed up after possibly being hit by a boat.

Another adult seal and pup were discovered dead at the same time.

Their cause of death is unknown, but when mothers with pups are disturbed or alarmed, they flush into the water, potentially abandoning the newborn pups, which can then starve.

Georgia de Jong Cleyndert, Head of Marine at North West Wildlife Trusts, said: “This is Cumbria’s only breeding grey seal colony. With a lot of help from volunteers and local people, we've worked really hard to make this site safe and secure for the seals. This includes keeping disturbance to a minimum.

"It’s been a real conservation success story but we face ongoing challenges with disturbance. We urge everyone to help us ensure that the seals are not disturbed, so that they feel able to return here to breed in years to come.”

At Seascale beach in March, a young grey seal possibly a 2022 pup from South Walney was washed up, tangled in fishing gear.

This sorry sight highlights the dangers of marine and beach litter, especially from fishing boats. Georgia said: “Ghost gear is fishing gear such as nets, pots and lines which have become lost, discarded or abandoned at sea. This gear continues to needlessly catch and kill marine life, such as seals. Lost fishing gear is one of the most common types of marine litter found in the sea today. We run regular beach cleans around the coast to help to clear up marine litter. Why not get involved?”

Shore researchers found a huge number of ray and shark egg cases at Biggar Bank, Walney Island.

A long-spined sea scorpion was spotted in Earnse Bay, one of many intriguing marine sightings in 2023 © Mark Thomas (Image: Mark Thomas)

In April, a group of shore searchers took part in an Easter egg hunt, looking for egg cases discarded by sharks and rays.

The egg hunters found no less than 3,759 egg cases, including cases from small spotted catsharks, nursehound sharks, thornback ray and spotted ray.

Shoresearchers found a huge number of ray and shark egg cases off Walney © Cumbria Wildlife Trust (Image: Cumbria Wildlife Trust)

This beats last year’s top haul of 3,316 and suggests that these ray and shark populations are very healthy.