Common Seals   Information on Dead Seals  Status Reports No. 13 - 20 (July 2002) Recent Status Reports   Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, Wilhelmshaven   Reports July 2002 Status Report No. 20 (31.07.02) Status Report No. 19 (26.07.02) Status Report No. 18 (23.07.02) Status Report No. 17 (22.07.02) Status Report No. 16 (16.07.02) Special Information (12.07.02) Status Report No. 15 (11.07.02) Status Report No. 14 (08.07.02) Status Report No. 13 (04.07.02) Status Report No. 20 (31.07.2002): Status:   SUMMARY In the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea, in total 152 common seals have been found until now since the first pdv positive seal was found in the Netherlands in mid June. In the Lower Saxonian part of the Wadden Sea dead seals with symptoms of the pdv disease were found last week but in general, no increase of mortality of seals can be stated. In total, about 2,190 dead common seals have been reported in the Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area until now. According to first dead seals found in the Norwegian Oslofjord, it is assumed that the Norwegian coast near the Swedish border is also affected by the pdv virus. In other areas, such as the Baltic, other Danish areas as well as the Danish and Schleswig-Holstein  Wadden Sea, there is no information regarding unusual mortality of seals.  Seals under suspicion of the pdv disease are being investigated in all parts of the Wadden Sea, and, thus far, besides in the Dutch part, there have been no positive pdv results in the Wadden Sea. Dutch Wadden Sea Besides the positive result regarding phocine distemper of five sub-adult seals, which have been registered in the Dutch Wadden Sea earlier, in total, about 152 dead common and two grey seals were found dead in the Wadden Sea since 16.06.02 when the first pdv positive seal was found in the Netherlands. Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea According to information from the Bezirksregierung Weser Ems, 7 dead seals were found at the Eastfrisian coast last week. Veterinarian authorities assume that the cause of death of 5 seals is the pdv virus because the symptoms are very clear. A definite statement will be given after the virological  investigations will have been finished at the beginning of week 32. More detailed information will be given as soon as possible. Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea Dead seals are investigated regarding the pdv disease continuously. So far, no seal with a positive pdv result is registered. Denmark The status regarding dead seals in Denmark is still the one given in the report no. 19. The responsible institution in Denmark announced further news by the end of this week.  Sweden On the Swedish west coast, the mortality of seals is continuing on a high level and about 1,150 dead seals have been found until last week. The mortality is still increasing south of Gothenburg and an increasing mortality north of Gothenburg is expected in August. Results of new counts will be available by the end of week 32. The two seals, found in the Baltic (see report 16), were not infected with pdv. Norway According to Arne Bjørge of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, about 15 dead seal have been reported in the outer parts of the Oslofjord in Norway near the border to Sweden so far. Virological investigations confirmed that 11 of the 15 seals were infected with pdv. It can be stated that the mortality of seals is spreading quite slowly. Information of the last counts will be available soon. Compiled by Bettina Reineking Common Wadden Sea Secretariat Virchowstr. 1 D 26382 Wilhelmshaven reineking@waddensea-secretariat.org Further Links Dutch Ministy for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries: Press release (in Dutch), Background Information (in Dutch and English) Danish Forest and Nature Agency / Nationalparkamt Schleswig-Holstein /  Helcom /   Status Report No. 19 (26.07.2002): Status:   SUMMARY In the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea, in total more than 120 common seals have been found until now since the first pdv positive seal was found in the Netherlands in mid June. In total, about 2,190 dead common seals have been reported in the Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area until now. According to first dead seals found in the Norwegian Oslofjord, it is assumed that the Norwegian coast near the Swedish border is also affected by the pdv virus. In other areas, such as the Baltic, other Danish areas as well as the Danish and German Wadden Sea, there is no information regarding unusual mortality of seals. Seals under suspicion of the pdv disease are being investigated in all parts of the Wadden Sea, and, thus far, besides in the Dutch part, there have been no positive pdv result in the Wadden Sea. Dutch Wadden Sea Besides the positive result regarding phocine distemper of five subadult seals, which have been registered in the Dutch Wadden Sea earlier, new investigations results are as follows: in more than half of 65 investigated dead seals pdv antibodies were found. That means that these seals have been infected with the pdv virus recently. In total, 124 common and two grey seals were found dead in the Wadden Sea since 16.06.02 when the first pdv positive seal was found in the Netherlands.  