Our latest seal survey has revealed that almost 600 harbour and 3,000 grey seals now call the Thames Estuary home, highlighting the importance of the iconic river for these doe-eyed, native species.
We’ve been monitoring the grey and harbour seal populations in the Greater Thames Estuary since 2013, and this year’s count – completed by teaming up with military helicopter pilots based at RAF Shawbury – revealed how these two important apex species are doing.
Hannah McCormick, who led the survey, said: “During the 2024 seal survey, we counted 431 harbour seals and 714 grey seals laying out on sandbanks along the Thames. By combining these with the number of seals estimated to stay in the water during the counts, we can estimate that there are a total of 599 harbour seals and 2,988 grey seals. These numbers are key to helping us understand how these two species are doing – alongside feeding into our understanding of how seals across the country are faring and giving us a glimpse at the important habitat the estuary provides. A flourishing ecosystem has enough food, shelter and space for all of its inhabitants, and although we still have a way to go in terms of improving the health of this important habitat, as top predators, this seal population show us that there is good habitat available to the species that call the Thames home."
Although declared ‘biologically dead’ in the 1950s, conservation efforts have led to the Thames once again becoming home to a wide variety of British wildlife including seals, seahorses and critically endangered eels, alongside evidence for an increase in the rise of important habitats such as carbon-capturing salt marsh.
Nature can recover.
We believe that conservation is most effective when driven by science. With both COP16 and COP29 on the horizon putting a spotlight on nature, we call for science to guide all global decisions on environment and biodiversity and build a healthier future for wildlife, people and the planet.
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