Aquatic Mammals (Hansard, 5 February 2002)

§ Shona McIsaac
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her latest estimate is of the population of(a) grey seals, (b) common-seals and (c) dolphins in the waters around England and Wales. [32597]

§ Mr. Meacher
In 2000, the grey seal population around England and Wales was estimated at 10,100 individuals and the common seal population of eastern England (few breed elsewhere in England and Wales) was estimated to be between approximately 3,800 and 4,500.
The inshore populations of bottlenose dolphin (primarily off Wales) are estimated at about 160 (not including the Channel Islands). No separate estimate of numbers of other dolphins in waters around England and Wales has been made, but a 1994 survey of small cetacean abundance in the North Sea and adjacent waters gave an estimated population of white beaked and white sided dolphins of 11,760.

§ Shona McIsaac
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the trends over the past 20 years in the populations of(a) grey seals, (b) common seals and (c) dolphins in the waters around England and Wales. [32596]
896W

§ Mr. Meacher
(a) Surveys carried out by the Natural Environment Research Council for the Home Office and the Scottish Executive over the past 20 years have shown that the British population of breeding grey seals is growing at a rate of about 6 per cent. per annum since 1984. There is considerable variation around this rate of increase at English and Welsh colonies.
(b) The common seal population of eastern England (few breed elsewhere in England and Wales) crashed in 1988 due to an outbreak of phocine distemper virus. Prior to this, the population was over 4,000; in 1989 the numbers approximately halved. It has now recovered to between 3,800 and 4,500.
(c) The majority of the bottlenose dolphin population in English and Welsh waters is located in Cardigan Bay. The population has remained stable over the last decade, with an estimated population of 127 in mid 1990s compared with an estimated 121 in 2000. No assessment has been made of trends of other dolphin populations in the waters around England and Wales.