Seals on NJ Winter Beaches

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/njmarinemammal. 

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-sea-lions.

juvenile Harp Seal

Seals Wintering in New Jersey

Seals are commonly seen on Sandy Hook’s Skeleton Hill Island in winter  - NPS photo

Many New Jersey residents probably would not say that seals live on the shores of our state. they are not usually obvious, but they do visit us regularly. Unlike humans, seals occur along the New Jersey coastline primarily between the months of November through April. 

The harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) is the most common seal found in New Jersey. Other species of seals found in the state include the larger gray seal (Halichoerus grypus), the harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandica), and the least common, the hooded seal (Cystophora cristata).

None of these seal species are classified as endangered or threatened, but they are all protected under the Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and you should avoid contact with them.

Harbor seals can be found across the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. In Europe, they occur within the Baltic, Barents, and North Seas. On our side of the Atlantic, they can be found in Canada and along the northeastern U.S. New Jersey is typically as far south as they travel in large numbers during the winter, though there have been occasional sightings as far south as Florida.

Sandy Hook is one of the most likely places to see seals in the state. Seals can most often be observed on the bayside beaches but may also be occasionally observed on the ocean beaches, the rocky shoreline near Officer’s Row, or on floating patches of ice in Sandy Hook Bay. There is a boardwalk with a viewing platform that leads out to the best viewing spot on the bay side of the main road.

Seals, along with sea lions and walruses, are classified in a warm blooded group called
“pinnipeds.” Sandy Hook’s seal visitors are “true seals” lacking external ear flaps, unlike
its relative the sea lion. They are also smaller and more skittish. Their long, hairless, front
flippers are used for propulsion in water while the hind flippers are used for steering.
The hind flippers can also be brought forward and under the body, allowing them to flop along on their bellies.

Seals have a thick blubber layer which, combined with a fur coat, protects them in frigid climates. Pinnipeds spend most of their lives in the water but come on land to give birth, raise their young and to molt. They can sleep in water but must wake up frequently to surface and breathe.

They are gifted swimmers, able to dive up to 1,500 feet for as long as 40 minutes.

There are two events at Sandy Hook in March that should give you an opportunity to see them and learn more about them.

Seal and Waterfowl Walk
Building #18, Littoral Society Headquarters
Saturday, March 2, 12 PM - 2 PM
Bring your binoculars and take a trek throughout Sandy Hook to observe the seals and waterfowl that overwinter in New Jersey. The program will include car caravanning to multiple locations on Sandy Hook. Afterwards, warm up at Littoral Society Headquarters with snacks and toasty beverages. Cost: $10 member/ $20 non-member. Registration and payment is required ahead of time, please call (732) 291-0055.  1 mile.

Searching for Seals in the Surf
U.S. Life-Saving Station at Spermaceti Cove (between Lot D and Lot E)
Sunday, March 3, 10 AM - 12 PM
Hike to the Sandy Hook bayside with a park ranger to search for seal activity during their annual migration; and learn about marine mammals that dwell in the waters of Sandy Hook at different times of the year. Reservations required, please call (732) 872-5970.  1 mile.

INFORMATION
Seals in NJ  nps.gov/gate/learn/nature/upload/Seals-in-Sandy-Hook-Waters.pdf
Visiting Sandy Hook nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/

Harbor seal - via Wikimedia

Whale Migration at the Jersey Shore

Humpback whales feeding.       http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistermoss/ / CC BY 2.0

Whales do pass New Jersey on their migrations and during fall beach walkers and boaters get some great views.

Recent reports include a humpback just a few hundred feet from the Bay Head shoreline and off Chadwick beach. Humpbacks are adding bulk for winter which they spend in Silver Bank Sanctuary, a shallow water area off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

Southern waters are where they mate, birth and nurse their calves.

We will see them again when they follow the food north in April.

Pods of the baitfish, menhaden, and striped bass and bluefish often coincide with the fall migration of marine mammals, so whales and bottlenose dolphins and seals are more common at the shore.

Bob Schoelkopf, founder and director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine said the humpback whales are the primary whale species that have been spotted by numerous boaters because they come closest to the shore, using it to pin the bait up so they can eat it.

Boaters are always warned to stay clear of whales and dolphins. At 80,000 pounds, a humpback can do real damage to boats. They can eat upwards to 3,000 pounds a fish per day.

