Help Protect Our Ocean Friends
Let's protect the beauty and wonder of the Carpinteria Harbor Seal Sanctuary
The Carpinteria Harbor Seal Colony's Home
PLEASE HEED THE CALL
"Can you hear the seals of Carpinteria calling to us?
Their message is a plea for help, to those who can hear it.
They ask only for a small swath of beach, and to be left alone,
undisturbed by humans and dogs."
"A Moral Obligation"
We believe we have a moral obligation to heed this call, and to thereby save one of Carpinteria’s iconic natural treasures, our Harbor Seal Rookery, one of the last on the west coast.
SEAL COUNT DURING "BEACH OPEN" MONTHS
It was one of those balmy mornings as October transitioned to November. The orange-pink skies and sunrise sparkled on the waves. The crispness in the air sent a message to all creatures from squirrels, to bears and even to our own species. It is time to feast. The seals’ numbers were dropping again. Some seals had injuries that may have challenged their survival. But for most of the hundred seals that have been here over the last month and a half, instincts were calling and the seals were sensing something that was more important than their own rest and well-being. It was time to go forage — not for their own hunger, but now expectant moms knew they had precious little time to regain their strength by feeding. The seals know that the survival of the next pup depends on the nourishment that a mother seal can provide by having sufficient milk in time for her pup’s birth.
A change in the seal count is reflecting their innate behavior. The daily high counts of just under one hundred are now occurring roughly once a week, as this month’s high count reflects. But the other daily morning counts are dropping by five to ten as they head out together to forage and gradually return to rest and digest.
People have been studying harbor seal behavior for decades. Early documentation of harbor seal behavior explains that the seals haul-out in groupings, and that the larger the group hauled out the greater the seals’ chances to ward off predators either by land, sea or sky, not for the intuitive reason of safety in numbers, but because larger groups detect threats at a greater distance. For slow-moving harbor seals, early warning provides an advantage. For more information read the abstract from J. da Silva, J.M. Terhune, “Harbor seal grouping as an anti-predator strategy” in “Animal Behaviour” (Vol. 36, Issue 5, Sept.—Oct. 1988, pages 1309–1316).
Today’s moms-to-be are nourishing tomorrow’s pups. Studies indicate that of the roughly 50% mortality in harbor seal pups, a high percentage succumb during their first year due to malnutrition, including insufficient nourishment provided by the mother during gestation and nursing. When we prevent the seals from resting during gestation we are hurting the survival of the next season’s pups.
A dedicated group of SOS volunteers have conducted seal counts from the overlook during the months of 2025 when the beach was open. The counts were conducted when the seal colony was least likely to be disturbed by beach walkers. Seals will avoid the beach after a disturbance for extensive periods of time. The likelihood that a visitor to the overlook will see seals during these months is very low due to the frequency of disturbances and intrusions.
High Tide at the Seal Rookery
Photo courtesy David Allen
THE HARBOR SEALS OF CARPINTERIA
DECLINE IN CARPINTERIA'S HARBOR SEAL POPULATION
For over 100 years harbor seals have thrived in a rookery in Carpinteria, one of only two in southern California that can be viewed by the public. In recent years the rookery has been experiencing significant declines in the number of seals, with fewer than 100 seals on most days, well under the hundreds of seals of only a few years ago. The Harbor Seal Advisory Committee (HSAC) was formed, and reported to the City Council of Carpinteria that disturbances by humans and dogs were primarily responsible for the decline in seals. These disturbances, working through stress hormones, lead to long term degradation of the seals’ health, ultimately leading to reduction in the survival of pups and adults.
SEAL BIOLOGY REQUIRES UNDISTURBED BEACH ACCESS
Why don’t the harbor seals just swim to another beach if they feel disturbed? One answer is that they exhibit site fidelity, meaning that they live year-round on the beaches where they were born. Second, harbor seals are biologically REQUIRED to spend 50% of their time on the beach for daily thermoregulation, digesting food, sleeping and other physiological processes. The time on land is also required for evading aquatic predators and for seasonal processes, such as mating, giving birth, summer molting, and generating milk to feed their young. The rookery is presently closed December 1 to May 31 to protect seals during pupping season, but this leaves the seals without protection for much of the year when human activity is highest. Thus, biology forces harbor seals to be exposed to humans and dogs.
SAVE OUR SEALS "SOS" IS LAUNCHED
On February 3, 2025, Carpinteria City Council voted on whether the local harbor seal rookery, composed of only1,500 ft of shoreline, should temporarily be closed to people and dogs for a test period of 3 years. The temporary year-round closure was proposed by HSAC, backed by and endorsed by experts, and validated by publications in scientific journals. The Council was supportive of the report filed by HSAC, but did not have the budget to enable this 3-year test closure. Based on our research into known and suspected factors that have negative impacts on harbor seals, the Save Our Seals group (SOS) was launched to enact the conclusions of the HSAC, and to protect and preserve the Carpinteria harbor seal colony.
If we, supported by data and expert opinions, are right in predicting that eliminating humans and dogs from the rookery will stabilize the seal population this points to a clear pathway for restoring a healthy rookery through a private-public partnership. On the other hand, if we do nothing, the seal population will likely continue to decline, and the Carpinteria harbor seal rookery will collapse. If this happens it will have a swift economic and social impact and will disappoint the thousands of visitors from around the world who presently come to view the seals. Importantly, other rookeries have had success in restoring seal populations by adopting measures to deter humans and dogs so we expect success if we can obtain funding for the three-year test.
Rescued Pup
Harbor Seal Facts
Beach Time
Beach Time
Beach Time
· Harbor seals are very dependent on spending 50% of their time on the beach.
· This beach-time is REQUIRED YEAR-ROUND for daily thermoregulation, digesting food, sleeping and other physiological processes such as preparation for diving.
Pupping
Beach Time
Beach Time
· The time on land is also required for seasonal processes, such as mating, giving birth, summer molting, and generating milk to feed their young.
· To assist with this beach-time, the rookery is presently closed to the public from December 1 to May 31 to protect seals during pupping season.
Dangers
Beach Time
Dangers
· Science and first-hand observation support the fact that humans and dogs are the major cause of harbor seal disturbances.
· These disturbances trigger stress hormones, leading to long term degradation of the seals’ health, and survival rates of both pups and adults.
Aerial view of the seal rookery.
What can you do?
1. First & foremost, do not walk, run, or ride your bike on the beach near the rookery at any time of the year. It interrupts vital sleep and other biological functions.
2. If photographing the seals from the overlook, avoid getting the seals’ attention. When they are watching you, they are actually feeling threatened.
3. You can also help by making a financial donation to Save Carp Seals in the form of a check. Checks should be made out to "Carpinteria Valley Foundation" with a notation, "For SOS for the protection of the harbor seals.” Mail to CVF, PO Box 27, Carpinteria, CA 93014.
"They ask only for a small swath of beach"
Together we can make it happen!