Stranded Harp Seal on Martha’s Vineyard Dies Despite Rescue Attempt

A juvenile harp seal stranded on the Tashmoo town beach in Tisbury has died despite rescue efforts by Island officials and partners from the Aquinnah tribe.

Tisbury animal control officer Heather Maciel told the Vineyard Gazette she discovered the seal in a belly-up position on Thursday, April 30.

After Maciel observed the seal trying to eat a rock, she decided to move the animal. She worked with Andrew Jacobs, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) tribal laboratory manager, to obtain a livestock container to safely transport the seal for care at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. 

The seal ultimately died at the aquarium. Mystic Aquarium examiners performed a necropsy on the seal, which revealed the animal had no platelets, suffered from extreme dehydration, had a belly full of rocks, and likely suffered from kidney and liver failure as the cause of death.

Experts note that harp seals prefer cold water and ice, and late-season beachings are atypical. Harp seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. NOAA data indicate there are about 7 million harp seals in the North Atlantic, making them one of the most abundant marine mammals in New England.

“Seals are common in New England, and the stranding network responds year-round, though there are some patterns in species by seasonality,” said Gomez.

Anyone who finds a seal or marine mammal in distress should call the Northeast Marine Mammal stranding hotline at 866-755-6622. From there, callers will be transferred to a trained, authorized marine animal responder in the area.