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.

Meet the grey seal → · Meet the harbour seal →

Total reports
443
Latest observation

Public reports · newest first

Public records archive

29 August 2008—10 May 2026

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4 of 443 reports

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All places

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.

350 of 443 reports mapped · 19 places

Mapped places North to south

Places without a map point · 93 reports

Broad or unreviewed public locations remain available in the archive.

Map: Natural Earth.

Reports over time

Select a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.

  1. 12008
  2. 12009
  3. 12017
  4. 12026

Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.

  1. Date:
    Reported: Unidentified New England Aquarium; Andrew Jacobs / Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)

    Observation: A dead grey seal with a visible wound was discovered on the beach. Andrew Jacobs investigated it the next day; New England Aquarium scientist John Chisholm assessed photographs and found the wound consistent with a white-shark bite.

  2. Date:
    Reported: Unidentified https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7245095

    Observation: One Grey Seal was photographed hauled out on sand near the Chilmark coast.

  3. Date:
    Reported: Unidentified https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/304255073

    Observation: Direct original iNaturalist page and photograph reviewed. One live grey seal is visible.

  4. Date:
    Place: Gull Island, Dukes County Massachusetts
    Reported: Unidentified https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3034060

    Observation: Direct original iNaturalist page and photograph reviewed. Several distant seal heads are visible near a rocky island. The observer records Atlantic grey seal or harbor seal uncertainty; species and count remain unset.