Harbour Seal Numbers in the Wadden Sea and on Helgoland in 2012

Trilateral Seal Expert Group (TSEG)

In 2012 the coordinated aerial surveys for the harbour seal counts of the entire Wadden Sea were performed as in previous years (started in 1975). The counts are synchronised between the three Wadden Sea countries: Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands in order to obtain a single estimate for the number of harbour seals in the entire Wadden Sea, and the number of pups born. Seals are counted when hauling out on sandbanks and counts are carried out when low-tide occurs during midday.

Authors:

Trilateral Seal Expert Group (TSEG):
Sophie Brasseur, IMARES, Texel, The Netherlands
Thomas Borchardt, LKN Schleswig-Holstein, Nationalparkverwaltung, Germany
Richard Czeck, Nationalparkverwaltung Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer, Niedersachsen, Germany
Lasse Fast Jensen, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg, Denmark
Anders Galatius, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Denmark
Sven Ramdohr, LAVES Cuxhaven, Niedersachsen, Germany
Ursula Siebert, Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Germany
Jonas Teilmann, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Denmark