Rhyl: Sea defence build stressing out seals aquarium says

The SeaQuarium in Rhyl says noise from drilling is stressing its animals including seals

A coastal defence scheme is causing chronic stress for seals and other marine life, a sea life centre has claimed.

The SeaQuarium in Rhyl, Denbighshire, said noise and vibration from the work is putting its animals at "serious risk of harm".

Denbighshire council approved the £92m scheme in 2022 following a public consultation.

The council said an independent expert is monitoring for any impacts on seals.

The sea life centre, which has 80,000 visitors a year and employs 20 people, said its future is threatened.

"We support the sea defence," said SeaQuarium director Colette Macdonald, "but we cannot accept the coastal defence works that have commenced without sourcing a resolution for animal welfare."

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"All our animals and especially the seals are at serious risk of harm," she added, saying she was concerned about the wellbeing of the aquarium's 100 different species.

"The drilling works are already having a harmful effect," she said.

The future of the SeaQuarium is threatened by the sea defences work, it claims

"Construction workers will have protective equipment to protect their hearing from noise and vibrations, but our animals won't.

"The animals may suffer permanent physical damage to hearing and eyesight and so much more."

Ms MacDonald said an plan to rehome the centre's seals is "urgently needed".

Denbighshire council said in a statement the animal's welfare was "a matter of great importance to the council".

It said an independent expert was using CCTV cameras to monitor the seals and instruments to measure noise and vibration.

"If the independent expert determines that the seals are in distress as a result of the work they can ask for noise levels to be reduced or for the work to be halted," the council said.

It added that: "To date, no such request has been made."

Repairs to the sea defences, it said, were essential to 548 residential and 44 non-residential properties in Rhyl at risk from flooding.