Harbor seal pupping season is underway in Washington. Seal pups can be found resting and warming up on Pacific coastal beaches and along inland waters.

Rotund pregnant females can be seen hauled out on sandbars and rocky outcroppings, waiting to give birth. Seal moms with nursing newborns, along with pups that are newly weaned and independent, are resting on shore, log booms, private docks and marinas. For a map showing pupping seasons in the various regions of Washington state, click here.

DO NOT FEED, TOUCH OR MOVE SEAL PUPS - ALWAYS STAY BACK
Please be alert if you are strolling along ocean and Puget Sound beaches. On outer coast beaches that permit driving of motorized vehicles, be extra cautious - a tiny seal pup can look like a piece of bleached driftwood, easily run over and killed. If you come across a pup, please stay back and observe quietly from a distance. Contact the local stranding network.

It is normal for a seal pup to be alone on the beach - always keep dogs leashed and away. Stay back. Occasionally a mother harbor seal will leave her pup resting alone, returning to nurse. Or, if a pup was born on a dock or raft, often the pup cannot get back up onto the structure with mom and will end up on shore nearby. If there are people and dogs too close, she may abandon the pup. Most times, however, the pup will accompany mom to learn how to forage.

Once pups are weaned at 4-6 weeks, they will be all on their own, using shoreline daily to rest and warm up before returning to the water. Weaned seal pups need space to rest undisturbed as well. A pup that is scared into the water wastes precious calories - and this can truly be the difference between life and death. Seals of all ages rest on shore about 50% of their day. Undisturbed, stress-free rest is crucial to their survival. Visit Seal Sitters’ website to learn more about harbor seals.

STAY FAR AWAY FROM SEAL HAUL-OUTS TO PREVENT PUP ABANDONMENT
If you are boating, stay 100 yards away from harbor seal haul-outs, where large numbers of seals gather for safety during pupping season. A study has shown that passing boats and kayaks are less fearsome, but vessels that stop are likely to cause animals to flush from shore. Always stay back. If the colony is disrupted, newborn pups may be abandoned due to boating disturbance and harassment. Stay back as well from log booms, rafts and docks with resting seals.

This is a reminder that when you venture out to the beach that marine mammals are protected by Federal Law. Always respect animals’ space and need for quiet. Stay back!

SUMMER AND FALL IS PRIME PUP TIME IN SOUTH PUGET SOUND
In South Puget Sound, seal pupping season usually begins in late-June and extends into the first week of September. As pups are weaned in area rookeries, they venture off to surrounding areas. West Seattle’s busiest months for newly weaned seal pups are September and October, but over the past few years, more lanugo (premature) and newborn pups have been seen here in June. These newborn pups in urban areas, like West Seattle lanugo pup Luigi (below) are highly likely to be abandoned because of human activity and off-leash dogs.

Lanugos are identified by their long, wavy white fur which is typically shed in the womb. They do not have fully developed lungs and muscles and are likely to be abandoned in the wild.

Please contact the stranding network to respond to a lanugo pup.




WHO TO CALL
If you see a pup alone onshore, stay back and notify your local Marine Mammal Stranding Network. In West Seattle, call Seal Sitters hotline @ 206-905-SEAL (9325). For other beaches, call the NOAA Stranding Hotline @ 1-866-767-6114 (or consult map link below for local networks info).

To find direct info on the network for your area, click the links for a map of stranding networks in the Pacific Northwest: Washington map | Puget Sound map | Oregon map

SEALS ARE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM HARASSMENT - RESPECT NATURE AND STAY BACK
Leave seal pups be - don’t touch, move or feed them. Please stay a minimum of 100 yards away from resting seals. Like all marine mammals, they are protected from harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Washington State law RCW 77.15.130 (a criminal misdemeanor, mandatory court appearance, punishable with up to 90 days in jail and up to $1000 fine).

Harassment or harm can be reported by calling NOAA Office for Law Enforcement’s hotline at 1-800-853-1964 (information may be left anonymously, but details are critical for enforcement purposes).

Tags: Pupping season

Summer holidays are a particularly challenging time for newborn harbor seal pups and their moms. Picnickers, hikers and boaters often cause a nursing female to flee in fright. This separation from the pup, who cannot survive without her, can potentially cause abandonment if the mom feels it is unsafe to return.

On the outer coast of Washington, harbor seal pupping season is well underway, with reports of at least 7 full-term pups trying to rest on various beaches. In Puget Sound, we usually start seeing full-term pups in late June. Pups can be born in South and Central Puget Sound from June thru the first week of September and are weaned after 4-6 weeks. However, premature pups (lanugos) have already been born in our area, including one born dead in West Seattle.

