Two species of seal occur commonly in the Celtic Seas: grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). Thirteen cetacean species either occur commonly or are regular visitors: minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), common dolphin, white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), long- finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), killer whale (Orcinus orca), northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus), Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens), Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), and sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). The abundance of grey seals in the ecoregion is stable, and there is little information on the overall trends of harbour seals and of cetaceans. For information on bycatch, see the 'Selective extraction of species' section.