Sweden On the Swedish west coast, the mortality of seals is continuing on a high level and about 1,150 dead seals have been found until now. The mortality is still increasing south of Gothenburg and an increasing mortality north of Gothenburg is expected in August.   Map of the Kattegat/Skagerrak Area Denmark In the last days dead seals were mainly registered in the southwest Kattegat. In total, about 1,041 dead common seals, of which one fifth is juveniles, have been registered in the Danish Kattegat until 23.07.02: 227 on Anholt; 167 on Læsø; 69 on Hesselø; 86 on the east coast of Jutland near the mouth of the Limfjord north of the Mariager Fjord; 25 on the east coast of Jutland, Djusland; 46 on the east coast of Jutland south of Aarhus; 127 on the north coast of Sealand; 113 on the north west part of Sealand; 130 on Bosserne and Samsø; 12 on the island Fynen in the north; 39 on the island Møllegrunden including Endelave (between Samsø and the Danish mainland); In the Limfjord and in the Danish Wadden Sea unusual mortality of seals have not been reported. Norway According to Arne Bjørge of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, about 15 dead seal have been reported in the outer parts of the Oslofjord in Norway near the border to Sweden so far. Some of the dead seal were already dead for several hours and possibly drifted from Swedish waters to the Norwegian coast; some of them, however, were found on the rocks, and they are obviously Norwegian ones. The results of the virological investigations are still not yet available, however, it is assumed that the cause of death of these seals is the pdv virus. Compiled by Bettina Reineking Common Wadden Sea Secretariat Virchowstr. 1 D 26382 Wilhelmshaven reineking@waddensea-secretariat.org Further Links Dutch Ministy for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries: Press release (in Dutch), Background Information (in Dutch and English) Danish Forest and Nature Agency / Nationalparkamt Schleswig-Holstein /  Helcom /   Status Report No. 18 (23.07.2002): Status:   Information on Dead Seals on the Norwegian Coast New information of 22/23th July 2002 According to information from Norway, there is an increasing mortality in the outer parts of the Oslofjord in Norway. At least four dead common seals were found in this area during the last few days. Veterinarian authorities assume that the cause of death is the pdv virus. The system to collect carcasses started in Norway now. More detailed information will be given as soon as possible. Topical information regarding the other affected areas will be given in a few days. Compiled by Bettina Reineking Common Wadden Sea Secretariat Virchowstr. 1 D 26382 Wilhelmshaven reineking@waddensea-secretariat.org   Status Report No. 17 (22.07.2002): Status:   SUMMARY In the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea, in total more than 100 common seals have been found until now since the first pdv positive seal was found in the Netherlands in mid June. In total, about 1,850 – 1,950 dead common seals have been reported in the Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area until now. In other areas, such as the Baltic, the Norwegian coast, other Danish areas as well as the Danish and German Wadden Sea, there is no information regarding unusual mortality of seals. Dutch Wadden Sea In the Dutch Wadden Sea, five subadult seals with a positive result regarding phocine distemper have been registered so far. 104 common and two grey seals were found dead in the Wadden Sea since 16.06.02 when the first pdv positive seal was found in the Netherlands. Sweden On the Swedish west coast, the mortality of seals is continuing on a high level and is increasing northwards in the region of Gothenburg and decreasing in the south. An increasing mortality is expected north of Gothenburg in the next two weeks. Because of the increasing numbers of dead seals the total numbers can only be estimated to about 900 – 1,000. Because of the high number of dead seals, only estimations regarding numbers will be given in the next time, detailed numbers will be summarized later. Denmark In the last week, dead seals were registered mainly on Bosserne and Samsø as well as on the island Møllegrunden including Endelave. In total, about 950 dead common seals have been registered in the Danish Kattegat until 18.07.02: 215 on Anholt; 155 on Læsø; 69 on Hesselø; 81 on the east coast of Jutland near the mouth of the Limfjord north of the Mariager Fjord; 46 on the east coast of Jutland south of Aarhus; 127 on the north coast of Sealand; 93 on the north west part of Sealand; 120 on Bosserne and Samsø; 5 on the island Fynen in the north; 39 on the island Møllegrunden including Endelave (between Samsø and the Danish mainland); In the Limfjord and in the Danish Wadden Sea unusual mortality of seals have not been reported. Norway On the southern Norwegian coast, there is no information regarding unusual mortality of seals.   Compiled by Bettina Reineking Common Wadden Sea Secretariat Virchowstr. 1 D 26382 Wilhelmshaven reineking@waddensea-secretariat.org Further Links Dutch Ministy for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries: Press release (in Dutch), Background Information (in Dutch and English) Danish Forest and Nature Agency / Nationalparkamt Schleswig-Holstein /  Helcom /       Status Report No. 16 (16.07.2002): Status:   Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area In total, about 1,600 dead seals have been reported in the Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area until now. In Sweden, the mortality is continuing on a high level and is increasing northwards. Detailed numbers from the Swedish coast will be available in a few of days. Danish Kattegat In the last days, dead seals were recorded on the east coast of Jutland south of Aarhus, on the islands of Bosserne and Samsø as well as for the first time on the island of Møllegrunden including Endelave, a large common seal colony. On Møllegrunden, about 600 seals were counted during the last regular count in August 2000.  It can be estimated that the total population on Møllegrunden is twice as much (Reference to DMU-Report no 350, 2001) In total, about 885 dead common seals have been found in the Danish Kattegat: 204 on Anholt; 155 on Læsø; 69 on Hesselø; 81 on the east coast of Jutland near the mouth of the Limfjord north of the Mariager Fjord; 127 on the north coast of Sealand; 46 on the east coast of Jutland south of Aarhus; 93 on the north west part of Sealand; 96 on Bosserne and Samsø; 5 on the island Fynen in the north; 9 on the island Møllegrunden including Endelave (between Samsø and the Danish mainland);   Wadden Sea In the Dutch Wadden Sea, five subadult seals with a positive result regarding phocine distemper have been registered until now. Nearly 70 dead seals were found since 16.06.02 when the first pdv positive seal was found in the Netherlands. Until now, in the Danish and the German part of the Wadden Sea - Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Lower Saxony - no unusual mortality of seals has been registered. Seals under suspicion of the pdv disease will be investigated in all parts of the Wadden Sea, and, thus far, besides in the Dutch part, there have been no positive pdv results in the Wadden Sea. Other areas Also in all other Danish areas such as the Limfjord and on the Norwegian coast, there is no information regarding unusual mortality of seals. Two suspected cases are found in the Baltic, however, pdv disease is not yet confirmed. The carcasses are being investigated by Swedish veterinarians.   Compiled by Bettina Reineking Common Wadden Sea Secretariat Virchowstr. 1 D 26382 Wilhelmshaven reineking@waddensea-secretariat.org Further Links Dutch Ministy for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries: Press release (in Dutch), Background Information (in Dutch and English) Danish Forest and Nature Agency / Nationalparkamt Schleswig-Holstein /  Helcom /     Special Information (12.07.2002):   Phocine distemper virus, seals - Northern Europe: confirmed In the July 12 issue of Science, we report the re-emergence of phocine distemper virus infection in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in Scandinavia and the Netherlands. (Jensen et al.: Another Phocine Distamper Outbreak in Europe, SCIENCE Vol 297, 12 July 2002, p 209) Increased mortality was observed in these areas and diseased animals showed clinical signs of respiratory and nervous disease. Samples from necropsied animals were examined for the presence of PDV by RT-PCR and for morbillivirus-specific IgM antibody. The results showed that PDV was present in both areas. These findings, together with the known severity of PDV infection in harbour seals, indicate that PDV infection is the cause of the ongoing mortality in Northern Europe. Monitoring of the seal population in the Netherlands for the past ten years by serology and RT-PCR indicated that PDV has not been circulating in this population after the 1988 outbreak. Since the manuscript was accepted for publication by Science on 28 June, several new cases of phocine distemper have been identified, and a total of 1160 dead seals have been found along Scandinavian coasts, and over 50 in the Netherlands. Histologically, the infection is characterized by broncho-interstitial pneumonia, lymphocytic depletion in lymphoid tissues, and eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions. The mortality of harbour seals during the 1988 outbreak in the above areas was estimated at 40 to 60 % of the population. It is hard to predict how many seals will die during the current PDV epidemic and will depend on different factors, including acquired immunity (less than 5 % seropositive animals in The Netherlands), pollutant load, and general health status. Trine Jensen, Marco van de Bildt, Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre, Pieterburen, The Netherlands Hans Henrik Dietz, Thomas Holmen Andersen, Anne Sofie Hammer, Danish Veterinary Institute, Aarhus, Denmark Thijs Kuiken, Albert Osterhaus, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands     Status Report No. 15 (11.07.2002):  Status:   Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area In total, more than 1,400 dead seals have been reported in the Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area until now. Detailed numbers according to the areas are given below. In total, about 790 dead common seals, of which one quarter is juveniles, have been found in the Danish Kattegat: 204 on Anholt; 155 on Læsø; 81 on the east coast of Jutland near the mouth of the Limfjord north of the Mariager Fjord; 10 on the east coast of Jutland south of Aarhus 127 on the north coast of Sealand; 83 on the north west part of Sealand; 69 on Hesselø; 56 on Bosserne and Samsø; 5 on the island Fynen in the north On the Swedish west coast, in the area of the Kattegat/Skagerrak the mortality is continuing on a high level and 615 dead seals have been reported until now - see map in which the number of found dead seals is given for each region. The most southern colony of common seals in Sweden, on the small island Måkläppen, is affected as well as the area around Strömstad, near the Norwegian border and the Oslofjord. According to the experience made during the development of the epidemic in 1988, a decrease in numbers of dead seals is expected in the Halland county area (Varberg and the small island of Hallands Väderö), and an increase is expected in the Göteborg area during the next week.   Map of the Swedish west coast including the number of found dead seals. (from the south to the north: 11 Måkläppen,  219 Ängelholm, 10 Hallands Väderö, 209 Varberg, 97 Göteborg, 23 Lysekil, 46 Strömstad) In Sweden, samples have been taken from 403 animals so far. For the time being, as many samples as possible are taken from the animals to freeze them for later investigations. It has to be clarified which set of the samples will be useful to give answers to the different aspects. Wadden Sea In the Dutch Wadden Sea, the fifth seal with a positive result regarding phocine distemper was registered. It was found on Ameland on 03.07. Nearly 60 dead seals were found since 16.06.02 when the first pdv positive seal was found. Until now, in the Danish and the German part of the Wadden Sea - Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Lower Saxony - no unusual mortality of seals has been registered. Seals under suspicion of the pdv disease will be investigated in all parts of the Wadden Sea, and, thus far, besides in the Dutch part, there have been no positive pdv results in the Wadden Sea.  Other areas Also in all other Danish areas such as the Limfjord, on the Norwegian coast and in the Baltic Sea, there is no information regarding unusual mortality of seals.   Compiled by Bettina Reineking Common Wadden Sea Secretariat Virchowstr. 1 D 26382 Wilhelmshaven reineking@waddensea-secretariat.org Further Links Dutch Ministy for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries: Press release (in Dutch), Background Information (in Dutch and English) Danish Forest and Nature Agency / Nationalparkamt Schleswig-Holstein /  Helcom /   Status Report No. 14 (08.07.2002): Status:   In total, more than 1,160 dead seals have been reported in the Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area until now; about 732 in the Danish Kattegat and at least 430 in the Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area. In Sweden, the mortality is continuing on a high level, however information on the topical number will only be available in a couple of days. In the Dutch Wadden Sea, high mortality of seals was recorded the last three weeks, in total 54 dead seals were found since 16.06.02 compared to 15 in June-July last year. Based on these numbers as well as the positive result regarding phocine distemper of four seals in that time period, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fishery has made the Dutch contingency plan (‘Operationeel draaiboek zeehonden’) operational on 05.07.02. The contingency plan stipulates which  actions must be taken in case of a seal epidemic. In the Danish and the German part of the Wadden Sea - Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Lower Saxony - no unusual mortality of seals has been registered. Seals under suspicion of the pdv disease will be investigated in all parts of the Wadden Sea, and, thus far, besides in the Dutch part, there have been no positive pdv results in the Wadden Sea. Furthermore, the number of pups rehabilitated in seal centers in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony is normal. Also in all other Danish areas such as the Limfjord, on the Norwegian coast and in the Baltic Sea, no unusual mortality of seals has been registered.   Compiled by Bettina Reineking Common Wadden Sea Secretariat Virchowstr. 1 D 26382 Wilhelmshaven reineking@waddensea-secretariat.org Further Links Dutch Ministy for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries: Press release (in Dutch), Background Information (in Dutch and English) Danish Forest and Nature Agency / Nationalparkamt Schleswig-Holstein /  Helcom /   Status Report No. 13 (04.07.2002): Status: In total, 1,132 dead seals have been reported in the Danish and Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area until now. In Sweden, the number of dead seals clearly increased since the last week. (Detailed numbers according to area see below). Yesterday, the phocine distemper virus was found in three dead adult seals from the Dutch Wadden Sea island Terschelling. In total, four seals with pdv have been found in the Dutch Wadden Sea until now since mid June. The first one was found on Vlieland on 16 June 2002. The number of dead seals found in total in the Dutch Wadden Sea is a slightly higher than normal, but the number of pups rehabilitated in the seal centers is very low in comparison to the last years. In all other Wadden Sea areas in Denmark and the German parts, such as Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Lower Saxony, no unusual mortality of seals has been registered. Seals under suspicion of the pdv disease are being investigated in all parts of the Wadden Sea, and, thus far, besides in the Dutch part, there have been no positive pdv results in the Wadden Sea. Furthermore, the situation regarding the number of pups rehabilitated in seal centers in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony is normal. Also in all other Danish areas, Norway, and in the Baltic Sea, no unusual mortality of seals has been registered. Because of the increasing numbers of dead seals in Sweden, Norway also started establishing a system to handle expected dead seals. Dead seals in the Danish Kattegat It seems that the disease stopped on Anholt and reached the isle of Samsø. In the last days, old but also fresh carcasses were found on the north and northwest coast of Sealand as well as on Hesselø, Bosserne and Samsø. In total, about 702 dead common seals, of which one quarter is juveniles, have been found in the Danish Kattegat: 200 on Anholt; 150 on Læsø; 78 on the east coast of Jutland near the mouth of the Limfjord north of the Mariager Fjord; 126 on the north coast of Sealand; 50 on the north west part of Sealand; 79 on Hesselø; 19 on Bosserne and Samsø. Dead seals in the Swedish Kattegat/Skagerrak area On the Swedish west coast in the area of the Kattegat/Skagerrak, 430 dead common seals have been reported and samples are taken from 290 animals until now. According to Tero Härkönen of the Natural History Museum in Stockholm, a further increase in the number of dead seals has to be expected over the next weeks/months. He stated that the mortality in Sweden is following nearly an identical curve/track as the development of the epidemic in 1988, however, it started six weeks later in 2002. Also wind and currents are different in comparison to 1988. Numbers of dead seals now exceed 30 animals per day at the southern localities, and he expects the situation to accentuate at these localities during the coming two weeks. This development can probably also be expected area by area for the areas further north to the Norwegian border in the coming months.     Compiled by Bettina Reineking Common Wadden Sea Secretariat Virchowstr. 1 D 26382 Wilhelmshaven reineking@waddensea-secretariat.org Further Links Dutch Ministy for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries: Press release (in Dutch), Background Information (in Dutch and English) Danish Forest and Nature Agency / Nationalparkamt Schleswig-Holstein /  Helcom /   Top of Page