Stranding center returns seal to sea
By BEN LEACH Staff Writer, 609-272-7261
Published: Tuesday, December 02, 2008
A 9-month-old seal pup named Ocean that had just completed rehabilitation took his time making its way into the water Monday morning.The Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine rescued the young harbor seal in Ocean City in October. Less than two months later, he was released into the Great Bay just outside Little Egg Harbor.When the cage was opened on what little beach remains at the end of Radio Road, Ocean scuttled out, only to keep looking back to the land and to the technicians he had grown accustomed to.Although Ocean did his best to remain on the shoreline as long as possible, the high tide eventually carried the seal out to sea.Ocean's veterinarians and technicians don't know where exactly he came from, but seals tend to migrate south during colder months. They are used to colder environments north of New Jersey, but that does not stop them from seeking a bit of warmth.
"This is just like people going down to Florida for the winter," said Robert Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.When Ocean was found, he was very dehydrated. Since seals can't get the water they need from saltwater, they get their freshwater supply by eating fish, according to Schoelkopf."By and large, they're able to metabolize the water in their prey, and that's how they stay hydrated," said Trevor Spradlin, a marine mammal biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Spradlin said some seals have adapted to take in small amounts of saltwater, but not enough to survive on it completely.Spradlin said a number of things can cause marine mammals to be stranded, both natural and manmade. Many mammals find their way out of their normal habitat by following prey or getting knocked off course by weather patterns. Nettings are one way humans can get the mammals off their path.From 2001 through 2006, 5,850 seals were stranded in the Northeast region alone, from Maine to Virginia, according to NOAA. Data is still being calculated for 2007 and 2008.To follow Ocean's progress, the center attached a tracking device in a box to his back using an epoxy-like substance. The device is expected to help track Ocean for as long as 100 days.Harbor seals are instinctive creatures that can find their way back to their birthplace, so the tracking box is expected to reveal where Ocean is from originally. People interested in following Ocean can stay tuned to the center's Web site for tracking information.E-mail Ben Leach:BLeach@pressofac.comOn the WebThe tracking device on Ocean's back will send the seal's exact location to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which plans to post information about Ocean's journey back home. Seewww.mmsc.org
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