Fisheries and cannibalism linked to seal deaths

A mix of causes that include fisheries and cannibalism have been suggested in the deaths of almost 300 seals whose carcasses washed ashore in the past four years.

The survey by the Irish Seal Sanctuary began in 2012 and relies largely on the support of the public to record the location of dead seals and to take photographs of the scene.

While the nature of the survey is non-scientific, some post-mortem studies at University College Dublin have identified injuries believed to be consistent with older bull seals attacking young members of the grey seal population.