Check out the harbor seal spotted by our friend Robin Read. Sightings like this one, near Coxsackie, are on the increase – have you seen one? Tom Lake of the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program says they have been recorded as far north as Albany. He writes: They are spotted most often in winter on ice floes, or in spring when the spawning runs of herring and shad surge in from the sea. This summer there has been a virtual bounty of young-of-the-year fish and so the harbor seal is dining well. Harbor seals have been increasing (or so it seems) in the last decade. Some researchers believe it is essentially an overflow from nearby coastal waters where pupping of harbor seals has been increasing. As to their health, seals in the estuary have been uniformly healthy. Occasionally we find one that has died. Causes range from being hit by boat props to seals that arrive in the river ill (one hooded seal and one harbor seal come to mind). When hauled out on an ice floe or a dock, they appear to be in distress by their posture. However, that is just their way of relaxing. Conversely, other marine mammals, e.g., dolphins and porpoises, often arrive in the river ill and disoriented, and many die. Why that is, is poorly known.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 22:19:46 +0000