Seals Need Their Space on Park Shoreline

Baby seal between rocks on a public beach in Acadia

Photo by Will Newton / Friends of Acadia / NPS

Late spring means seal pupping season in mid-coast Maine. At Acadia you will occasionally see harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) just offshore and in the area harbors. Seals like to "haul out" to rest, sun themselves on rocky ledges or rocky shorelines on islands. Like all mammals, seal pups begin life drinking milk from their mothers. Seal pups are weak swimmers at first, and commonly their mothers will leave them for extended periods of time on shorelines so the pups can rest while they go hunt along islands and shorelines.

To the average viewer, it may look as if a lone seal is in trouble or has been abandoned, and needs human help. Please do not attempt to handle, move, or force seals or seal pups to move. Disturbing or harassing a marine mammal is a federal crime. People who contact seals may be affected by diseases and parasites that are transferable to humans such as strains of herpes, influenza, and tuberculosis. If you see seal pups on shore within the park, keep your distance so you don't force it to move too far inland or back into the ocean. Let the pup stay put until its mother returns. As pups get bigger and stronger, they begin to hunt and spend more time offshore themselves. By late July, Maine's seal pups will be weaned from their mothers and spend their time enjoying the Gulf of Maine.

If you have concerns that the pup may be abandoned or does not look healthy, you can inform any park staff member that you encounter. Or call Allied Whale, the region's marine mammal stranding response organization, at [phone]. Learn more about Acadia's Marine Wildlife.