Phoca vitulina

28 October 2015 - Seals in the Wadden Sea area of the North Sea were once in danger of dying out. Now they are thriving.

28 Oct 2015

The 10th Wadden Sea Day, held on 27 August 2015 in Wilhelmshaven, was dedicated to marine mammals in the Wadden Sea World Heritage. More than 80 scientists, managers, policy makers and other Wadden Sea stakeholders participated in the event to discuss challenges and prospects for the future of these top predators of the Wadden Sea ecosystem. The Wadden Sea Seal populations (mainly harbour seals but increasingly also grey seals) have shown steady growth rates in recent years. The number of animals has reached record values over the last couple of years, despite the major epizootics of 1988 and 2002.

31 Aug 2015
Assessment information
CMS InstrumentsCMS, Wadden Sea Seals
IUCN StatusLeast concern
Date of entry in Appendix II1985
Geographic range
Countries Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Sweden

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Common names
EnglishCommon Seal, Harbour Seal
FrenchPhoque Commun, Phoque Veau-Marin
SpanishFoca común
GermanSeehund, Seerobbe
Taxonomy
ClassMammalia
OrderCarnivora
FamilyPhocidae
Scientific name Phoca vitulina
Other details
Additional notesWadden Sea area only

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