Scilly 'an important breeding area for seals'
The Isles of Scilly is an important breeding area for seals.
The islands are a special area of conservation where seals are protected.
Sue Sayer from the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust said that Scilly is the southern most breeding point in their range.
"Grey seals in particular don’t really regularly breed further south than this. So in order to ensure that seals range doesn’t contract, we need to heavily protect them here."
She added that the Trust's work identifying seals has revealed some interesting facts about their breeding habits.
"Seals that are here may pup on the mainland. We have seals from Scilly who have pupped on the island of Skomer in south west Wales. We also have seals from here that have visited France but because don’t have very many pups in France they then come back to South West Cornwall, the lizard to have their pups. And then of course there are seals from all over the Celtic sea area coming to Scilly to have their pups."
"Understanding the dynamism of how seals are moving around Celtic sea is really critical to their management and conservation."
Sue's book Seal Secrets: Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is available from Amazon.