A project in Norfolk has used drone technology combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor seal populations and their pups over a period of two years. 35 per cent of the global grey seal population live in the UK and, although they have recovered from a population of just 500 to 160,000 over the last a hundred years, monitoring is still crucial to ensure they remain protected.

In December 2024, specialists from Natural England launched a drone over the each at Winterton-on-Sea in Norfolk then used Instance segmentation (AI) to detect adult seals from young seals on the drone footage.

This survey found over 8,500 seals along an eight kilometre stretch of shoreline, in comparison to a count on the ground that found more than 6,200 seals. Volunteers on the ground will still be a crucial part of seal monitoring, however, despite new advances in technology.

Seal monitoring has historically relied on manual ground observations and aerial survey, which made collecting accurate data difficult, especially in hard to reach areas. Now, drones are equipped with high-resolution cameras that can capture imagery from 110 metres above, without disturbance to seals.

Gabriella Fasoli, earth observation higher data scientist at Natural England, said: “The AI model detected over 8,500 seals while the volunteers on the ground counted 6,200. This difference is likely due to the drone’s aerial perspective, which provides a unique viewpoint from above, allowing for a more accurate count by detecting seals that may be hidden or less visible from the ground.”