Gray seal population in Wadden Sea up by 20%

The gray seal population in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea is increasing. Researchers from Wageningen University counted 6,788 gray seals in the Dutch waters this past spring, 20 percent more than last year, ANP reports.

In 2020, the gray seal population also increased by a fifth. Over the past five years, the growth in the number of gray seals averaged at 13 percent. By far the most gray seals can be found in the area between Vlieland and Terschelling.

In all of the Wadden Sea, 9,069 gray seas were counted this spring - almost 16 percent more than a year ago.

The population growth may have to do with the warmer weather, the researchers said.