New study: Storms Put Grey Seal Pups at Risk as Climate Change Intensifies
The link between climate change and marine wildlife has been well established, but a landmark study published this week in the international journal ‘Oceans’ provides the first empirical evidence of the specific impacts of storminess on grey seal pup health. The research, analysing over 20,000 marine wildlife rescue records from 2015-2024 across the British Isles, reveals that all presenting conditions studied increase following stormy weather.
- Groundbreaking study examines more than 20,000 rescue records to establish clear connection between increased storm activity and specific health impacts on grey seal pups.
- Pups show significantly higher rates of malnourishment, head trauma, flipper injuries, wounds, and infections linked to storminess.
- Researchers call for urgent expansion of seal rehabilitation facilities to handle predicted increase in casualties due to climate change.
Keely Saville, lead author of the study, comments:
“Seals are exposed to many different negative impacts, some of which are increasing and being exacerbated by climate change. Our findings, given the predicted increase in seal pup casualties, reinforce the urgent need for an expansion of seal rehabilitation facilities in strategic locations with adequate long-term resourcing. This will complement the existing rescue network and alleviate the current and increasing strain on facilities and will help improve the welfare of grey seals in the light of climate change.”
Mark Simmonds, Director of Science at OceanCare, also one of the authors of the study, adds:
“Whilst at this time the grey seal is seen as a relatively plentiful species, climate change has the potential to turn this on its head and the first life stage of the species, when pups are raised on exposed sites on the seashore makes them especially vulnerable to being injured or killed”.
Laetitia Nunny, Senior Science Officer at OceanCare, also one of the authors of the study, concludes:
“This research results from a great collaboration between researchers and those involved in monitoring seal populations and also the marine animal rescue and rehabilitation community. At OceanCare we were very pleased to help to coordinate this and bring this study to fruition.”
The research shows that each unit increase in windspeed corresponds to significant percentage increases in various presenting conditions: malnourishment, head trauma, flipper injury, other wounds, and infections, and higher rates of call-outs and pup admissions to rescue centres.
Given the predicted increase in storm severity, these findings will aid rescue and rehabilitation planning by helping to predict when rescuers can anticipate increased admissions and the potential injuries that pups may experience following storms. The potential significance to the long-term conservation of the species is also highlighted.
ENDS
Notes to editors
The UK hosts around 34% of the world’s grey seal population and whilst at this time the species is regarded as being relatively plentiful the longer-term impacts of climate change on its conservation could be significant, a potential supported by this new research.
The lead author Keely Saville conducted this research whilst she was studying for her masters degree at the University of Bristol with OceanCare’s Director of Science, Mark Simmonds, acting as her supervisor. Other authors on the paper included Laetitia Nunny, Senior Science Officer at OceanCare, who also contributed to the study.
Publication
- Saville, K.; Nunny, L.; Jarvis, D.; Sayer, S.; Talas, L.; Simmonds, M.P. Vulnerability of Grey Seal Pups (Halichoerus grypus) to Storm Disturbances in the Context of Climate Change: A British Isles Case Study. Oceans 2025, 6, 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans6020019
