Ocean Grove Record

The Nature Grove

Wintertime Beachgoers

by Mike Au Natural

Seals in New Jersey!?! In Ocean Grove, no less?

Yes, it is possible to view marine mammals in Ocean Grove, and not just whales or dolphins far out in the ocean (or surfers in the breakers).

Seals, which are semi-aquatic marine mammals, can occasionally be viewed resting on our beaches. Since they are semi-aquatic, don’t assume that a seal on the beach is a stranded animal – it may be there just resting, lounging about on the sand as we humans often do, usually in the summer, though.

Seals are primarily winter visitors in New Jersey, most common off our coast from November through March. There are but a handful of regular “haul-out” sites along the Jersey coast – areas where several seals may come ashore at a time to rest – and, unfortunately, Ocean Grove is not one of them. But occasionally, one will find it’s way to these parts.

If you observe a seal on the beach or on a jetty, don’t assume that it is sick or stranded. Seals will naturally rest on shore from time to time.

Although seals may look cute, like big fin-footed puppies, they can potentially be very dangerous and should NEVER be approached. Seals have a powerful bite which could shame a pit bull and the amount and types of bacteria residing in their mouth guarantee a nasty infection. Besides the potential danger they pose, it is against the law to approach a wild seal. As per the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is against the law to touch, feed, or otherwise harass seals (harassment occurs when YOUR behavior changes THEIR behavior).

Other important rules to follow: Never get in the water with a seal (if they want to fight you in the water, they’ll always win); never attempt to feed a wild seal; when on jet skis, kayaks, or canoes, avoid approaching hauled-out seals as they are easily frightened into water when approached too closely; stay at least 50 yards away from resting seals; and for the sake of both the seal and your pet, keep your pet on a leash, far from any seal.

However, if you believe that a seal is in need of medical attention, contact the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) based out of Brigantine, N.J. (609-266-0538). For stranded seals, as for healthy ones, do not touch the animal and keep all observers, including yourself, at least 100 feet away from it (this is to prevent the animal from being prematurely chased back into the water before MMSC staff arrives).

According to their website, they recently rescued a young female Gray Seal in Asbury Park. Apparently, this seal hit one of the jetties. Turns out that she had a fractured spine and couldn’t swim properly. Although she regained her health, she could not return to the wild due to her limited mobility. But there was a happy ending – she was placed at a permanent home at the Indianapolis Zoo.

(Get more information about the MMSC at www.marinemammalstrandingcenter.org. They do great work rescuing and caring for N.J.’s stranded seals and sea turtles. It’s also a great place to make a donation to and, during the summer, their facility is an interesting place to visit.)

Speaking of zoos, if you’re interested in catching a glimpse of some real seals, but don’t feel like taking the trip to Brigantine, check out Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant Beach. They have three adult female Harbor Seals: “Seaquin”, “Coral”, and “Luseal”. If you’ve never seen a seal before, you’ll be amazed at how beautiful they are and how gracefully they move through the water. And just like the wild seals who know to come to the Jersey shore in the winter to avoid crowds, this is the best season to visit the aquarium – they’re open every day and it isn’t crowded. (Website)

More Seal Facts

> Although seals live primarily within the water, they are mammals, which means that they must come to the surface to breathe before diving again. However, they are well adapted for their watery world and can hold their breathe for over 30 minutes at a time – they can even take a nap while submerged!

> In the North Atlantic Ocean we do NOT have sea lions, we have seals. There are quite a few differences between the two. Sea lions can be found on the west coast of the U.S. – they are marine mammals which are much more vocal than seals, often heard barking. Sea lions also have external ear flaps, whereas seals lack them, having only small openings where their ears are. And they move very differently. On land, a sea lion can shuffle along on all four of its flippers, and then when they swim, they primarily use their front flippers. Seals, however, do not use their flippers on land and instead, move in a way resembling an inchworm, undulating their entire body to move – in the water, they use their rear flippers primarily as their means of locomotion. Seals and sea lions (as well as the walrus), though distinctly different, are collectively known as “pinnipeds”, which literally means “fin-footed”.

> There are several species of seal which can be seen in NJ, the most common being the Harbor Seal, followed by the larger Gray Seal, and then the Harp Seal, and the least common, the Hooded Seal, which also happens to be the largest of the four with males weighing in at 700 lbs. and 8.5 feet long. Amongst seals, adult males are always larger than adult females – male Harbor Seals may weigh up to 300 lbs. and be 6 feet long, while females usually only weigh up to 250 lbs. and 5 feet in length. Although the females may be smaller, they tend to live longer lives, living up to a ripe old age of about 35 years of age while males usually live to only 25.

> Seals eat primarily fish and squid – other species which do not occur in N.J. have been known to also prey on penguins as well as smaller seals. Their primary predators are Killer Whales, sharks, and Polar Bears (sharks being the only one they encounter here). However, as is usually the case with most animals, humans are their primary threat. Hunting of seals in the US is banned by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. However, it is still legal in Canada. There is still a yearly “hunt” in Canada whereby baby seals are still clubbed to death. Such hunting also continues in other parts of the world. Illegal killing of seals also occurs in the US – there are documented cases of fishermen, who couldn’t take out their frustrations of a poor catch on their human competitors, shooting seals instead. Besides the deliberate killings, seals also face other human-caused problems such as: starvation due to overfishing of their prey, collisions with boats and jet skis, entanglement in fishing nets, oil spills, and mortality caused directly by other pollutants or disease which may spread more easily due to weakened immunity caused by pollutants.

> Despite the ignorance or cruelty of mankind, however, seals (at least those living around N.J.) are holding their own. In fact, the number of seals appearing on our coast each winter has been increasing over the years. In addition, none of the four species listed earlier are considered endangered, threatened, or even near-threatened – their numbers are actually increasing.

Read Mike's previous column:

A Tree (actually many) grown in Ocean Grove,
and find links to all his columns here