CORNWALL’S seals are the stars of a new film by the makers of the hit documentary ‘My Octopus Teacher’.

Production company Off The Fence has been working alongside the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT), British Divers Marine Life Rescue, and the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.

The film they’ve created – ‘Underwater Underdogs’ – aims to shine a light on the conservation efforts being undertaken by these three organisations, and shows us why our grey seals need to be protected.

Over a third of the world’s population of grey seals live in the UK’s waters, but they face an extensive list of threats, including toxic pollution, entanglement, diminishing food sources, loss of habitat, collisions with vessels and ingestion of plastics, on top of climate change and human disturbance.

Because they haul out on land, these charismatic animals are our most easily-observed marine mammal. Seals are also a sentinel species, bringing back messages about the state of our oceans, and allowing conservationists to gain insight into the work that needs to be done to protect our wider marine ecosystem.

CSGRT founder and director Sue Sayer said: “Grey seals are our globally rare, keystone species that are the UK’s equivalent of an African elephant, and they are in desperate need of greater legal protection from disturbance.

“We aim to work with local communities and citizen scientists to give seals a voice and provide the evidence needed to inform marine policy and planning to better protect them.’’

Each seal has a unique fur pattern on the left and right profiles that is the equivalent of a human fingerprint. Through a regional network of volunteers working to survey and monitor them, it is now possible for local communities to identify thousands of seals, linking Cornwall to the Isle of Man, Ireland, Wales, France, Belgium and Holland. CSGRT is able to share their incredible real-life stories with a wide audience as a powerful motivational tool for personal action.

Director of Underwater Underdogs Edward Maddocks said: "It was an amazing privilege and pleasure to work with Sue and the rest of the team. Their dedication to seal conservation and kindness shone through.

“I think there are many more stories to be told about Cornwall’s wildlife heroes and its beautiful nature. Our work takes us all over the world, but it was great to find such an amazing story on our doorstep."

The documentary is available to watch on WaterBear - a free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet.

Members of the public can help protect seals by visiting CSGRT’s website: https://www.cornwallsealgroup.co.uk"; TARGET="_blank">https://www.cornwallsealgroup.co.uk, and by signing and sharing the petition to get seals the same level of legal protection from disturbance as whales and dolphins: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/584224"; TARGET="_blank">https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/584224.