At ORCA, our work is most often focused on whales, dolphins and porpoises - but they are not the only marine mammals that depend on safe, healthy seas. Around the UK coastline, two native seal species also share our waters: the Atlantic grey seal and the harbour, or common, seal. Both are extraordinary animals. Both are part of the fabric of our marine environment. And both are increasingly vulnerable to disturbance from people, boats, drones and coastal activity.
That is why ORCA is supporting the message behind the UK Seal Alliance’s Give Seals Space Campaign 2026, launched to call for stronger legal protection for seals from intentional or reckless disturbance. The campaign is asking the Government to review its decision not to add grey and harbour seals to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - a change that had been recommended through the formal Quinquennial Review process.
The UK has a particular responsibility for seals. Around our shores live an estimated 34–38% of the entire global population of Atlantic grey seals, making the UK internationally important for this globally rare species. Harbour seals are also a vital part of our marine ecosystem, with around 30% of the Eastern Atlantic subspecies frequenting UK shores, although they are facing significant pressures including illness and population decline.
Despite this, seals are not currently protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 from intentional or reckless disturbance in the same way as many other species. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee recommended that grey and harbour seals should be added to Schedule 5, and this recommendation was strongly endorsed by the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee in its 2023 report on protecting marine mammals. However, the Government’s response, published in December 2025, confirmed that it would not implement the recommended amendments.
For seals, disturbance is not a minor inconvenience. The first sign may be a seal waking and looking towards a perceived threat. But internally, stress responses are already being triggered. If the disturbance escalates, seals may panic and flee into the sea, sometimes stampeding across rocks, falling from height, or becoming separated from pups. The campaign pack notes that research shows seals are disturbed 68% of the time when people are present.
Disturbed seals can suffer broken claws, wounds, fractures and blood loss. Less visible, but equally concerning, are the physiological impacts of repeated stress, including elevated cortisol, compromised immune response and delayed wound healing.
The good news is that everyone can help.
The existing Give Seals Space guidance encourages people to watch seals well: stay out of sight, keep to the coast path, use binoculars or a zoom lens, keep dogs on leads, never feed seals and never fly drones near them. These simple actions reduce stress, protect pups and allow seals to rest, breed and recover safely.
ORCA’s commitment is to marine mammals and the ocean spaces they need to thrive. Seals deserve protection, respect and space. By supporting the Give Seals Space campaign, we can help ensure these remarkable animals secure the legal protection and public understanding they urgently need.
Support seals by signing the Give Seals Space Petition to change the government’s unwise decision, and provide grey and harbour seals with the legal protection they deserve.