Scientific name: Halichoerus grypus (Grey Seal)
Habitat: Bathydemersal Main role: Predator Trophic level: 5
IUCN Red List Assessment: Least Concern
Diet: Grey seals are primarily carnivorous, feeding on a variety of fish species such as cod, herring, mackerel and flatfish. They are also known to consume squid and occasionally crustaceans.
Threats: Seals are sensitive to pollution, coastal disturbances, and entanglement in marine debris.
Return to birds and mammals.
Seal is a month-by-month, computer generated data layer following calculations made by the ecosystem simulation (EwE). For more information on how Ecopath-with-Ecosim (EwE) works, please visit our Wiki page or visit the official EwE website at https://ecopath.org.
For detailed information on how the simulation works for the North Sea Edition, we recommend further exploring our research publication called "Combining ecosystem modeling with serious gaming in support of transboundary maritime spatial planning".
Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are known to inhabit the Baltic Sea, although their presence is less common compared to other seal species like the Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina). Grey seals, while often sharing their habitat with the Harbor Seal, tends to have smaller populations in the Baltic Sea. In contrast, their numbers are substantially larger in other parts of the North Atlantic. These seals exhibit a preference for rocky coastlines, islands, and remote shores for breeding and rearing their pups. They can be found throughout the expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean.
During the mating and pupping season, grey seals congregate in sizable groups. In the remaining months, they are typically solitary or found in smaller clusters. Pups are typically born in late summer and early autumn, donning a fluffy, white coat that they shed after three weeks. Equipped with keen hearing and excellent vision, grey seals are highly effective hunters, especially when hunting in groups, allowing them to efficiently catch their prey.
In the Baltic Sea, Seal feeds on Herring, Sprat and Cod. Additionally, they avoid Noise and Surface Disturbance.
For detailed information on how the simulation works for the Baltic Sea Edition, we recommend further exploring our research publication called "Foodweb modeling in the Maritime Spatial Planning Challenge Simulation Platform: Results from the Baltic Sea Region"
The Seals layer in the Western Baltic Sea Edition remains consistent with that featured in the Baltic Sea edition.
For detailed information on how the simulation works for the Clyde Marine Region Edition, we recommend further exploring our research publication called "Combining ecosystem modeling with serious gaming in support of transboundary maritime spatial planning".
Not applicable. This layer is not available in the MSP Challenge Adriatic Sea Edition.
Not applicable. This layer is not available in the MSP Challenge Eastern Mediterranean Sea Edition.
Co-funded by the European Union.