On Saturday, February 13, 2010, volunteer members of the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council and friends went on a seal walk at Sandy Hook NRA from 12:30pm to 2:00pm.

It was a bitter cold day, with partly cloudy skies, high temperatures only reaching up into the lower 30s and around 2 feet of snow still covering the landscape from a series of recent snowstorms. The group was facing a 25 mph northwest wind roaring down NY Harbor, as they hiked to near the tip of Skelton Hill Island in Sandy Hook Bay.  People of all ages were bundled up in coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and with binoculars or cameras in hand to catch sight of a seal.

At first, they didn't see much, then slowly as they approached their destination, more distinct seal shapes started to appear. It turned out that around 71 juvenile and adult Harbor Seals were out during low tide to bask under the dim sun and rest from a night of foraging for food, mostly herring and clams. The group even came across small flock of Great Cormorants resting nearby on the island.

Standing about 1,000 feet away from the seals, it was a good thing that spotting scopes and binoculars were readily available to catch a glimpse of the sleeping seals.

During the winter months and early spring, seals come to Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay starting in mid-December.  They return to New England and Canada in March and April.  Seals haul out of the water to rest, sleep, and warm up in the sun’s heat. 

The seals people see in the bay are most often Harbor seals, but there are a few other types, such as harp seals, and grey seals.  Numbers have been increasing in past years. These marine mammals eat a variety of crustaceans, fish and shellfish like mussels, clams, oysters and squid.

If you see a seal on beach in New Jersey, please respect the seal haul out site. Never approach a seal, keep dogs away, and respect a seal's private space. Do not approach or try to feed or disturb the marine mammal. Do remain quiet, take pictures, and enjoy the experience of seeing live, wild marine mammals along the Jersey Shore.

If you think a seal or another type of marine mammal (whale/dolphin/manatee) or a sea turtle is sick, injured, or disorientated, please contact the NJ Marine Mammal Stranding Center at (609) 266-0538. Also, please consider making a donation to the NJ Marine Mammal Stranding Center.  Your donation and membership dollars enable the center to continue to expand their facility and care for the increasing number of animals.  Without your help, they will not be able to help these creatures when they are most in need. Please visit their website at: http://www.mmsc.org/

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