Press Release

Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc.
January 31, 2008
For more information call Jane Morton Galetto at 609-774-5853

Harbor Seal Comes to Millville

Although the Eagle Festival is upon us, possibly eyes should be looking downward as much as to the skies.

On Tuesday evening, Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. President Jane Morton Galetto received a call from river resident Mary Ann Russell saying, "Are seals unusual this far up river? Because there's a seal on our dock."

Jane remembers frantically getting her camera equipment together in a blur of excitement to rush to the Russells' home. "As I drove I was thinking that it must be an otter and I was hoping the entire way to Russells' that they were correct. I had always hoped to see a seal up river but in 24 years of living on the Maurice no one had ever mentioned one making it upstream past Bivalve. This would truly be a unique occurrence: a seal sighting in Millville nearly 10 river miles from the Delaware Bay."

Galetto continued, "When I arrived at the Russells' home there it was - a harbor seal - wallowing on its back with nary a care. It was marvelous."

The seal's appearance was just as much a pleasant surprise to biologist Kathy Clark of the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife's Endangered and Nongame Species Program. In response to Jane's news she merely said with a chuckle, "You're kidding." Clark asked that a photo be sent to Michael Davenport of the NJ DEP. He made a positive identification that the animal was indeed a harbor seal. The Russells' neighbor has since reported the return of the seal to the dock on Thursday morning. It looks as though the Russells have a new friend.

Just for fun Galetto sent the Russells a doctored up photo of a walrus on their dock. So in the midst of all the sad news about the nearby eagles' nest having been felled, the river and Laurel Lake residents who observed the nest for the state have been sharing some levity as well.

Apparently the visitor is a juvenile estimated to weigh around 80-100 pounds.

For natural history facts on harbor seals we recommend NOAA's web page: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/pinnipeds/harborseal.htm

For higher resolution photos, click here.

Jane Morton Galetto
President
Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc.
PO Box 474, Millville, NJ 08332