The warning is also a legal one because humpbacks are an endangered species that are safeguarded by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammals Protection Act while they pass through our waters. Boats must stay at least 200 feet from them.

You won't see them near shore, but boaters may spot right whales and minke whales further out and they move south to waters off Georgia and Florida. Right whales are the most endangered whale species in the world.

Do any whales remain of the NJ coast through winter? Yes, the mackerel-loving and endangered fin whales. Next to blue whales, they are the second-largest whales growing up to 80 feet.

The only visitors to Jersey that will see on shore are the one fur-bearing species that comes south to visit for the holidays. That is the harbor seal. They are spotted onshore sunning, maybe on a dredge pipe on the Manasquan River or resting on the beach at Seaside Heights.

More at app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2015/11/11/humpback-whales-jersey-shore/

Harbor Seals in New Jersey

 

Seals hauled-out at Sandy Hook, NJ. © Joe Reynolds

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) and Jenkinson’s Aquarium today announced the release of a new interactive, digital story map that showcases harbor seals in New Jersey. A story map is a web-based interactive map embedded with multimedia content, such as text, photographs, and video. Visit ConserveWildlifeNJ.org to view the story map.

“Many New Jersey residents don’t realize that we have seals right here along our shore,” explained Conserve Wildlife Foundation GIS Program Manager Michael Davenport. “Unless you know the right places and the right time to look for them, you may never see them. Our new story map offers a unique viewpoint into the lives of New Jersey’s harbor seals that can be accessed by anyone at any time. You can also get an up-close-and-personal look at these animals when you pay visit to Jenkinson’s Aquarium.” 

Harbor seals can be found across the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. In Europe, they occur within the Baltic, Barents, and North Seas. Across the Atlantic, they can be found in Canada and along the northeastern U.S. New Jersey is typically as far south as they travel in large numbers during the winter; with occasional sightings as far south as Florida.

Sandy Hook has New Jersey’s 2nd largest seal haul-out site. Seals can most often be observed on the bayside beaches but may also be occasionally observed on the ocean beaches, the rocky shoreline near Officer’s Row, or on floating patches of ice in Sandy Hook Bay. Up to 95 seals have been observed here at one time. A boardwalk with a viewing platform leads out to the best viewing spot on the bay side of the main road.

"We were so happy to partner with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey on this project,” stated Jenkinson’s Aquarium Assistant Curator Katie Canady. “Educating the public about the seals in New Jersey, and the proper way to observe without disturbing them has always been one of our goals. It is great to have this as another tool to assist with getting the word out."

“Harbor Seals in New Jersey” also profiles two seals at Jenkinson’s Aquarium which have very different personalities and came to the Aquarium from two very different places. Jenkinson’s has been home for harbor seals since 1991, when their first seal “Luseal” moved in. She was soon joined by another seal, “Seaquin.” Luseal and Seaquin have pages devoted to them in the Story Map with photos and interesting facts about their lives and behaviors. The release of the Story Map coincides with the renovation of the seal exhibit at Jenkinson’s Aquarium.

“The first time you see a seal in the wild can be such a memorable experience, yet so many people don’t realize you can enjoy that experience right here in New Jersey,” said Conserve Wildlife Foundation Executive Director David Wheeler. “We are thrilled to partner with Jenkinson’s Aquarium to spread awareness of these marvelous creatures that winter along our coast. Harbor seals are among the many incredible wildlife species that inhabit New Jersey’s coast, and these story maps highlight another vivid example of why our state’s wildlife biodiversity is so impressive and unique.”

Over the years, Conserve Wildlife Foundation staff have worked with a number of marine biologists in order to monitor seal populations in New Jersey and minimize disturbance or harm to the animals. Most recently, CWF held two workshops in 2014 to educate first responders on handling marine mammal and sea turtle strandings. Conserve Wildlife Foundation is continuing its ongoing efforts at educating the public about these amazing animals with the release of the “Harbor Seals in New Jersey” story map. 

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey (CWF) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting New Jersey’s rare wildlife species and the diverse habitats they depend on. We carry out our mission by researching and managing imperiled species, restoring habitat, educating New Jersey’s residents, and engaging volunteers in our conservation projects. Since the early 1990’s, CWF scientists and educators have helped conserve and protect a variety of at-risk species of wildlife in New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation.