Here’s what to do if you find a seal on a Washington beach
Harbor seals are the most commonly seen marine animal in Puget Sound, but keeping your distance is the best way to protect them, according to the Slater Museum of Natural History and the University of Puget Sound.
Seals typically stay in the water but will come onto shore usually during low tides to rest or give birth. While seeing a seal on the beach can be exciting, it is not only unsafe to touch them, but against federal law.
Marine wildlife such as seals, whales, otters, porpoises and sea lions are protected by the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, federal laws that prohibit the harming, harassing, capturing, pursuing, wounding, killing, or collecting of such animals.
The simple answer of what to do when you see a seal on the beach: stay away and call for help.
“Seal moms park their pups on the beach. They leave them there while she’s foraging. Don’t touch it. Don’t go near it. Call us. That’s what we’re trained to do,” Victoria Souze, principal investigator at Marine Mammal Stranding Network, a volunteer sea creature rescue agency said in earlier reporting by The Bellingham Herald.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a list of Puget Sound responders and their contacts online.
According to NOAA, if you see a seal on shore, this is what you should and should not do:
▪ Stay 100 yards away from the marine animal as a general guideline, but also to follow federal regulations. Some guidelines vary based on state or animal.
▪ Keep pets away from marine life. Both animals could injure the other or spread disease.
▪ Report animals that look sick or injured. Harmed animals can be reported to the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network by calling 866-767-6114, or can be reported to the NOAA online or by calling its West Coast Region Stranding Hotline at 866-767-6114.
▪ Report incidents and individuals who are disturbing, attempting to touch or torment a marine animal, or have pets who are disturbing the animals by calling the NOAA’s National Enforcement Hotline at 800-853-1964.
▪ Do not feed marine animals. Not only can this be harmful, but it is illegal. Some animals may also try to attack those who get close to them or try to feed them.
▪ Limit your viewing time to 30 minutes to not be a disturbance to the animals.
Marine animals can also be harmful to humans and exhibit certain behaviors that may warn spectators to keep a distance or leave the area. Here are a few warning signs the NOAA says to look out for, and if seen, move away from the animals:
▪ Rapid changes in swimming speed or direction, or erratic swimming patterns.
▪ Seals or sea lions fleeing, lunging, or trampling their pups, or a female attempting to shield a calf with her body.
▪ Prolonged diving, underwater course changes, rapid swimming at the surface of the water, or underwater exhalation.
▪ Tail slapping, lateral tail swishing, or loud exhalations at the surface of the water.
