Seal licensing records: 2011-present
Records of seal licenses granted across Scotland since the coming in to force of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.
Marine Scotland received 63 applications for seal licences and 61 licences were granted. Table 1 below provides a full breakdown. (This information is correct as at 10 March 2013).
| TABLE 1 |
||||||
| Application Type |
Licence Type |
|||||
| Seal Management Area |
Protection of Health and Welfare |
Prevention of Serious Damage |
Total |
Protection of Health and Welfare |
Prevention of Serious Damage |
Total |
| East Coast |
0 |
9 |
9 |
0 |
9 |
9 |
| Moray Firth |
0 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
| Orkney and North Coast |
2 |
7 |
9 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
| Shetland |
7 |
0 |
7 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
| South West Scotland |
2 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| West Scotland |
11 |
6 |
17 |
11 |
6 |
17 |
| Western Isles |
10 |
2 |
12 |
9 |
2 |
11 |
| Grand Total |
32 |
31 |
63 |
30 |
31 |
61 |
The 30 licences issued for protection of health & welfare and 1 issued for prevention of serious damage, cover a total of 230 individual fish farms
The maximum number of seals involved is 878 grey and 289 common. Table 2 below provides details. This maximum represents less than 1% of the grey seal population of 100,000 and slightly over 1% of the minimum common seal population of 20,500. The numbers are significantly lower than previous estimates proposed by Non Government Organisations at between 2,000 and 5,000. (This information is correct as at 10 March 2013).
| TABLE 2a |
Grey Seals | ||||||
| Seal management area |
Grey seals applied for |
PBR* |
Grey seals granted |
Grey seals shot: first quarter |
Grey seals shot: second quarter |
Grey seals shot: third quarter |
Grey seals shot: fourth quarter |
| East Coast |
849 |
277 |
114 |
6 | 12 | 21 | 3 |
| Moray Firth |
836 |
152 |
100 |
7 | 24 | 11 | 1 |
| Orkney & North Coast |
475 |
959 |
280 |
28 | 62 | 35 | 15 |
| Shetland |
341 |
163 |
109 |
17 | 9 | 8 | 39 |
| Western Isles |
238 |
408 |
123 |
13 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| South West Scotland |
63 |
45 |
26 |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Scotland |
206 |
297 |
126 |
12 | 1 | 8 | 6 |
| Grand Total |
3008 |
2301 |
878 |
86 | 115 | 87 | 71 |
The maximum number of grey seals allowed on licences granted in 2012 represents a 14% reduction on numbers involved in the previous year's licences.
The twelve month total of 359 grey seals represents only 0.3% of the overall grey seal population of 100,000.
| TABLE 2b |
Common Seals | ||||||
| Seal management area |
Common seals applied for |
PBR* |
Common seals granted |
Common seals shot: first quarter |
Common seals shot: second quarter |
Common seals shot: third quarter |
Common seals shot: fourth quarter |
| East Coast |
106 |
2 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Moray Firth |
82 |
20 |
19 |
6 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Orkney & North Coast |
58 |
18 |
7 |
1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Shetland |
32 |
18 |
6 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Western Isles |
120 |
54 |
43 |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South West Scotland |
104 |
35 |
30 |
8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Scotland |
310 |
442 |
184 |
12 | 11 | 20 | 7 |
| Grand Total |
812 |
589 |
289 |
29 | 12 | 22 | 11 |
The maximum number of common seals allowed on licences granted in 2012 represents a 8% reduction on numbers involved in the previous year's licences.
The twelve month total of 74 common seals represents only 0.3% of the overall common seal population of 20,500.
*Potential Biological Removal (PBR) is the number of individual seals that can be removed from the population without causing a decline in the population and is calculated annually by Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) using the latest seal counts.
For more information, a series of frequently asked questions and answers on the implementation of the new seal legislation was produced 2011.
Summary
- The average level of shooting is around 37% for the second year of operation.
- 31% of all licences have shot no seals at all during the second year.
- Licencees are following the principle that seals should only be shot as a last resort.
- Around 48% of shooting has occured at fish farms and 52% at fisheries during the second year.
- Only 208 seals have been shot across 230 individual fish farms and 225 across over 40 river fisheries and netting stations during the second year.
- There was an overall reduction of 5% in the level of shooting in the second year of licensing, compared to the first.
- A full list of licences issued in 2012, by region and company, with the number of seals shot each quarter, by site, is available to download.
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