Seals
The Whale Center's winter stranding season started out pretty slow in 2005, but became more active towards the end of January. As we've seen for the last five years, ice seals, including harp and hooded seals, traveled down from the coast of Canada during the winter to inhabit our shores. Most of these seals were healthy individuals merely resting on the beaches, floating docks, and marshes of the North Shore. However, some suffered from illness or injury and required medical attention.
Whales and Dolphins
Whale Center staff members Kate Sardi and Tracy Bowen traveled to Martha's Vineyard on January 9th, to assist the New England Aquarium with the necropsy of a dead fin whale. There was only limited use of heavy equipment to help move the whale, so it was impossible to perform a complete necropsy. The cause of death was never identified.
Interesting Cases from 2005
Harp Seal, Collins Cove, Salem (January 24th, 2005)
This harp seal was first reported by a local resident in Salem. Kate Sardi responded and found a one year-old, "beater," harp seal resting on the ice over Collins Cove. It stayed overnight in the same location and the following day was reportedly attacked by a wild dog out on the ice. After the attack, the seal returned to the water and we were never able to assess its injuries. It returned to the ice several times in the next five days, until it was joined by a second harp seal on the 31st. Both seals were gone by February 2nd.
Hooded Seal, Long Beach, Rockport (February 2nd, 2005)
A local resident reported this hooded seal lying at the high tide line on Long Beach. Kate Sardi responded and found that the seal was very lethargic and did not respond by lifting its head or even opening its eyes when approached. Clearly, it was either sick or injured. Whale Center staff captured the seal and transported it to the University of New England rehabilitation facility where, unfortunately, the seal died overnight. The cause of death is still unknown, but hopefully a necropsy will explain what was wrong with the seal.
Harp Seal, Smith Cove, Gloucester (February 6th, 2005)
The New England Aquarium reported a harp seal on the ice in Smith Cove. Kate Sardi responded and found that the seal looked lethargic, but was too far out on the ice for a close assessment. It returned to the water the following day, but we received another report of a seal at exactly the same location on the 8th. Whale Center interns, Cathryn Perkins, Chris Howard, Casey McLean, and Sara Miller, responded and found a completely different harp seal than the one that was there previously. This seal was alert and clearly healthy and it returned to the water later that same day. Smith Cove seemed to be a good location for resting seals!
Harp Seal, Palmers Cove Yacht Club, Salem (March 2nd, 2005)
 The Whale Center of New England received a report of a seal lying on a floating dock in the Palmers Cove Yacht Club. When our staff arrived, they discovered an adult harp seal, which are sighted in our response area only occasionally each winter. Most of the harp seals that we see during the winter are yearlings, called 'beaters.' This approximately six foot long seal appeared to be a healthy animal that was simply resting. We went back the following day to check on it and it had gone back into the water, most likely to forage for small fish in the area.
Harp Seal, Black Beach, Manchester (March 4th, 2005)
 Whale Center staff responded to a report of a sick seal on Black Beach. Responding staff members determined that the yearling, 'beater,' harp seal was in poor health, because it was missing fur in patches across its back, had blood around its mouth, and was generally lethargic. We immediately decided to capture the seal and transport it to the New England Aquarium for medical attention. Unfortunately, the seal died within 48 hours and was found to have a serious lung condition.
Grey Seals
 Grey seals are year-round residents of New England, but they are unusual sightings on Cape Ann. In 2005, we had the opportunity to see three grey seals on our local beaches. The first grey seal was a pup that was first seen on Long Beach, Rockport, on March 11th. Whale Center staff determined that it looked healthy, because it was very active and even growled when it was approached. The seal returned to the water on its own by the end of the day, but it showed up again the next day, this time on Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester. Again, it rested there for several hours but returned to the water by the next day and was not sighted again.
