Aerial surveys of Harbour Seals in the Wadden Sea in 2015

Moderate impact of the 2014 influenza epidemic

In 2015, the coordinated aerial surveys for harbour seal counts of the entire Wadden Sea were performed, as in previous years (started in 1975), according to the Seal Management Plan. The counts are synchronized between the three Wadden Sea countries Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, in order to obtain a single estimate for the number of harbour seals and newborn pups in the entire Wadden Sea. Seals are counted when hauling out on land and counts are scheduled to be carried out when low-tide occurs around midday.

Authors: Anders Galatius, Sophie Brasseur, Richard Czeck, Lasse Fast Jensen, Armin Jeß, Peter Körber, Ralf Pund, Ursula Siebert, Jonas Teilmann, Sascha Klöpper