The British coastline supports many important species and habitats and is home to around 95% of Europe’s grey seal population and around 25% of Europe’s breeding seabirds. The coast is also a special place for people to visit and as more people enjoy British holidays, visitors to our coastline are rising.

While we want to encourage people to enjoy their time by the sea, it is important ensure that our vulnerable marine wildlife remains undisturbed. Recognising signs of disturbance is key and good guidance on this is included in the Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code. For example, when birds sense a threat,  adrenaline increases and they become stressed. If they feel threatened enough, feeding birds will likely fly away, reducing the amount of time they have left in the day to get all the vital nutrients they need. This could lead to malnourishment and even reduce the ability of many coastal birds to migrate to their northern breeding grounds thousands of miles away. The most important thing a beach goer can do to help protect wildlife is to stay away, at least 100 meters is recommended by Defra.

Seals and birds can be disturbed by recreational activities such as jet skiing. Disturbance to ground nesting birds may force them to fly up frequently or abandon nests completely. If people get too close or are being too noisy, seals may be forced to flee into the water, causing energy waste, risking injury and possible abandonment of pups. The Marine and Coastal Code provides advice on different seasonal patterns for birds and seals so that beach goers can make themselves aware if it’s breeding season and act accordingly.

If Seals are threatened regularly by people, the impact of stress could lead to long term health issues. Seal haul-outs are locations on land where seals come ashore to rest, moult or breed. Disturbance can reduce the length of time they are able to haul-out so or stop them altogether, which can have severe consequences. In a bad year of disturbance, only 25% of pups are likely to survive to the age of 18 months.

The new marine and coastal code was developed in collaboration with experts from organisations such as Whale and Dolphin Conservation, the RSPB, and Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust. The Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code offers specific guidance on how to behave around animals such as seabirds, seals, dolphins and sharks. It also includes specific advice for those walking along the coast or taking part in water-based activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding or jet skiing.

This national advice will compliment other local codes of conduct such as the Thanet Coastal Codes, so coastal visitors should also familiarise themselves with these too.

For specific information on avoiding coastal wildlife disturbance at sensitive wildlife sites in Kent see the following links:

• How to watch seals safely | Kent Wildlife Trust
• Bird disturbance at our coastal reserves | Kent Wildlife Trust

Sue Sayer, from Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust, said:

“Seals need space to rest, digest, moult and pup,” says Sue Sayer from Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust. “Yet findings from the Seal Research Trust revealed seals are routinely or frequently disturbed by human activity, causing them to use up vital energy and meaning some seals are sadly unable to survive.”

Sue reminds us that we get the best, privileged views of natural wildlife behaviour without impact when wildlife is unaware of our presence.

Amanda Craig, director for Connecting People with Nature at Natural England, adds:

“The benefits of spending time in nature cannot be overstated and we want to see people of all ages and backgrounds out and about enjoying our magnificent coastline. To make sure everyone can continue to reap the benefits, it is absolutely vital we all play our part in protecting marine wildlife and habitats, and the Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code will help equip people with the knowledge to do just that.”

References

• Marine and coastal wildlife code - Defra
• Thanet Coastal Codes
• Coverage on the coastal and marine wildlife code – Gov.UK
• Give Seals Space
• Whale and Dolphin Conservation
• RSPB
• Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust