Did You Know (Harp Seal, Part 3)

For those GMG readers who may not have seen this response to my Harp seal post, and have encountered or may encounter a harp seal, Mendy from the National Marine Fisheries Service writes:

Hi E.J., thank you for posting your great photos! I am the regional Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Coordinator for NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. I wanted to chime in an let you (and the GMG readers) know that we are documenting an increase number of adult harp seals this year, not just in MA, but along the eastern seaboard down to NC. We haven’t seen this number of adult harp seals for almost 10-years. While this particular seal looks healthy and happy, I do encourage folks to report any sightings or strandings to our local network partner, The Whale Center of New England (978-281-6351). NOAA, in collaboration with a network of organizations, document sightings and stranding trends to monitor the population’s health and distribution. Check out our website for more information: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/prot_res/stranding/.
Cheers,
Mendy