Soon we will be saying goodbye for the summer to some winter bay residents - the harbor seals. The winter population in Narragansett Bay is almost 1,000 of these marine mammals, often seen on their favorite “haul out” spots on both sides of the bay.

As the weather warms up they depart, around April, for Maine and Canada, only to return in late September and October. Save the Bay has seal watching trips leaving from Newport from October to late April on weekends to view these creatures that pose for great photo ops. You can see them from land, too, at many of their resting spots like Rome Point in North Kingstown. Best viewing is at low tide. You are cautioned not to approach seals, not to feed them and certainly not to harass them. If you think you see a seal stranded on the beach, do not go near it to help. Probably it is fine. They often sleep on the beach for hours, and if disturbed, they can bite!

If you do believe it to be sick or injured, call the experts at Mystic Aquarium at 860-572-5955 and they can investigate and deliver any help needed. It is essential for seals to conserve energy. If a boat approaches one of their rocky haul out spots too closely and startles them so they retreat into the water, it can use up energy reserves the seal needs to keep warm. It might seem that a winter kayaker could get near them without disturbing them, but in fact kayakers often cause more stress than power boaters. Seals may interpret the approaching kayak as a predator, perhaps a shark. Approaching close to seals is not only a bad idea, it is illegal! The 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits getting within 150 feet of a seal and any disturbance of a marine mammal. Since this act went into effect, the seal population has increased considerably.

In the Cape Cod area there are over 16,000 seals in winter. There are four types of seals that may be found in Narragansett Bay. By far the most numerous are the harbor seal, which is about 250 pounds. One may see, on occasion, the larger harp seal which reaches 400 lbs. Also, seen rarely, is the gray seal, a monster at 800 lbs. reaching eight feet long, and very rarely the 9-foot-long, 900-pound hooded seal. All are pinnipeds, meaning wing foot, and are carnivores, eating codfish, herring, bass, bluefish, lobster and more. Seals can dive down and remain submerged for up to 30 minutes, although most resurface in two to 15 minutes.

Each seal consumes perhaps 30 to 35 pounds of fish a day, reducing the fish population in the bay and Cape waters, besides attracting their natural predator, sharks. Cod fishermen, in particular, are frustrated by the influence of seals on their livelihood. However, it must be noted that seals also consume other fish that would have eaten juvenile cod. Seals have taken over a small Cape island where their excrement has fouled fresh water ponds and where they have destroyed nests on the ground. On Muskeget Island there were 19 seals in 1994 and by 2011 the seal population had grown to over 3,500! Some groups have formed to promote a “culling” process as they have in Scandinavia, Russia, Canada and other countries. Indeed, in the early days, Native Americans and colonists hunted seals for their meat and leather. As late as the early 1960s there was a bounty on seals in Rhode Island, and their population was reduced. Now their numbers are increasing rapidly.

Seals are well known for their playfulness and intelligence. They have long been stars of shows at marine aquariums delighting audiences with tricks. The U.S. Navy Mammal Program has used seals and sea lions to detect mines and attach lines to sunken missiles. New York police officers are training harbor seals to retrieve handguns, hoping to use them in harbor water searches.

A bill has been introduced to make harbor seals the official Rhode Island State marine mammal, with support from Save the Bay and Roger Williams Park Zoo. Whether you are a fan or a foe, harbor seals are definitely an important part of Narragansett Bay.