A harbor seal has apparently followed a run of herring, ending up at the Rancocas Creek in New Jersey, said wildlife experts.
According to Bob Schoelkopf, Marine Mammal Stranding Center founder, it's not atypical of seals to follow herring during spring and lose track of how far upstream they've come. Seals are attracted to food, so as long as they stay full, they'll be happy. They'll go back down into the Delaware Bay and back out into the open seas when they run out of food.
Rancocas Creek, however, is not a common haunt for seals. In fact, Schoelkopf said that probably the last time seals were in the area, a freshwater tributary flowing through Burlington County, may have been about 10 years ago. Around that time, a carcass of a harp seal and a live hooded seal were discovered.
Whenever a seal was found, the discovery was kept secret to protect the animal's privacy. Seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, so it is forbidden for people to approach them, even if to offer food. Coming too close to a seal could be considered harassment, resulting in fines between $11,000 and $25,000. Individuals could also face prison time for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Those who are worried about the seal need not worry because the Marine Mammal Stranding Center is closely observing the animal. Apparently, the seal veered off course about three or four weeks ago based on the distance it traveled to get to the Rancocas Creek.
According to Schoelkopf, the seal also appears to have developed a brown tint. This may be due to the tannic acid from pine and cedar trees that seeped into the creek's water. When an animal has been in the water for a certain period of time, it starts absorbing the tannic acid's coloring effect.
The seal looks well-fed and not at all stressed, supporting Schoelkopf's dismissal of speculation that the presence of a great white shark near Ocean City was what prompted the animal to travel as far as Rancocas Creek.
Instead, the weather may have had more of an effect on the seal's journey, as the lack of rain may have led to an increase in salinity levels in the creek, enough for the seal to not notice it was already in freshwater territory.
"When we have heavy rain, the infusion of freshwater will make it go back to the bay. That's what we're hoping," added Schoelkopf.
Photo: Amanda Boyd/USFWS | Flickr
