Know what to do if you see a seal pup? ‘Share the Shore’ banners now up at Alki, as reminders

| How to help | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Photo by David Hutchinson: Seattle Parks’ James Lohman installing a banner)

Along the heart of Alki Beach, near the Bathhouse, “Share the Shore” banners are up as a reminder – it’s peak pupping season and if you see a baby seal, keep clear and notify Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, 206-905-SEAL – Here’s how Robin Lindsey explains it:

The banners are hung annually during September and October to remind people that there is a good chance they might come across a harbor seal pup resting on shore. These Fall months are usually Seal Sitters MMSN’s busiest time and is considered the height of pupping season in West Seattle and surrounding areas. Some pups are now being weaned all across South and Central Puget Sound and have begun to strike out on their own, leaving the safety of the rookeries. They often end up on urban beaches.

So, it is a good time to remind folks that if you see a pup on the beach: please stay far back, keep people and dogs away, and call your local stranding network. Allowing a pup to rest undisturbed could truly save his/her life. Because seal pups are so vulnerable as they struggle to survive, it is especially important that dog owners respect the law this time of year. Dogs are NOT allowed on Parks beaches leashed or unleashed at any time. It is a fact that each year in Puget Sound, dogs injure and/or kill harbor seal pups.

For marine mammals on West Seattle shoreline, please call Seal Sitters MMSN @ 206-905-SEAL (7325); in downtown Seattle and areas north, please call Sno-King MMSN @ 206-695-2277; for beaches south of Brace Point to Redondo Beach, please call MaST Center Stranding Team @ 206-724-2687.

When in doubt for what network to call, you can always give the Seal Sitters’ hotline a call and we will refer you to the right network. Additionally, here is a link to a map with contact numbers for NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Networks in the Puget Sound region. There are links to maps for the entire states of Washington and Oregon here, as well.

We ask that boaters and kayakers be alert to the marine life around them. Seals of all ages will use often use offshore platforms, docks, buoys and marinas to rest. Harassment can have dire consequences. If you are out on the water and see yellow tape and cones on the beach, it means an animal is resting there. Please give seals (and sea lions) a wide berth so as not to disrupt their rest. Please respect NOAA guidelines and stay 100 yards away whenever possible.

It has been oddly quiet as far as marine mammal response the past two months, but we anticipate a big spike in responses soon. Seal Sitters is so thankful for the West Seattle community’s support in protecting wildlife!

Seal Sitters have been caring for local shores and sea life for eight years now – here’s our first story on them from September 2007, baby-seal video (via mega-zoom) and all.

Neighbor September 1, 2015 (7:08 am)

When is the next beach clean up along Alki that seal sitters volunteers participate in?

Robin September 1, 2015 (7:40 pm)

Due to our busy fall seal pupping season and time constraints on volunteers, Seal Sitters MMSN will not be sponsoring another beach cleanup until late spring.

However, we would like to encourage everyone to participate in Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day on September 19th. Puget Soundkeeper Alliance will be sponsoring an Alki Beach cleanup that Saturday morning from 10am-12pm. For information on the Alki cleanup, visit this link:
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/international-coastal-cleanup/clean-up-event.html?loc_id=1520

That said, we certainly don’t have to wait for organized beach cleanups to make an impact on dangerous trash and debris along our streets and in our waterways. Many of our volunteers and WS residents take the initiative to grab a plastic bag and spend an hour here and there picking up plastics, hundreds of cigarette butts and lots of other toxic trash. Each one of us as individuals can make a huge difference!