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
15 October 2010—23 November 2024
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Explore by place
All placesMarkers 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.
350 of 443 reports mapped · 19 places
New England Six-state outline
Reported places Detail of outlined region
Mapped places North to south
- Eastern Maine12 reports
- Bangor Waterfront1 report
- Downeast Maine / Acadia51 reports
- Midcoast Maine41 reports
- Casco Bay / Portland16 reports
- Southern Maine13 reports
- Seacoast / Isles of Shoals6 reports
- Massachusetts North Shore30 reports
- Boston Harbor / Charles River13 reports
- Holyoke / Connecticut River1 report
- Outer Cape Cod40 reports
- Plymouth / South Shore12 reports
- Lower Cape Cod47 reports
- Mid Cape Cod6 reports
- South Cape / Buzzards Bay17 reports
- Rhode Island coast17 reports
- Martha's Vineyard4 reports
- Connecticut coast15 reports
- Nantucket8 reports
Places without a map point · 93 reports
Broad or unreviewed public locations remain available in the archive.
- Barnstable County10 reports
- Barnstable County waters1 report
- Barnstable County, Massachusetts3 reports
- Brothers Island4 reports
- Bunker Ledge1 report
- Cape Cod3 reports
- Cape Cod / Barnstable1 report
- Cape Cod National Seashore1 report
- Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts1 report
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts1 report
- Hancock County2 reports
- Hancock County, Maine1 report
- Jeffreys Ledge1 report
- Knox County1 report
- Lincoln County2 reports
- Long Island1 report
- Maine coast3 reports
- Maine coastal island, public place only1 report
- Massachusetts coast1 report
- Massachusetts coastal waters1 report
- New England44 reports
- New Hampshire coast, exact site unspecified1 report
- Newport County1 report
- Plymouth County1 report
- Sagadahoc1 report
- Southeastern Stellwagen Bank area1 report
- Washington County1 report
- Washington County, Maine1 report
- West Brother Island1 report
- York County1 report
Map: Natural Earth.
Reports over time
Select a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.
Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Will Kostick — iNaturalist (wkostick)
Observation: Photographic observation identified on iNaturalist as harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina).
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Hailey DiBacco — iNaturalist (haileydib12)
Observation: Photographic observation identified on iNaturalist as harbour seal (Phoca vitulina).
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Date:Reported: Unidentified https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4685148
Observation: One Harbor Seal was photographed with its head above the water in Middlesex County waters.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47635816
Observation: One Harbor Seal was photographed with a fish in Boston Harbor near Charlestown.
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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 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.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/197971597
Observation: A Harp Seal was photographed near Quincy.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified CBS Boston / New England Aquarium
Observation: One harp seal was photographed resting in Quincy.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Paul Gammons / Community Boating, reported in the Boston Globe via SARA Rowing
Observation: Paul Gammons encountered a harbor seal at the Community Boating dock while hauling moorings. The article presents it as the seal reported in the Charles River that week.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Matt Lindblad / MIT sailing team, reported in the Boston Globe via SARA Rowing
Observation: A harbor seal surfaced among the MIT sailing team during practice near the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge, then swam away. The article presents it as the same seal reported in the Charles River that week.
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Date:Reported: Unidentified Boston Globe / New England Aquarium, reported in SARA Rowing
Observation: A harbor seal was first reported in the Charles River near the Museum of Science by a Boston Duck Tour operator. Later October accounts may describe repeat sightings of this seal; they do not establish additional animals.