Baltic Grey Seal Counts are carried out annually during their moulting season in May-June throughout their main distribution area in Finland, Sweden, Russia and Estonia. Seals are photographed from the air  while laying  rocks and/or remaining ice. The number of seals registered in the counts is always below the actual size of the population since, even under the best circumstances, a number of seal are in the water and thus not visible. However, the counts reach the majority of the population and therefore allow for a long-term evaluation of trends in the population. Year-to-year changes do not necessarily reflect changes in the population, but may be accounted for by weather conditions, moblitity of seals or random events.

Ringed Seal Counts can be carried out only during ice cap. In the Bothnian Bay the calculations have succeeded nearly every winter. The ringed seal counts are carried out also in the Finnish Southwest Archipelago, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga when possible. About 80 % of the whole Baltic Sea ringed seal population lives in the Bothnian Bay. In the calculations about 60-80 % of the population is observed.