The Harbor Seal in Washington State

Scheffer, Victor; Slipp, John

Harbor seals are widely distributed in the temperate and arctic waters of the Northern Hemisphere. They are tolerant of the advance of civilization and are often seen by the hundreds in the vicinity of busy seaports and fishing communities. On the coasts of the State of Washington alone there are at least 5000 seals throughout the year. In spite of the many opportunities to observe harbor seals, however, certain aspects of their natural history are as yet imperfectly known. We have attempted to gather in person and by conversation with professional seal hunters data on the behavior of harbor seals in the waters of Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Washington seacoast, and the lower Columbia River. For purposes of comparison, references are occasionally made to published information on the habits of seals in other parts of the world. We gratefully acknowledge the help of friends in the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. National Museum, American Museum of Natural History, State of Washington Department of Fisheries, Washington State Museum, College of Puget Sound, Grays Harbor Junior College, Carnegie Museum, California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, United States Coast Guard, and British Columbia Provincial Library and Museum. Dr. Kelshaw Bonham and David C. Titus assisted with the photographic work and the preparing of specimens. Dean Hugo Winkenwerder kindly provided laboratory space for our studies at the University of Washington. In the following pages we have acknowledged the individual help of persons whose experiences with harborseals over many years have been valuable sources of information.

The Harbor Seal in Washington State

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