DISTURBANCE IS DEADLY
Always stay far away from moms and pups. If you see a pup alone on the beach or raft or dock, mom is likely nearby. Do not interfere. Boaters, stay back from harbor seal haulouts as they will be full of pregnant females and moms with newborns for the next 6 months. Disturbance can cause abandonment and pup deaths.

If you come across a seal pup and have concerns, stay back, keep people and dogs away and call your local stranding network with details of circumstances and location. In West Seattle, call Seal Sitters hotline at 206-905-SEAL (7325).

To learn more about seal pups, visit our website HERE. Photo above is of a just-born pup near a public boat launch, still partially in the birth sac with placenta.

Tags: Pupping season

Seal Sitters in West Seattle has had an early and sad start to seal pupping season this year.

Our dedicated hotline (206-905-SEAL) received a report from a beach resident early Saturday morning reporting 3 harbor seals on the raft offshore Emma Schmitz Overlook along Beach Drive. The caller described a larger adult, a medium sized seal and a tiny pup. When Seal Sitters First Responder David arrived at Emma Schmitz, only the pup was still on the raft.

Based on observations through a spotting scope, David determined the pup (shown above) was deceased. He called the reporting party back for more information and was told that on Friday night the raft was empty. When they got up around 6:30 am the next morning, the 3 seals were on the raft and they thought they saw the larger seal licking the pup. The larger seals left later in the morning.

There was blood on the raft indicating a birth site and the dead pup was covered in long, wavy white fur (lanugo), indicating that it was a full month premature.

Dyanna Lambourn at WDFW Marine Mammals investigations was informed that we had a newborn pup for necropsy. Since retrieval by kayak was not the easiest endeavor, David and Co-Investigator Lynn waited and waded out at lower tide, when the raft was accessible in about a foot of water, to retrieve the pup.

The pup was delivered to WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations office in Lakewood on Sunday morning.

This is one of the earliest (if not the earliest) response by Seal Sitters to a premature pup in West Seattle. Premature pups face tremendous obstacles for survival. At a month premature, a pup's organs and muscles have not fully developed. We do not know if the pup was born alive, dying shortly afterwards, or was stillborn.

Central and South Puget Sound has hundreds of pregnant harbor seals at this time. Full-term pups can be born in our area anytime from late June - September. To view a seal pupping timeframe map for Washington, click here.

If you see a small pup onshore - or on a dock or raft - over the next several months or more it is likely newborn or recently weaned. It is imperative that people stay far back to ensure that mom will not be scared away - but, if she is, she will more likely return to care for her pup if the area is clear and quiet. It is truly a matter of life and death, so please do not interfere. If the animal is being harassed by people or dogs, please contact the stranding network for your area (map here).

Read more in-depth about harbor seal pups on Seal Sitters’ website.

Tags: Pupping season

Now that Pacific Northwest residents are finally getting hot summer weather, many will be heading for beaches to enjoy some sun and vacation time. This is a reminder that seal pupping season is currently well underway along Washington’s coast and the inland waters.

Rotund pregnant females (photo right) can be seen hauled out on sandbars and rocky outcroppings, waiting to give birth. Seal moms with nursing newborns, along with pups that are newly weaned and independent, are resting on shore, log booms, private docks and marinas. For a map showing pupping seasons in the various regions of Washington state, click here.

DO NOT FEED, TOUCH OR MOVE SEAL PUPS - ALWAYS STAY BACK
Please be alert if you are strolling along ocean and Puget Sound beaches. On outer coast beaches that permit driving of motorized vehicles, be extra cautious - a tiny seal pup can look like a piece of bleached driftwood, easily run over and killed. If you come across a pup, please stay back and observe quietly from a distance. Contact the local stranding network.

It is normal for a seal pup to be alone on the beach - always keep dogs leashed and away. Stay back. Occasionally a mother harbor seal will leave her pup resting alone, returning to nurse. Or, if a pup was born on a dock or raft, often the pup cannot get back up onto the structure with mom and will end up on shore nearby. If there are people and dogs too close, she may abandon the pup. Most times, however, the pup will accompany mom to learn how to forage. Once pups are weaned at 4-6 weeks, they will be all on their own, using shoreline daily to rest and warm up before returning to the water. Seals of all ages rest on shore about 50% of their day. Undisturbed, stress-free rest is crucial to their survival.

STAY FAR AWAY FROM SEAL HAUL-OUTS TO PREVENT PUP ABANDONMENT
If you are boating, stay 100 yards away from harbor seal haul-outs, where large numbers of seals gather for safety during pupping season. A study has shown that passing boats and kayaks are less fearsome, but vessels that stop are likely to cause animals to flush from shore. Always stay back. If the colony is disrupted, newborn pups may be abandoned due to boating disturbance and harassment. Stay back as well from log booms, rafts and docks with resting seals.

MARINE MAMMALS ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL LAW
It is illegal to disturb marine mammals. Harassment can be reported by calling NOAA Office for Law Enforcement’s national hotline at 1-800-853-1964 (information may be left anonymously, but details are critical for enforcement purposes).

