Join the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation and Save The Bay for seal watching tours offered November - April aboard M/V Alletta Morris.
We provide expert guides and binoculars for an educational view of these seasonal marine visitors.
Watch for tours that stop at the Rose Island Lighthouse
over
Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring vacation breaks.
For tickets and tour
schedule visit Save
The Bay
or call 401-324-6020
Don't forget group tours & gift certificates available!
Our weekly keepers usually report spotting
the first harbor seals of the season off Rose Island
early in November. By January each year they will be
hauling out in large numbers on Citing Rock near the
time of low tide.
Harbor seals are agile in water but very
clumsy on land so they panic easily. They haul out
near the time of low tide to rest. Disturbing them
is considered harassment and is a violation of the
1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Actually
harassment of seals occurs whenever your behavior changes
their behavior.
The most common disturbance of seals
when they are “hauled out” is from recreational boaters,
especially in small, maneuverable boats such as kayaks
and inflatables.
Here are some guidelines, should
you encounter seals:
From a boat
Pass only from a distance and move very
slowly.
Turn to travel in a parallel direction rather than
heading straight for them.
Back off the moment they stretch their necks and move
towards the water.
From land
View discreetly and move very slowly
Keep control of your pets and do not allow them to
bother the seals.
Leave "stranded" seals alone. Do not try
to touch them. Seal pups are left alone on the beach
while their mothers are off feeding. You need to report
the stranding only if the mother doesn't come back
within 24 hours or the seal is obviously injured.
If you find a seal that is truly stranded,
injured or dead, report it to Mystic
Aquarium Research Dept. (860) 572-5955 x107 or Rhode
Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division
of Enforcement at (800) 498-1336 or (401)
222-3070.
We have seen how well-meaning, concerned
small boat operators in kayaks, canoes and inflatables
and the like, try to inch closer and closer to have
a look -- very quietly, slowly, so you don't disturb
them. What you don't realize is that you're mimicking
a predator!! One inch too close and they're off the
rocks in a second and into the water where they feel
less vulnerable. Surprisingly, because they're curious,
they may even come closer to you to check you out.
Of course, if you come across seals that are already
in the water, they can be a lot of fun. But, unfortunately,
if you've scared them off the rocks, you've violated
the MMPA. You don't know how much rest they may still
need or how many other times they've been disturbed
during the day, so you just don't want to be the one
to do it! So the best advice is to STAY CLEAR of seals
that are hauled out!
