Popular Tacoma dock closed for more than a week after seal gives birth on it
The popular historic Old Town Dock in Old Town Tacoma has been closed for more than a week after a harbor seal gave birth to a pup on the dock, Parks Tacoma said.
The gate to the dock has been closed since July 9 to give the animals space after a woman handled the pup illegally, staff said. It’s unknown when the dock will reopen. Parks Tacoma is getting guidance from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, staff said.
Two seals could be glimpsed lounging on the lower part of the dock Friday afternoon along Ruston Way in Tacoma as patrons next door enjoyed lunch at the Northern Fish seafood market.
Parks Tacoma park guide Jenn Trahan told The News Tribune on Friday morning that a harbor seal pup was born on the dock last week, and she was called to respond. Seal pups are born every season from late May through early October, so it’s not uncommon to close off public areas like Owen Beach to give them space, she said. Pups need time ashore after they are born because they lack the blubber needed to tolerate the cold waters of Puget Sound, Trahan said.
Trahan said she was called because a woman passing by witnessed the seal pup being born last week and saw it fall into the water. The woman then took the pup and put it back on the dock, where she dried it off with a towel, Trahan said.
“This was completely illegal and very inappropriate,” Trahan said. “Those smells and everything interfere with [its] relationship with the mama. And there was a little bit of difficulty with nursing the baby after that happened.”
Trahan said the woman “left real quick” after she was informed by Marine Mammal Health Watch volunteers that what she did was illegal. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the harassment, hunting, capturing, collecting or killing or marine mammals, with some exceptions.
This isn’t the first time this season something like that has happened, Trahan said. Last month another person found a seal pup that was born premature on the clay banks at Owen Beach and put it in her jacket to move it back into the water, Trahan said. The pup made its way back to the clay banks and later died.
“We can’t blame that woman, necessarily, but we can’t also say that she didn’t assist in the whole situation,” she said. “So that’s why we say, don’t touch them. Leave them alone. Nature knows what it’s doing, so they’ll be fine, as long as we don’t interfere.”
Parks Tacoma closed the dock because visitors are supposed to stay at least 100 yards away from seals (about the length of a football field), Trahan said. There’s been reports of people climbing around the gate that leads to the dock, so Parks Tacoma closed the gate to the pier and there’s no timeline on when it will reopen, she said.
“I’ll be contacting the Department of Fish and Wildlife to just get more guidance on when we can actually open up those gates,” Trahan said. “It’s not going to be closed forever. I imagine [it reopening] maybe within the next few weeks, once that baby gains that weight and it’s not hauling out specifically on the dock. But again, I can’t make that determination.”
Trahan said the baby seal at Old Dock should be fully grown by October.
How should you act around seals?
Trahan said mother seals might go into the water without her pup, “but her pup will eventually, hopefully follow.”
It’s important to keep your distance from seals, so pups aren’t scared back into the water “because those pups really need that time on the beach to regulate their temperature,” she said.
If you’re concerned a seal is hurt or needs assistance, you can call the Parks Tacoma guides on duty or contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has reports for sick, injured, stranded or dead wildlife observations.
Trahan said dogs should be kept on leashes because there have been cases where off-leash dogs have attacked and killed seals in Tacoma. Seals and dogs can also transmit diseases to each other, and it’s important to give your dogs a bath after they visit the beach, she said.
If you observe people or pets disturbing, attempting to touch or tormenting seals, you can contact the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 1-800-853-1964.
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 2:56 PM.
