Alameda Point Harbor Seal Monitors

Alameda Point Harbor Seal Monitors story –

We are a group of volunteers who watch over the seals. We kept records on the numbers of seals using the float from 2016 when the float was deployed through 2021, as required by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) that approved the project. Otherwise, it would have eventually been removed. The record keeping requirement was for five y

ears. It was clear from the beginning that the seals loved the new floating haul out platform, and they continue to use it in great numbers today. Through our data collection, we correlated the rise in seal numbers in the winter with the winter herring spawning season. We have installed signs nearby that educate the public about not disturbing the resting seals. We have partnered with (1) East Bay Regional Park District naturalists at Crab Cove in developing educational materials, (2) the City of Alameda in developing more educational signage at the entrance to the Bay Trail next to the beach, and (3) a local kayak rental business and paddle board rental business in educating the paddling community about the seals. We welcome new educational partners. The genesis of our group was in 2014 when local wildlife advocates came together to lobby for a new harbor seal resting platform, after plans emerged to develop a ferry maintenance facility that would destroy an existing dock where seals hauled out and rested. The compromise that transpired in March 2015 involved the state ferry agency – Water Emergency Transportation Authority – putting up the money to build a new floating dock for the seals. The new float was custom-built with a Styrofoam core surrounded by reinforced concrete and is held in place by four anchors. It is 300 feet from the ferry navigation area and 300 feet from the shore. The ferry agency is responsible for the float for the 60-year life of its lease of the maintenance facility site. It is the only known structure in the world built specifically for harbor seals. The new float arrived in June 2016, and the old dock was removed the following month. By late December, more seals were using the new float than had ever been seen at the old dock. On January 5, 2017, the float was packed with 70 seals, and on December 24-25, 2017, there were 73 seals crammed onto the platform--the record to date. On December 14, 2020, a new record was reached – 86 seals resting on the float, further validating the usefulness of this unique haul-out float in central San Francisco Bay. Perhaps the greater sense of security of this floating platform away from the shoreline has made this structure an attractive resting area. Evidence of this is not only the numbers, but also the appearance of mother seals nursing their pup each spring since the float has been deployed. We welcome new volunteers to join us and report observations to our email address: [email protected], and to post comments on our page. We encourage everyone who loves wildlife to visit the observation point on the Bay Trail. It is the only place on San Francisco Bay where harbor seals can be easily observed from a public trail. The float is educational, offering a visual connection with a timid and seldom seen marine mammal, which is often mistaken for the gregarious attention-loving sea lions at San Francisco’s Pier 39. The float is also practical. It is the only place in the East Bay between Yerba Buena Island and Newark where harbor seals can rest throughout the tide cycle, and it’s permanently adapted to sea level rise. So far, the seals seem determined to stay and thrive here, and everyone can enjoy their presence as long as we respect their habitat. If you kayak, canoe, or paddle board out in the harbor, please stay as far away as practical when paddling by, and do not paddle directly toward the float. This can scare the seals and cause them to go into the water. Causing them to go into the water may seem harmless, but it is not. Disturbing resting harbor seals is a form of harassment, with a potential penalty of up to $11,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service that oversees protected marine mammals. If the seals all start raising their heads, it means they sense danger, and you are too close! Please respect our Alameda Point harbor seals and keep your distance when on the water.