As tourist interest in seal watching increased, researchers in northern Iceland were afforded a new opportunity to involve the public in so-called citizen science. A collaboration between the Freshwater Research Institute and the Icelandic Seal Center created a project known as The Great Seal Count. This project is an annual census of harbor seals conducted on the Vatnsnes peninsula and Heggsstaðanes peninsula. The timing of the count alternates between July and August from year to year. These counts have been conducted every year since 2007 and are only possible through the participation of volunteers, mostly in the form of tourists. This is an exciting opportunity to explore areas of private land which are usually closed to the public, as well as contributing valuable information to the Icelandic Seal Center about the number of seals in the area.
Results from the Great Seal Count reveal a decrease in the number of seals in the Vatnsnes and Heggstaðanes area during the last few years, reflecting the decrease that has occurred in the harbor seal population on a national level between 2011 and 2016.
For more information, visit the page on the great seal count or keep an eye on the Seal center news.
