Seal conservation areas
With the exception of Scotland and Norway, the seal is no longer hunted in the countries around the North Sea. Conservation areas have been designated in both the International Wadden Sea and North Sea. Protection of seals is necessary particularly during the period that the young are born and need to nurse. In the case of the harbour seal, that is in the middle of the summer when lots of recreation takes place.
Protected areas in the Dutch Wadden Sea
Seals in the Netherlands fall under the Nature Protection Act, whereby seal conservation areas have been designated in the Wadden Sea. These are areas where a large number of seals are found every year. An imaginary boundary of 1200 meters has been placed around such an area, which is the minimum distance that seals remain undisturbed by passing ships. Trespassing into a protected area is forbidden.
Source: de Vleet, Ecomare
