Seal
Hauled out.
Grey seals have had an incredible comeback in the UK, with numbers bouncing back from a low of around 500 in the early 20th century, to more than 120,000 today. The UK is home to 40% of the worlds population of Atlantic Grey seals (95% of the European population), making it an incredibly important region for the species conservation.
Grey seal numbers have been increasing year on year throughout the UK, with significant growth to numbers along the East coast. With their boom in population, so has grown the crossover between Humans and seals, with many wanting to visit and view these impressive animals during the breeding season when they are hauled out on the sand.
I set out to document these wonderful animals and some of the pressures they face. It might seem obvious that people are the problem, with visitors getting to close and causing disturbance, however often studies show these areas with greater human activity are proving more successful in breeding output. Methods to restrict human access has in the past caused issues for the seals at some location, with fences put in place, trapping youngsters from the protection of the dunes in tidal storms resulting in fatalities.
Of course the human pressure is still constant for the Grey seal, uniformed visitors may approach too close, walk between mothers and pups or disturb them whilst feeding. The environmental pressures of over-fishing and plastic pollution are also a contributing threat, but its amazing that with all of these things against them, Grey seals are thriving in the UK once again.
In creation of the images below I have spent years working with seals on the coast. I spend hours making slow approaches to avoid disturbance, working in the early hours crawling on my front to reduced my impact. I observe from a distance with binoculars before planning my positioning, working on the edge of colonies to minimise an effects of photography on the wildlife.
The image below (one of my favourites from the work) of a female Grey seal hauling out on to the beach was awarded a highly commended in the “Por El Planeta” award in conjunction with National Geographic. The award meant a great deal to me, not only because it was one of my images, but because it goes to show how great images made on the doorstep can stand up alongside those made in some of the most remote locations in the world, a sentiment I’ve always tried to encompass within my work.
