Strangford seals have a baby boom
STRANGFORD Lough is an increasingly popular location for tourists and this year it saw record numbers of another visitor – the grey seal.
The largest sea inlet anywhere in the UK or Ireland is proving the perfect nursery for the species, with 181 pups born in its waters this autumn - the most ever recorded.
There were also 282 adults recorded at the peak of the autumn breeding season
It is a remarkable turnaround, given that back in the early 1990s, when the National Trust started proactively recording the population, there were only around six or seven grey seal pups born each year.
Hugh Thurgate, the National Trust’s lead ranger on Strangford Lough, said several factors have contributed to the growth.
He said the lough is benefiting from significant population increases in Scottish waters, with seals being forced to seek out new places to breed.