New England · 2000—2026
Grey and harbour seals
Seals around New England.
Follow public seal observations from New England. Browse published records, explore the places and stories behind them, or share an encounter with the Seal Watch team.
- Total reports
- 443
- Latest observation
Public reports · newest first
Public records archive
4 April—24 April
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6 of 443 reports
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Explore by place
Markers group reports by reviewed names in their public locations, not exact sighting positions. Circle size reflects report counts. Select a place to filter the archive.
5 of 6 reports mapped · 2 places
New England Six-state outline
Reported places Detail of outlined region
Mapped places North to south
Places without a map point · 1 report
Broad or unreviewed public locations remain available in the archive.
Map: Natural Earth.
Reports over time
All datesSelect a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.
Months in 2016
Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/329149267
Observation: A Grey Seal head was photographed in water near Plymouth County.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Mike Squires / Boston Duck Tours and Pat Greenhouse, reported by Steve Annear — The Boston Globe
Observation: One seal was seen lounging on a dock by a Boston Duck Tours captain; a Globe photographer also saw it near Paul Revere Park and the dam locks. The report says it was unclear whether the wider set of Charles River sightings involved one or more seals.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Jennifer Lea / New England Aquarium, reported by Boston 25 News
Observation: One grey seal pup was resting on Nantasket Beach; the New England Aquarium said it was not stranded.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Charles River Swimming Club
Observation: A Boston harbor seal was reported basking on the Union Boat Club dock. This may overlap with other April Charles River reports; no individual identity is established.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19849664
Observation: Harbor Seals were photographed on and near rocks by the water at Woods Hole.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Museum of Science / Kristi Palma — Boston.com
Observation: The Museum of Science reported that an educator photographed a seal paddling near the building. The source does not identify its species.