In putting up drones researchers can not only determine overall gray seal populations; they can also individualize things more by taking "passport photos" of the animals, which can also be exchanged with authorities in other Baltic Sea states.

"The idea of these photos, or recognizing seals from photos, is like granting citizenship. We're also trying to make our databases internationally accessible so that it might be possible to search the database to see whether the same animal has been spotted elsewhere: Anywhere around the Baltic Sea where seals are photographed. The technical capabilities are already so powerful that comparing thousands or tens of thousands of images inside computers takes only a few hours. In the past you had to compare them by eye, and that was a huge amount of work," said seal researcher Mart Jüssi.

Modern tech has advanced to the point where seals can now even be weighed from the air, as Jüssi told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

"It's already possible today to determine the weight of a seal pup from a drone. This is roughly the same thing as if two men went out with a hanging scale and a sack, followed by a bit of wrestling. From a single drone flyover, we can weigh an entire island's-worth of seals. This is hugely exciting, as we can understand how they're doing in general, and how their mothers are doing. A pup's size ultimately depends on how much the mother had to give it," Jüssi went on.

Far from harming the species, the recent cold winter has done seals good, as the extensive sea ice provided plenty of birthing space, not just off Estonia's coasts but Baltic Sea-wide. Nonetheless, seals from Denmark still make the trek regularly to Saaremaa, to give birth off the island's shores.

This also provides interesting opportunities to the researchers. For instance, whether the female seal is accompanied on this long trip by the male companion still requires research. Again, tech can help here. "Mother seals can be spotted. They're a bit like the black-and-white spotted breed of cow — they have these patches on them which a computer can identify. We can clearly tell who it is, as those patches don't change over their lifetime — a bit like [human] fingerprints. I could even quietly leak some information: On the west coast of Saaremaa we've seen at least 33 mother seals in the same location where they were last year," the researcher added.

Scientists also note that sometimes devices, which help researchers study the sea and are attached to seals' backs, can work loose. A member of the public encountering such a device on the seashore should report it, Jüssi said. A lot of scientists would be grateful as a result, he said. The state helpline on 1247 is one way of calling such a find in.

"It's attached with glue to the seal's back, and through its contacts it can measure the salinity of seawater, temperature, and water depth. It's a tool that allows us to follow a seal into the deepest parts of the sea and stay there exactly as long as the seal is there," Jüssi explained.

The now almost ended icy winter has favored seal births, with populations possibly rising by 5,000 individuals. In recent years the gray seal population of Estonia has been over 6,000. In addition to gray seals, ringed seals (pictured) are also found in Estonia.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!