 The second grey seal was a pup that was sighted on Magnolia Beach, Manchester, on April 16th. This seal rested on the beach all day and returned to the water some time overnight. The last grey seal was hauled out in Gap Cove, Rockport, on June 6th. This grey seal was not yet fully grown, measuring only about four and half feet long (adults are up to seven feet long), and was probably about two years old. It had bald patches over much of its body; baldness can be a sign of stress from sickness, injury, or other causes, or it can occur during a seal's normal molt (seals annually shed and re-grow their coat). The seal was alert and responsive, so we decided to leave it on the beach and check it the next day. Local residents reported that it returned to the water early the next morning.
Harbor Seal Pups
 Harbor seal pups are born along the coast of Maine and Canada during May and June and they nurse from their mothers for only three to four weeks. After the pups are weaned, they start foraging on their own and they travel throughout the New England during the summer and fall. The Whale Center's first sighting of a harbor seal pup this year was on Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, on June 23rd. This seal was quickly followed by others in Rockport, Manchester, and other locations throughout Cape Ann.
 The first few months after weaning is a difficult time for harbor seals. They are inefficient at feeding, susceptible to illness, injury, and predation, and naive about quiet areas to haul out and rest. Therefore, these small harbor seals often come ashore on busy beaches looking quite thin and even showing signs of fatigue or illness. Most seals returned to the water after resting for a day or two; others needed to be captured and brought to a rehabilitation facility for medical care.
Minke Whale, 20 miles east of Gloucester (July 21st, 2005)
 The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) reported a floating dead minke whale on southern Jeffreys Ledge in mid July. Stranding Coordinator, Kate Sardi, used The Whale Center of New England's research vessel, Silver II, to take staff from NMFS and The Whale Center to the carcass to collect samples. There was an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) occurring at this time along the east coast of the U.S. and this minke whale was going to be included in the UME. UMEs can occur for a variety of reasons including disease passing through a population or poisoning due to biotoxins such as red tide. It is important to sample all animals included in an UME to determine the cause and of these incidents. The sampling team aboard Silver II located the animal and collected skin and blubber samples, as well as stomach and intestine contents for analysis.
Harbor Seal Pup, Sandy Bay Yacht Club, Rockport (August 12th, 2005)
 The Whale Center of New England was called to the Sandy Bay Yacht Club because a boater had a harbor seal pup in his boat. The boater was offshore when he saw the small seal, which approached and remained alongside his boat. He scooped the seal out of the water for fear that it was injured, lost, or would be vulnerable to predator attack. Once on board, the pup went into a coma-like state and was completely unresponsive. When Whale Center staff arrived, they were concerned by the seal's behavior and made the decision to transport it to a rehabilitation facility. Unfortunately, the seal died en route to the facility. It is unclear whether the seal was sick, whether the stress of being handled and out of its natural habitat made the animal go into shock, or, most likely, a combination of both. Seals are wild animals and they are not used to interacting with people; even well-intentioned interactions could cause a great deal of stress or shock to a seal.
Pilot Whales, Hoop Pole Cove, Rockport (September 10th, 2005), Cranes Beach, Ipswich (October 14th, 2005)
 The Whale Center received reports of two dead pilot whales in the fall of 2005. The first whale washed up in Rockport on September 10th. Whale Center staff took measurements and pictures of the animal that day, but the necropsy (animal autopsy) was performed by the New England Aquarium the following day. The second pilot whale washed up in Ipswich. This whale was in very poor condition, with shark bites and other scavenger damage on the carcass. Whale Center staff collected measurements, photographs, and biological samples.
Harbor Seal Pup, Lanes Cove, Lanesville (October 17th, 2005)
 Whale Center staff members responded to a report of an injured harbor seal pup in Lanes Cove. When we arrived, we found a seal that was very alert and responsive, but it clearly was in distress. It had blood all around its mouth and appeared to be coughing up blood, as well. We captured the seal, which was very aggressive throughout the event; it even lunged several times at the opening of the kennel that we used to transport it. We brought it to the New England Aquarium for rehabilitation and they made the difficult decision to euthanize (put to sleep) the seal because of its severe health problems.
|
