Further to the finding by North Wales Seal Research Organisation that up to 80 per cent of its rescues involved seals in trouble for disturbance issues, what discussions has the Welsh Government had to determine whether stricter laws are required to combat seal disturbances by humans and dogs?
Defra have launched a joint UK consultation to review the lists of protected species on Schedules 5 (animals) and 8 (plants) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The consultation includes a proposal for seals to be added to Schedule 5. This would make it illegal to intentionally or recklessly disturb seals as it currently is for other marine species such as dolphins and whales.
In the meantime there are a number of marine codes across Wales which advise the general public of how to reduce the potential for seal disturbance. Where interaction is highly likely, signage is used to promote the marine codes and the advice given. To support this, an app is currently under development to bring together all marine codes into one bilingual Wales wide Marine Code App.