The Seal Project is a registered charity founded to protect and conserve the seal populations along the South Devon coast.
Seals are vital indicators of the marine environment's health and we feel extremely fortunate to share our shores with these enigmatic, intelligent and inquisitive creatures. We are passionate in playing our part in reducing the growing threats from pollution and human disturbance and safeguarding these incredible marine mammals for future generations.
The Seal Project is making meaningful strides toward a future where seals and marine life continue to thrive along the beautiful South West coast through a number of key activities.
Grey seals are a globally rare species, with a third of the worlds grey seals in UK waters. We have a responsibility to ensure their safety and welfare while they are around our coasts.
By monitoring and recording each seal sighting we are building up an ever increasing picture of the seals seen throughout South Devon. Each seal has its own life story to tell, and with every sighting we gain more of an insight into individual seals and their lives.
We do receive calls about seals within our area, and our local knowledge can often mean we can put minds at rest with a mere photo, description or location. We will always check on anything we are unsure of and as volunteer Marine Mammal Medics for the BDMLR (British Divers Marine Life Rescue) if we are concerned we will escalate this to them.
If we are already on site we will work on behalf of the BDMLR to ensure the seal is cared for correctly. Specific threats to seals include angling line entanglements, and hand feeding which creates learnt behaviour.
If you see an marine mammal in distress please call BDMLR on 01825 765 546
Raising awareness is a key part of our mission. We can deliver interactive workshops, school visits, and public talks to educate people of all ages about the importance of seals.
Through sharing our knowledge and stories, we inspire communities to adopt behaviours that protect seals and their environments. If you would like to book a talk please get in touch.
We ask for a minimum donation to the charity in return for our time depending on the travelling distance.
Please get in touch for availability for talks or presentations.
We collaborate with marine conservation organisations, water-sports operators, wildlife boat operators and local authorities to advocate for seal-friendly policies. This includes working to reduce disturbances caused by humans, boats, angling, and shoreline developments. Our advocacy efforts focus on promoting responsible marine activities so seals can thrive, whilst around our shores, as undisturbed as possible.
We have our own Wildlife Survey boat from which we carry out surveys. This also enables us to monitor the few seal pups each year we are made aware of, and to provide a visible presence at known seal haul out locations during peak summer months, monitoring and preventing disturbance and always on hand if needed by the BDMLR.
We carry out regular surveys along the South West coastline to monitor seal numbers, behaviour, and health. Using non-invasive methods such as photography and observation, we identify individual seals through their fur patterns and document their life cycles.
We share our findings (as citizen scientists) with The Seal Research Trust, a marine conservation charity, in order to build a bigger more detailed picture about seals and better protect them. This ongoing research provides vital data to better understand the challenges seals face and helps shape effective conservation efforts.
We'd love to share more with you. Join our community dedicated to seal conservation and exclusive updates from The Seal Project. By signing up, you’ll receive a quarterly newsletter including:
✔ Stories about our work and the seals we protect
✔ Updates on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to get involved
✔ Expert knowledge about the the seal populations along our coast
✔ Information about our latest fundraising campaigns
Based in Brixham, The Seal Project work across South Devon, from the River Exe to the River Dart, South Hams to Tor Bay, surveying the coast, rivers, offshore rocks and marina areas.
We encourage others to support and protect the fantastic seals who we are fortunate enough to share our shores with.
Sarah is our founder member of The Seal Project.
Her identification work of South Devon seals is important to the Project and equally as part of a the Seal Research Trust's seal identification database.
We are a South Devon charity that monitors and protects the seal population across South Devon
