Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
632. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the SACs designated for grey seal on the coast of Ireland; the measures currently in place to protect seals; and to specify the conservation objectives of these areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14050/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are ten Special Areas of Conservation designated for Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus in Ireland, as follows: Roaringwater Bay and Islands SAC 000101; Horn Head and Rinclevan SAC 000147; Slieve Tooey/Toormore Island/Loughros Beg Bay SAC 000190; Lambay Island SAC 000204; Inishbofin and Inishshark SAC 000278; Slyne Head Islands SAC 000328; Duvillaun Islands SAC 000495; Inishkea Islands SAC 000507; Saltee Islands SAC 000707 and Blasket Islands SAC 002172. A list of Conservation Objectives per site is available at: www.npws.ie/protected-sites/conservation-management-planning/conservation-objectives
The current breeding population of Grey Seal in Ireland is estimated at 8,500 – 11,000. Grey Seals are protected under the EU Habitats Directive. Under Article 17 of this Directive, Ireland is obliged to monitor populations and report on their status every six years. The 2025 Article 17 assessments report that the Conservation Status of Grey Seal in Ireland is considered Favourable, which is the same as that reported in 2019. Both short and long term trends indicate that the population is increasing. Notwithstanding this favourable status, there are pressures reported on the species, including risk from underwater noise from sources such as geotechnical surveying, as well as disturbance from marine fish and shellfish harvesting, and tourism/recreation.
There are a number of conservation measures in place for the species to protect the favourable conservation status of Grey Seal, including, but not limited to, regulation of disturbing activities through a number of regulatory instruments, regulatory guidance to manage the risk of underwater noise to the species, and in some areas, wardening of islands that are under tourism pressure and on which the species is known to breed. The National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department fund a range of ongoing research projects to better understand the species’ population dynamics and movement patterns, including a project to examine the impact of bycatch on the decline of marine biodiversity, such as Grey Seal, that will generate new knowledge and tools to effectively reduce the bycatch of protected species in fisheries.
