Harbor Seals
of Monterey Bay, CA U.S.A.
A harbor seal resting on the rocks amidst the waves in Pacific Grove, California.
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Harbor seals are curious, playful, intelligent, and adorable to watch! Many harbor seals call Monterey, California their home, and they can be spotted all along the coast year-round. They are shy and prefer to keep far away from people (on land, underwater is a different story!), but they are adorable to watch from a distance! On land, they waddle about clumsily, but they are incredibly graceful underwater, and have great underwater vision (which is why they have such large eyes, to allow them to see in dark, underwater situations!).
If you want to help the harbor seal population in Monterey, make sure you are only eating fish that is farmed sustainably. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has great charts describing types of fish are ethical to eat at this time, which you can view below!
Keep in mind that all of my seal photos are taken with a telephoto lens, and you should never approach a wild animal (for their safety and for yours)!
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Want to help protect the Harbor Seals?
Here are a few ways:
Keep your distance! If you see a harbor seal on shore, it is tempting to get close (they are very cute), but this can actually harm the animal because it forces them to use precious energy to swim away from you. Seals will also accidentally abandon their pups if you get too close to them! So make sure to watch, but from a distance (150 feet)!
Dispose of all fishing gear properly! Read California’s Fishing Line Recycling Program here. If your town doesn’t have a recycling program, dispose of your fishing gear at home!
Only eat fish that is being farmed sustainably (view Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guides here.).
Pick up trash, whether you are inland, or near the ocean! (A HUGE portion of trash in the ocean comes from inland).
Refuse single-use plastic! If a consumer like YOU changes their spending habits, companies WILL respond.
Read NatGeo’s: What Happens to the Plastic We Throw Out!
Get educated! Learn more about how your city is enacting policies to protect your local wildlife, and whether or not a change should be made!