Seal Rescue Recap

When National Aquarium Animal Rescue returned two grey seals to the ocean on June 26, it marked the end of an especially intense rescue season. The team at the National Aquarium Stranding Response Center in Ocean City, Maryland, cared for 13 sick and injured seals in the first half of this year. Meanwhile, the seal rehab suites at our Animal Care and Rescue Center (ACRC) in Baltimore quickly reached max capacity with long-term patients, all of which were very young pups requiring more hands-on care than typical adult patients.

While this season's activity level was notable, it also aligned with recent regional trends showing growing numbers of very young grey seals needing rescue and medical care. This can be attributed in part to a developing rookery (or breeding colony) in Delaware that's not yet fully established or successful.

A Busy Four Months

Typically, seals in need of rescue begin to appear in our region at the end of December, and sightings taper off in early May. This year, the National Aquarium's Animal Health and Animal Rescue teams began responding to sick and injured seals in mid-February.

Each year, the Aquarium selects a naming theme for rescued seals and sea turtles admitted into our care. The 2025 theme is Baltimore City neighborhoods. Two seals, Guilford and Montebello, were released directly from triage at the Stranding Response Center. Five seals—Arcadia, Evergreen, Remington, Waverly and Woodberry—received long-term care at the ACRC.

Arcadia

Arcadia, a maternally dependent female grey seal, stranded on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, in March. She was emaciated with wounds and an eye infection. Our team at the Stranding Response Center assessed her condition, responded to her immediate needs, and then transported her to the ACRC in Baltimore. After two months of treatment, which included tube feedings and foraging lessons, we returned Arcadia to the ocean at Assateague State Park in May.

Evergreen

In March, our partners at the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation (MERR) Institute rescued Evergreen, a weanling male grey seal pup, in Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. He had wounds that appeared to be from a shark. After stabilizing him overnight at the Stranding Response Center, we transported him to the ACRC for long-term treatment, which included antibiotics and pain medication. We returned Evergreen to the ocean at Assateague State Park in June, at the same time as another long-term patient, Remington.

Guilford

Guilford, a juvenile male grey seal, was found in Bethany Beach, Delaware, in mid-February by our partners at MERR. They brought him to the Stranding Response Center for assessment because of nasal discharge. Our team determined that he did not require long-term rehabilitation and released him the next day in Ocean City.

Montebello

A juvenile male harp seal, Montebello, was brought to the Stranding Response Center by MERR volunteers in late February. He was found in Dewey Beach, Delaware, and admitted to the Center to be treated for dehydration and seal lice. After four days, our team returned Montebello to the Atlantic in Ocean City. Before his release, the team outfitted Montebello with a satellite tag that transmitted data for two weeks before his signal was lost off the coast of Assateague.

Remington

Remington, a weanling male grey seal, was the last patient of 2025 to arrive at the ACRC. He was rescued in Dewey Beach, Delaware, in late April. At the time of his rescue, Remington had lacerations to his hind flippers and was demonstrating respiratory distress from lungworm, a potentially fatal condition. Remington was healed and ready to return to the ocean in late June. We released him at the same time as Evergreen at Assateague State Park.

Waverly

Waverly, a weanling female grey seal, was rescued in March in Dewey Beach, Delaware, with infected puncture wounds and a lacerated hind flipper. She required 72 hours of stabilizing care at the Stranding Response Center before we could transport her to Baltimore. She was released along with Woodberry at Assateague State Park in April. Before her release, we outfitted Waverly with a satellite tag that continues to transmit data and shows her spending time off the shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in line with typical migratory patterns.

Woodberry

Woodberry, a male grey seal pup, was the first patient of the 2025 season to arrive at the ACRC and was one of the first to be released. He was rescued in late February in Fenwick, Delaware, by our partners at MERR. At the time of his rescue, Woodberry was malnourished with infected wounds, possibly inflicted by a larger animal. Our team returned him to the ocean in April at Assateague State Park, at the same time as Waverly.

Additional Patients

The Aquarium team also cared for a juvenile male grey seal that was brought to the Stranding Response Center for triage and then transported to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut for long-term care since there was no rehab space available at the ACRC. The team at Mystic Aquarium has since returned this seal to the ocean.

Unfortunately, there were other rescued seals this season that did not survive. A geriatric male harp seal died of natural causes during his intake exam at the ACRC, and a juvenile female grey seal found entangled in a fishing net did not make it through her first night at the Stranding Response Center.

Five additional seals, four grey and one harp, were so severely injured or ill at the time of their rescue that the Aquarium team and our partners had to make the difficult choice to humanely euthanize them.

How You Can Help

We're seeing a growing number of seals requiring rescue, and more of them are younger and in need of more intense, hands-on care. At the same time, funding for this work is decreasing. As a nonprofit, the Aquarium relies on our guests and members for support, as well as philanthropic donors and partners.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first authorized the Aquarium to respond to sick and injured marine mammals and sea turtles on Maryland's coast in 1991. Today, the Aquarium is the only provider of long-term rehabilitation for seals in the mid-Atlantic. The National Aquarium Stranding Response Center fills a critical need in the region by providing immediate care for sick and injured animals before they're transported to long-term care or returned to the ocean. All National Aquarium seal stranding and response activities are conducted under NOAA permit 18786-04.

If you're in Maryland and see a seal or sea turtle, please report it to the National Aquarium's Animal Stranding Hotline at 410-576-3880. Outside Maryland, please report a stranded or injured marine animal to the appropriate U.S. organization. Outside the U.S., you can notify the appropriate Canadian organization of a marine mammal or sea turtle sighting or contact the Mexico Marine Wildlife Rescue Center.