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Help us count grey seals in Sable Island National Park Reserve using aerial photos.
Learn moreThe most populous vertebrate animal on Sable Island National Park Reserve is the grey seal. Winter is their breeding season, and approximately two hundred and fifty thousand seals roam the island and cover the shorelines. While the summer population is far less than that of the colder season, large herds of seals are still found along the shores of North and South beaches.
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Sable Island NPR Grey Seal Count Statistics
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About Sable Island NPR Grey Seal Count
Isolated and remote, Sable Island National Park Reserve is Canada's 43rd National Park. A wild and windswept shapeshifting sandbar seemingly emerging out of nowhere amidst a great expanse of sea. Found here, 180 km off the coast of Nova Scotia in Canada, is planet earth’s largest breeding colony of grey seals. Some say there are too many to count, but we think not...
In 2021, we launched this project to test the use of aerial photography for censusing the grey seal population on Sable Island outside of the breeding season (i.e., during the summer). Thanks to your efforts, the project was completed in just a few weeks!
In September 2024, we conducted another aerial survey of the island, adding a new layer of imagery to our Grey Seal Count. Help us gather important data by counting seals on the beach or in the surrounding waters.