If you discover an injured or sick-looking marine mammal
see below…
If you see a sick, injured, stranded, or dead marine mammal, immediately contact your local stranding network (phone numbers provided below).
Maryland
Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Cooperative Oxford Laboratory
Oxford, MD
(dead animals only)
Phone: (800) 628-9944
National Aquarium in Baltimore, Marine Animal Rescue Program
Baltimore, MD
(live animals only)
Phone: (410) 576-3880
Massachusetts
NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region, Protected Resources Division
Gloucester, MA
Phone: (978) 281-9300
Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Phone: (508) 349-2615
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 973-5247
International Fund for Animal Welfare
Yarmouth Port, MA
Phone: (508) 743-9548
Buzzards Bay, MA
(pinniped [seal] rehab only)
Phone: (508) 743-9888
Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies
Provincetown, MA
(entangled animals in the marine environment only)
Phone: (800) 900-3622
Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket
Nantucket, MA
Phone: (833) 667-6626
New Hampshire
Rye, NH
Phone: (603) 997-9448
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 973-5247
New York State - Long Island
New York Stranding Hotline
Phone: (631) 369-9829
Atlantic Marine Conservation Society
Hampton Bays, NY
Phone: (631) 369-9829
Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of Natural History
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 633-1260
To report a marine mammal that is sick-looking or injured in another state not listed here, follow this link to NOAA Fisheries and follow their instructions.
You can also use NOAA’s Dolphin and Whale 911 app to report a stranded marine mammal. The app is available for Android devices as well as Apple devices.
The above organizations have the authority to help stranded or sick marine mammals and sea turtles. Wildlife biologists and experts with the help of trained volunteers will determine if an animal is in need of medical attention, needs to be moved from a populated area, or just needs time to rest.
IMPORTANT!!!
IF YOU ENCOUNTER A MARINE MAMMAL:
Never try to feed a marine mammal.
Everyone needs to stay back at least 100 yards if possible, and keep your dog(s) or another pet on a leash and away from a marine mammal.
Boats should also not come closer than 100 yards of a marine mammal.
No one should be touching or trying to feed or get near any marine mammal. It’s against federal law.
Never get close to a marine mammal. Many species have bacteria in their mouth. If a person gets bitten, this bacteria can cause swelling, pain, and joint damage, and is resistant to some antibiotics.
All marine mammals (including seals, whales, dolphins, and porpoises ) are protected by federal law under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Federal marine mammal regulations prohibit harassing or touching seals and it is considered harassment. What is harassment? It’s when a person or a group of people disturb, injure, or interfere with a marine mammal’s ability to hunt, feed, communicate, socialize, rest, breed, or care for its young.
Marine mammals are federally managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries division. If you feed, touch, harass, or pick up a marine mammal you may be investigated by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement for violating marine mammal regulations.
If you see a marine mammal being harassed by a person, call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline,
1-800-853-1964.
The hotline is available 24 hours a day to report possible violations or provide information to help solve a case.
Examples of violations include, but are not limited to:
Feeding, injuring, or killing dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, or any other marine mammal.
Feeding, injuring, or killing sea turtles or harvesting sea turtle eggs.
Intentional mislabeling of seafood for profit.
Buying or selling fish without the proper permits.
Of course not every marine mammal we encounter will be sick. An animal may appear on a beach or near the coast and often this is not an emergency. Seals naturally use a beach to rest and digest food. Marine mammals become tired and need to rest just like people. Many healthy seals often rest on ocean or bay beaches for more than 24 hours before returning to the open water to forage for food.
Do not touch, tease or threaten the animal. It is always a good idea to be respectful and observe wildlife from a distance so they are not scared or forced to flee. Never drive an animal back into the water or deeper water. Never try to feed a wild animal or pet a wild animal or take a selfie with a wild animal.
Many wild animals, including seals, do not like to be touched. They do not want dead fish or other food that people try to feed them.
Never get close to a marine mammal. They can bite in self-defense! Yes, they look cute and cuddly, but they are wild animals!
It would undoubtedly be a better world if everyone had a much greater respect and understanding for animal life than most people do.
A juvenile harp seal resting on a sandy beach downstream from New York City.