2021 SRT and Seals

Basically 2021 saw a massive transformation in our charity that has continued into 2022 as we ride the post COVID technological wave. We are now trying to be more self funding through our Online Shop, Wild Seal Supporter and Adoption Scheme and Donations.

Our Annual Report was finally written this month. It takes about 2 months for photos from a survey, to be processed into IDs and then digitised into our database. We had no intention of our Annual Report being so long, but we really did have an incredible year of achievements making a massive difference for seals. As a result of all our hard work, we are anticipating that seal disturbance will be made illegal (as it is with Whales and Dolphins) in 2022. We have everything crossed for what would be a massive campaign success for us and all our partners in the Seal Alliance.

So our SRT Annual Report is available by CLICKING HERE if you fancy a read, but the headlines include:

  • – Registering Seal Research Trust (SRT) as our second working charity name to be more inclusive and better reflect our national work
  • – An incredible network of volunteer Seal Photo ID Hubs right across the southwest and beyond
  • – Recruitment of volunteers into key leadership roles
  • – 13,256 direct activity beneficiaries plus an incredible expansion of our online presence across facebook, Instagram, twitter, linkedin and youtube
  • – SRT’s appearance as one of 7 global charities featured in facebook’s global social impact report
  • – Delivery of 52 talks; 26 workshops; 17 stalls/events; 140 organised boat and land surveys; 585 meetings; 4 Wildlife Safe Scheme courses and 21 Reports all representing seals

 

Heligan Talk

 

  • Media coverage on Autumnwatch, Countryfile, in the Guardian and Observer along with 54 other major media coverage events radio, TV, online and in the press
  • – Three grassroots, community based Stakeholder Groups set up to protect sensitive marine sites
  • – Utterly incredible positive feedback from our activity participants showing we had made a difference to them, seals and the environment
  • – Successful completion of our People Protecting Precious Places Project Report for DEFRA through the Green Recovery Challenge Fund administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund – CLICK HERE to read our report 
  • – Getting our Post Release Monitoring paper finally published in Marine Mammal Science
  • – 5235 seal surveys (an average of 14 every single day of the year) covering 330 sites by 331 volunteers and 4 countywide seal censuses
  • – 123311 processed seal photos for 12542 seal IDs including 7 seals that we first met in 2000 and 4 from 2001
  • – Seal links from Cornwall to the Isle of Man (450km away), N and NW Wales, S and SW Wales, SE Ireland, N and NW France, Devon, Dorset, Belgium and Holland (650km away)
  • – Cornwall’s first successfully weaned common seal pup since our records began
  • – Grey seal pups recorded at 36 sites with up to 8 recorded on one beach at the same time
  • Newborn grey seal pup by Geoff Rogers

    Newborn grey seal pup by Geoff Rogers

    Beachmaster grey seal

    Taggie Jenga being a Beachmaster by Andy Hadfield

 

  • – Identifying 134 different entangled seals with up to 18 being sighted on a single survey, including our first seals entangled in plastic flying ring dog toys
  • – Serious level 3 disturbance affecting a shocking 1487 seals – up to 79 seals stampeding into the sea in a single incident
  • – Identifying 192 different ex rescued, rehabilitated and released seals with 18 being seen in a single survey
  • – Giving seals a voice by SRT in 31 public policy and planning consultations
  • – Working with the Seal Alliance to lead a hugely successful Give Seals Space campaign to raise awareness about the issue of seal disturbance and hosted two VIP ministerial visits
  • – SRT now representing seals on multiple national and international statutory forums
  • – Practical conservation actions that made a massive difference on the ground from working with partners to protect the wandering walrus to making the G7 Marine Mammal friendly, as well everyday grassroots interventions to help everyone enjoy our globally rare seals without impact, making our own patch a better place for seals to thrive.

 

If you LOVE SEALS too and want to learn more about our incredible globally rare grey seals, then you may want to CLICK HERE to sign up for our brand new ‘Discovering Seals’ course we are running in partnership with the Field Studies Council – starting 27/05/22 for 4 weeks.

Instead you might be keen to join our amazing and inspiring remote digital or local surveying volunteer teams – if so, email [email protected] to get access to our free online volunteer training programme.

 

Huge thanks to DEFRA’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for helping us to make 2022 a landmark year for seals.