The harbour seal is the most common seal around Iceland, it resides mainly around the north western coast. The harbour seal can get up to 2 m long and weigh around 100 kg, the male being slightly bigger then the female.

In June the female gives birth to one pup. At birth the pup is covered in grey hair, it is usually around 80 cm long and can weigh close to 10 kg.  The female nurtures the pup for 3 – 4 weeks, but after that it has to take care of itself.

In August the adults shed their hairs and the mating season begins. After mating the harbour seals move to scars and small reefs, further from the shore, to look for food. Their food supply consists of fish such as small cod, redfish, baitfish, coalfish, herring, catfish and various flatfish.

The harbour seals are not known for extensive travelling, but sometimes the young animals wander off. Older animals come back to the same seal colony year after year, most likely their own birth colony.

The harbour seal is distributed over the northern hemisphere, but is not found in great capacities in the Artic Ocean. The world’s harbour seal stock is estimated around 400.000 animals, but it has slowly reduced in the last years mainly because of a virus disease in the North Sea.

In 2003 the Icelandic harbour seal stock was estimated around 10.000 animals, or only one third of its size in 1980. The stock has decreased most in Breiðafjörður area, Faxaflói area, along the South Coast and in the East Fjords. The majority of the Icelandic harbour seal stock is now found in Húnaflói area.

Drawing: Jón Baldur Hlíðberg