Three harbor seals lounge on containment boom.
We’re in peak harbor seal “pupping” season in our part of Puget Sound! From June to September, every baby seal I see is the cutest—until the next one shows up. Cue the soundtrack in my head:
Baby seal, doo doo doo doo doo doo
You’re so cute, doo doo doo doo doo doo
These little butterballs tip the scales at 22-26 pounds at birth and can swim and go onto land with their mom within minutes. They guzzle milk that is 50% fat and grow so quickly they are ready to face the world on their own after just 4-6 weeks.
Mama seal, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Works so hard, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Mama seals raise their pups on their own but can count on their mom-friends for help. Mama seals often raise their pups in nurseries—groups of mothers and their young—which provide safety in numbers.
Seals frolicking in the Port's waterways.
If you happen to find an unattended baby seal that has no obvious signs of trauma, do not panic. You do not need to handle or feed the baby seal. In fact, it is illegal to do so. Seals (and all marine mammals) are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and you can face serious fines for harassing them.
Chances are baby seal is fine and mama has left to find food. The best thing you can do is to stay at least 100 yards away so that mama seal isn’t scared to reunite with her baby.
If you see an injured, stranded or dead seal (or other marine mammal) please contact NOAA’s West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 866-767-6114.
The observation tower at the Port’s Administration building is a great place to observe habor seals from afar. There is a nursery in the Sitcum Waterway where the mamas and babies rest on floating booms. The observation tower is open to the public and free of charge.