Hey People!

Please Stop Harassing & Stressing Out the Seals in Sandy Hook Bay!

Please scroll below to read guidelines for people to safely view seals around Sandy Hook Bay, NJ

Seals arrive every winter from their breeding areas in northern New England and eastern Canada to tidal sandbars, beaches and small islands in Sandy Hook Bay. The most common of these pinnipeds are Atlantic harbor seals. Scientific name: Phoca vitulina.

Over thirty years ago, seals were almost never observed in Sandy Hook Bay.  Now waters are cleaner, marine mammals have greater protections, and populations of certain forage fish are starting to rebound. As a result, seal populations have increased to the point that a casual beachgoer can spot a seal resting on a beach nearly anytime during the late autumn, winter, or early spring. It helps too that the United States Congress in 1972 passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act that prohibits the killing or harassment of any seal or marine mammal.

Unfortunately, where seals rest and relax isn’t exactly private or isolated wilderness, especially in Sandy Hook Bay, New Jersey.

Lots of people live, play & work around the bay. The proximity of people to seals can come at a cost!

Seals need to rest just like people!

IF SEALS CANNOT REST, THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WARM-UP THEIR BODIES, PROPERLY DIGEST FOOD OR HEAL CUTS & WOUNDS!

Resting places for seals are called "haul-out" sites. Haul-out sites are important places. Harbor seals and other species of seals need to come out of the water almost daily to rest, digest food and warm up.

A seal’s core body temperature, about 97.7–99.5°F (36.5–37.5°C), is maintained in cold ocean waters in two ways: 1. an insulating layer of blubber (fat) and 2. increased metabolic heat production, which is the movement of muscles such as by swimming.

A seals' metabolic heat production or muscle movement increases the longer a seal remains in the water and is active. To avoid depleting the blubber layer during activity, a seal must eat more fish, which in turn requires spending more time in the water foraging and being active. This cycle without rest can be potentially harmful, stressful and tiring to a seal. It will cause a seal to become more prone to sickness and confusion. 

Regular hauling out on land is needed for a seal to reduce the thermal stress on a seal, permitting increased blood flow to the skin and extremities, which allows any cuts or wounds to heal normally, and reduces the need for excessive metabolic heat production. 

Both male and female seals need a safe place to haul-out to rest, reheat, and digest their food, which is also particularly important since Harbor Seals usually swallow their food whole after being torn into chunks.

In addition, quite a few seals observed each winter are pregnant females. They hope to give birth the following spring and are seeking safe places to rest and feed during the winter before returning up north to have pups. 

There have been a number of negative human and seal interactions over the past several years from boaters, wind surfers, and the people trying to get too close to take a picture.

Although haul-out sites can at times provide people with excellent locations to view wildlife, too many people are making their presence known by talking too loud and getting too close. This will often make harbor seals nervous, worried, and quickly dive away.  Seals in general get very stressed if they feel surrounded or overwhelmed by potential predators, including people.
 
Harbor seals are normally shy and jittery animals. They will become alarmed, stressed, and swim away if many people and boats are nearby or if just one person tries to get too close, usually around 50 yards or less. Even a brief disruption can cause anxiety to a group of seals, since they will need to spend more time being alert and less time resting.
 
Harbor seals become stressed when people talk too loud, or dress in bright colors; or when people walk their dogs too close, or by the sound of a barking dog, and the close proximity of boats, windsurfers or other human activities.

Kayakers too will sometimes frighten seals away even if a kayaker is at some distance. To a harbor seal's brain the shape of a kayak resemblance a large shark, which is a major marine predator.
 

WHERE DID ALL THE SEALS GO?

Too much confusion and too many disturbances, the seals will abandon a favorite haul-out site permanently. This has already occurred a few decades ago in San Francisco Bay, due to high and chronic incidences of human disturbances. If seals feel threatened or stressed out, they will abandon a certain haul-out site permanently.

Recently, harbor seals abandoned a haul-out site at Golden Gate National Recreation Area due to disturbances by predators. A primary sandbar occupied by harbor seals in Drakes Estero where biologists counted a total of almost 700 seals in 2019. But in 2020, they counted only 340. Wildlife biologists have no idea where the missing seals went?

We can't imagine A winter in Sandy Hook Bay without the sight of seals, but it could happen If negative encounters continue!

HOW TO BE A RESPONSIBLE SEAL WATCHER!

Seal Watching Guidelines for Sandy Hook Bay, NJ

The best way to observe a seal or any wild animal is from a distance & only for a short Period of time - 30 minutes or less!

• Remain at least 50 yards away. This is about 1/2 a football field or about 150 feet away. This includes children and pets. If you are not sure the distance, the farther away from wildlife the better!

• It’s a good idea to bring binoculars or a spotting scope to get a view and give seals plenty of space.

• Take care NOT to make your presence known, either visually or audibly.

• Limit your viewing time to 30 minutes or less

• Keep dogs away from seals.

• If your presence causes increased vocalizations, shaking or body tremors; or if a resting animal begins to lift its head with eyes on you, then you are too close. Any seal response other than a raised head should be avoided.

• DO NOT TAKE A SELFIE WITH A SEAL! If you wish to take home a memory, please invest in high-powered binoculars, a spotting scope, or a good camera with a high powered lens that can take a decent picture from a distance. Many cell phone cameras are not equipped as of today to take closeup pictures of wildlife from a great distance.

Do not feed, or attempt to feed, any marine mammal. It’s harmful and illegal.

Do not swim with, ride, pet, touch, or attempt to interact with marine mammals in the wild.

Be aware of seal behavior that indicates a seal has been disturbed. Such behaviors include, but are not limited to:

- An increase in alert or vigilance,
- Head turning,
- Change in posture from lying to erect,
- Hurriedly moving away,
- Open mouth displays, such as what appears to be a seal yawning

While seals might appear cute and friendly, they are really wild animals that can give a nasty bite and carry diseases. You should never feed or touch a wild animal. Do not trespass and stay out of all closed areas.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A SICK OR INJURED SEAL OR MARINE MAMMAL.

If you see a seal that appears injured, entangled, sick, or being harassed by a person or people, in New Jersey call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center at 609-266-0538. In New York, call the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation at 631-369-9829.  These two organizations have the authority to help stranded or sick marine mammals and sea turtles. Wildlife experts with the help of trained volunteers will determine if an animal is in need of medical attention, needs to be moved from a populated area, or just needs time to rest.