Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus)

Key Findings

  • Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a common marine mammal on the East Grampian Coast. They have a number of haul out sites including the area around Rattray Head, the mouth of the River Don and at a number of cave sites south of Stonehaven. In recent years the Ythan Estuary has grown to become the largest haul-out site in Scotland. 
  • Seal do not breed in the area in large numbers.
  • The Ythan is a designated haul-out site and it is illegal to harass the seals site as set out in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.
  • Work has been carried out to assess the degree of predation by seals on salmon on the Ythan and at Aberdeen harbour. In both cases scat analysis showed little evidence of salmonid predation with the majority of food shown to be flat fish. More analysis may be needed. Some individual seals do however target salmonid and my travel up rivers a considerable distance.
  • The highest numbers of seals found at the Ythan are in late winter and early spring.

 

Counting Seals at the Ythan in 2010

Grey seal numbers Ythan counted by NatureScot nb from 2016 to 2021 counts were done by Marine Scotland

Grey Seal counts at the Ythan by month 2022-23

Notes

Linked Information Sheets

Key sources of Information

Reviewed on/by

22/11/23 by Ian Hay

22/11/23 by Daryl Short. Nature Reserve Officer, Forvie National Nature Reserve

 

Status

 Live. Next update due 22/11/24

To report errors, highlight new data, or discuss alternative interpretations, please complete the form below and we will aim to respond to you within 28 days

This field is mandatory

I hereby agree that this data will be stored and processed for the purpose of establishing contact. I am aware that I can revoke my consent at any time.*

This field is mandatory

* Indicates required fields
There was an error submitting your message. Please try again.
Thank you! We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Contact us

Telephone: 07971149117

E-mail: ian.hay@stateofthecoast.scot

East Grampian Coastal Partnership (EGCP) Logo

© 2023 - All rights reserved. EGCP Limited

Cover Photograph - David R. Green

We need your consent to load the translations

We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.