It's getting to that time of year again when hordes of photographers descend upon a certain seal colony in Lincolnshire. A statement has been released (which makes for pretty convincing reading) linking it's rise in popularity with an increase in pup mortality. And, going from many first-hand witness accounts, I can well believe it! You can read it on Terry Whittaker's Blog here.
In an older blog post here I talked about how I was pretty much the only person there throughout my stay. I haven't been back since and, quite frankly, I have no intention in doing so since it would only ruin a perfect memory.
So, how do we stop groups of photographers flouting the LWT's request to stay behind the fence? Simple, don't attend group workshops organised and led by those who will. In other words, all photographers that advertise seal photography workshops here since it is HIGHLY unlikely that, given the money that has been exchanged, that they would remain behind the fence as opposed to trudging off across the beach. I would personally like to see permit-only access where, each year, a lottery based permit system is drawn up where, for a fee, a certain amount of photographers/public are permitted to walk across the beach to the main seal colony. The money could then be put into the LWT's pot. This would be beneficial to all concerned, not least the seals!
