Harbor Seal
You probably don't associate New Jersey with seals, but they are seasonal visitors from New England and Canada who swim south each winter following their food sources.
If you encounter seals on a winter beach walk, you are advised to keep your distance for the safety of the seals but also yourself and maybe your beach-walking dog. It's tempting to get close for a photo of these big-eyed, whiskered, and sometimes funny swimmers and relaxed beachgoers soaking up the winter rays. Seals are wild animals and can attack with sharp teeth and claws if they feel threatened.
They are federally protected by the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. Keep a distance of at least 150 feet away –farther if the seal notices you,
In fact, it would be advisable to contact Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) which will send volunteers to evaluate the animals and protect them from encroachment. They also offer coastal communities free “Give Seals Space” signs to put up near beaches. MMSC treats and releases seals and other animals. See https://mmsc.org/ or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/
If you see a seal on the beach, whether it seems in distress or healthy, it would be appreciated if you call MMSC’s 24-hour hotline at 609-266-0538.
You are most likely to see harbor seals which are the most common in our waters. Some have already arrived at the year's end to their winter colony in Sandy Hook. You are likely to see some - at a distance - at Skeleton Island in Sandy Hook Bay, or on the rocks near Officers’ Row. Bring binoculars or a camera with a telephoto lens. Your phone will only get you a distant photo. The seals will fan out to beaches and waterways up and down New Jersey’s coast. Most stranded harbor seals in our area are yearlings or second-year animals. Adult harbor seals can grow up to 5 feet long and weigh 200 lbs.
In January and February, gray seals begin to appear. On rare occasions, harp, ringed and hooded seals from the Arctic visit us.
Gray Seal
They are following their favorite fish and crustaceans and seeking favorable water temperatures. Though seals have waterproof fur and insulating blubber, they do have to “haul out” of the water regularly to rest and warm up in the sun. Another reason not to approach them is because you can scare them into going back in the water prematurely, causing them to deplete precious energy reserves. Even being in a state of increased vigilance can prevent them from getting the rest they need.
Young seals at the MMSC hospital are often underweight or exhausted. Gray seal pups are born in January and February in coastal New England and Nova Scotia and are fed and cared for by their mothers for only about two weeks before being left to fend for themselves. That means these little ones will swim from 400 to 900 miles to get to New Jersey.
Sources for this post include:
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
www.njconservation.org
Save Coastal Wildlife - Seals of New Jersey
www.savecoastalwildlife.org/seals-of-the-jersey-shore
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/seals-
juvenile Harp Seal
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