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West Seattle wildlife: The sea lion with a number

April 23, 2012 12:09 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Wildlife


(Click image to see it in a larger size)
Sharing that photo (and others) taken during a Puget Soundkeeper trip along the Duwamish River, West Seattle volunteer Tom Foley wondered, “Does anyone out there know who might have numbered the animal and if they would like to know it has shown up here in Elliott Bay?” A bit of online research reveals Steller sea lions – the species we believe this to be – have been widely branded along the North Pacific so that sightings can be tracked; Stellers are on the endangered-species list. Can’t tell from this number, though, who might have placed it there…

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5 Replies to "West Seattle wildlife: The sea lion with a number"

  • RG April 23, 2012 (8:01 am)

    I heard recently that a couple states are trying to get the stellars removed from the ESL. It could have been any number of agencies that tagged the animal in the photo; one would think that since the populations appear to have rebounded it might not be as relevant as it once would have been, but, since so much climate change data is gained through animal location studies you never know. I’d start by contacting NOAA. Good luck, and to all who take care of the Sound: you are heroes.

  • Christen April 23, 2012 (8:09 am)

    You should contact the National Marine Mammal Lab at NOAA Sandpoint. They track a number of tagged/branded seal and sea lion populations and might be able to provide more info about who did the tagging: http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/
    Hope this helps! :)

  • nice work April 23, 2012 (9:07 pm)

    love this pic!

  • carlton April 24, 2012 (7:47 am)

    Hello salmon says the seals…

  • LG April 26, 2012 (7:19 pm)

    I forwarded this photo to NOAA and they forwarded it to the Steller Sea Lion program at Alaska Fish and Game. They have an electronic photo database to match the brand to but they need a higher res photo or more photos. Does someone know how to reach the photographer? If so he should contact lauri.jemison@alaska.gov Lauri is very interested in this sea lion as the brand is unusual.

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