The centre is committed to the management and conservation of the seal habitat, trains people to work with these marine mammals, conducts research, and provides education.

[4] The SRRC in Pieterburen will close in early January 2025 and will reopen in April 2025 in the new Wadden Sea World Heritage Centre (Dutch: Werelderfgoedcentrum Waddenzee, WEC) in the harbour of Lauwersoog.

[5][6][7] In Pieterburen, pinnipeds have been cared for on the initiative of Lenie 't Hart since the first seal, a young male named Loeskus, arrived on 21 December 1971.

[8] This was a continuation of the efforts of René and Anneke Wentzel, who had rehabilitated orphaned seals in the nearby village of Uithuizen since 1961.

[13] Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, a founder and the inaugural president of the World Wide Fund for Nature, was present for the opening of four additional outdoor pools, quarantine units, a public information hall, and a video room in 1993.

[13] On 16 September 2006, Lenie 't Hart's 65th birthday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality awarded her its silver honorary medal for her tireless efforts for marine mammals and the Wadden Sea area over the years.

[22] The crisis publicly erupted after Lenie 't Hart appointed a personal friend, TROS luminary Wibo van de Linde [nl], as chairman of the supervisory board and announced through the media that the new reception policy was illegal.