From student uncertainty to a life shaped by seals, this blog follows Milly’s journey through academia, internships and citizen science — and how taking a leap of faith changed everything.

What started in 2000 with one woman recording seals on the Cornish coast has grown into the Seal Research Trust — a globally respected charity powered by people, passion and science.

A simple search for a seal-themed tie turned into an unexpected lesson — and a happy ending.

Profound change is underway, but it is not enough. To secure a future for nature — and ourselves — we must radically rethink our relationship with the natural world. Without nature there is no economy, no wellbeing and no future.

We love being out along the Cornish coast, surveying seals in their natural habitat — from playful antics to sleepy yawns that never fail to make us smile. Behind every survey, though, lies hours of careful processing, building individual seal life stories from thousands of photographs.

We couldn’t be more excited to bring together two worlds that belong side by side: art and conservation. World-renowned Cornish contemporary artist Kurt Jackson and the Seal Research Trust joined forces to celebrate Cornwall’s native grey seals and the seas they depend on.

At the Seal Research Trust, we believe the ocean has rights — and that seals and seas need a voice. In 2023, that belief took us from local waters in Cornwall to the global stage.

We really can make a difference.

At a time when biodiversity loss, climate change and rising living costs can feel overwhelming, it’s easy to feel powerless — but we shouldn’t. Real, radical change is built from small actions, repeated by many, until people power creates a tipping point. History shows us this time and again.

Seal Research Trust is internationally recognised for its citizen science photo-identification research, including long-term monitoring of rescued and rehabilitated seals. Our landmark 2021 peer-reviewed study tracked over 1,000 rehabilitated seals across 19 years, revealing extraordinary survival and movement patterns…

2022 was another action-packed year here at CSGRT thanks to an enormous voluntary team effort! 

2022 has seen us create a volunteer Conservation Team to help spread expertise and share resources. This means we are no longer limited by HQ capacity, enabling other hugely competent volunteers to take action to help seals.

At Seal Research Trust, we believe protecting seals is about protecting our shared future. Through our Wonders of the Seal World programme, we inspire children and young people to care for the ocean by connecting them with real seal stories, amazing marine “superpowers,” and simple actions they can take every day.

Giving seals a voice is at the heart of everything we do — so when the chance came to reach five million Countryfile viewers, we knew the responsibility was huge. This behind-the-scenes story shows how collaboration and clear messaging can make a real difference for seals.

In Marine Super Year 2021, little did we know when CSGRT were mentioned by Rebecca Pow in her Ocean Recovery Conference speech, that we would soon meet her online via zoom and then she would visit us later in the year. Despite her busy schedule as Parliamentary Under-secretary of State for Domestic Environment, Rebecca approached us to host a visit for her to share news of our marine conservation work with seals. 

Meet Septimus — an adult male grey seal… and a rather famous seal skeleton! During the easing of lockdown, I was invited onto national TV to appear on Springwatch. From travelling to the Cornwall Beaver Project with my chaperone Sue Sayer, to meeting Gillian Burke and experiencing the behind-the-scenes chaos of live television, it was an unforgettable adventure — and a powerful moment to share my story and the real impacts of wildlife disturbance.