In South Puget Sound, seal pupping season usually begins in late-June and extends into the first week of September. As pups are weaned in area rookeries, they venture off to surrounding areas. West Seattle’s busiest months for newly weaned seal pups are September and October, but over the past few years, more lanugo (premature) and newborn pups have been seen here in June. These newborn pups in urban areas, like lanugo pup Luigi, are highly likely to be abandoned because of human activity and off-leash dogs.

If you see a pup alone onshore, stay back and notify your local Marine Mammal Stranding Network. In West Seattle, call the Seal Sitters hotline @ 206-905-SEAL (9325). Click the links for a map of stranding networks in the Pacific Northwest: Washington map | Puget Sound map | Oregon map

Visit Seal Sitters’ website to learn more about harbor seals.

Tags: Pupping season

Harbor seal moms are now giving birth all over the South Puget Sound region and will continue to do so until early September (as late as October in Hood Canal - see pupping season map).

In the ideal world, pups are born on remote beaches, far from potential interference from humans and dogs. However, births also occur on marina docks, log booms, offshore platforms, boat launches and beaches popular for swimming and kayaking.

Shown in the photo here are two moms with their pups resting on a logboom breakwater near a marina. The chubby pup (center) appears close to being weaned and a small, newborn pup is in the background. Pups are generally weaned at around 4 weeks old.

Please respect wildlife’s need to rest and nurse their young. Whether you’re on land or in a watercraft, please keep your distance to avoid disturbance and possible abandonment. All marine mammals are protected from harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Visit Seal Sitters’ dedicated website page for more information on harbor seals and pups.

Tags: Pupping season

Harbor seal pupping season is underway in Washington. Seal pups can be found resting and warming up on coastal beaches and along inland waters. On the outer coast, about 75% of all pups are weaned and on their own - and commonly seen alone on the beach.

Nursing pups, however, are dependent on their moms for survival for the first 4-6 weeks of their lives. In the waters of Central and South Puget Sound, pups are born from late June through the first week of September (view a map of pupping season in WA). Always stay far back from any pup you come across.

A harbor seal mom, shy and wary of humans, will abandon her pup if people and dogs are around. Use common sense and help protect wildlife from harassment and abandonment.

YOUR PRESENCE CAN CAUSE STRESS AND ABANDONMENT
As you head for the beach, know that seashore revelry is definitely no party for harbor seal pups, who are seeking to rest onshore. Humans and dogs cause pups to be abandoned every year. A harbor seal mom often will not return for her nursing pup if there is a disturbance or perceived threat. It goes without saying that July fireworks cause animals to be abandoned every year.

If you find a spot for your picnic on a beach near a harbor seal, please move your picnic to another beach. There are reports of people with blankets and coolers surrounding a lone seal pup - finally calling the stranding network wondering why the mother did not return.

Weaned seal pups need space to rest undisturbed as well. A pup that is scared into the water wastes precious calories - and this can truly be the difference between life and death.

This is a reminder that when you venture out to the beach, whether by trail or boat, please respect animals’ space and need for quiet. Stay back!

SEALS ARE PROTECTED BY LAW FROM HARASSMENT
Please stay a minimum of 100 yards away from resting seals. Like all marine mammals, they are protected from harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Washington State law RCW 77.15.130 (a criminal misdemeanor, mandatory court appearance, punishable with up to 90 days in jail and up to $1000 fine).

STAY FAR AWAY FROM HARBOR SEAL HAUL-OUTS
Harbor seals gather in large groups this time of year at haul-outs (called rookeries during pupping season), where moms and pups find safety in numbers. Pups pay a terrible price for human disturbance. The seal pup shown above was found in 2012, starving on Cutts Island, along with two other emaciated pups and several dead ones. All had been abandoned by their mothers because boaters disrupted the seal colony on this small South Puget Sound island near Gig Harbor. Durning boating season, thousands of boats can be moored offshore at Cutts, disrupting this historic harbor seal haul-out.

A day of boating fun for people can be a death sentence for seal pups. When you are boating or kayaking, please stay far away from resting harbor seals.

In South Puget Sound, you might see a premature or lanugo pup on shore. Lanugos, like seal pup “Luigi” at Alki Beach (photo left), are identified by their long, wavy white fur which is typically shed in the womb. They do not have fully developed lungs and muscles and are likely to be abandoned in the wild.

Please contact the stranding network to respond to a lanugo pup.



RESPECT NATURE AND STAY BACK
Leave seal pups be - don’t touch, move or feed them. If you are concerned about a pup, call the NOAA hotline @ 1-866-767-6114. To learn more about harbor seals and pups, visit Seal Sitters website here.

Tags: lanugo, MMPA, Luigi, Pupping season, haul out