Press Releases

Scientists Study Weaned Gray Seal Pups on Muskeget and Monomoy Islands

January 16, 2015.  Marine mammal researchers are capturing, tagging, sampling, and releasing weaned gray seal pups on islands near Cape Cod and Nantucket this week. They hope to learn more about the influenza A virus in the gray seal population and fill out a picture of pup movements while gathering samples that will reveal more about stock health, gray seal ecology, and habitat use. Data gathered will also be used to model the population and detect demographic changes. Read more.....

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Superstorm Sandy Sandbags Harbor Seal Study on Long Island

(Woods Hole - Dec. 20, 2012) - A pilot study of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) on eastern Long Island conducted earlier this month didn’t go quite as planned. NOAA researchers and their colleagues had hoped to capture, tag and release up to 20 seals on sandbars close to the inlets of Shinnecock and Moriches Bays but the researchers captured just two harbor seals east of Moriches Inlet.  The team was able to collect a full set of biological samples and affix satellite and flipper tags to one seal. The other seal got away.One likely factor for the low number of seals:  superstorm Sandy. Read more...

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Study Looks at Gray Seal Impact on Beach Water Quality 

Dec. 18, 2012 -- Scientists from the newly created Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium (NASRC) are using data collected by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to investigate whether seals may impact beach water quality along Outer Cape Cod. Read more...

*Beach Water Quality (December 18, 2012) Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution

https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/Gray-Seals-Water_Quality/

New Research Consortium Brings Scientists, Fishermen, and Managers Together to Address Seal Issues in the Northeast

Nov. 1, 2012 -- The Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium was created following a series of workshops that brought together scientists, resource managers, and recreational fishermen to address issues and concerns related to increasing seal populations along the New England coast. Their goal is to better understand the ecological role of seals in North Atlantic waters. Read more ... 

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Last updated: January 22, 2015