Could Be an Interesting Head of the Charles

From today's Boston Globe:



Wildlife officials are hoping a harbor seal that unexpectedly made its way into the Charles River late last week leaves the waterway over the weekend as more than 1,900 boats arrive for the Head of the Charles Regatta.

The sprightly 4-foot-long animal, which appears healthy, probably slipped through the locks of the Charles River dam just east of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, and has been surprising boaters on and off the water, officials at the New England Aquarium said.

“Everybody was startled and amazed,’’ said Paul Gammons, a maintenance worker for the sailing organization Community Boating who encountered the seal while hauling moorings out of the water Wednesday.

“He’s a spectacle. It’s not something you see every day.’’

The seal, which probably weighs about 100 pounds, was first spotted Oct. 15 by a duck boat operator near the Museum of Science and again by duck boat operators a few times in the days afterward, said Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the aquarium.

Aquarium personnel have yet to spot the marine mammal and are relying on sightings from boaters.

The seal interrupted the MIT sailing team’s practice Tuesday afternoon near the Massachusetts Avenue bridge, popping its head up among the sailboats.

“We stopped practicing for a little bit and checked it out,’’ said Matt Lindblad, the team’s head coach.

“He looked fairly curious. You could see him checking out the boats for awhile, and then he just swam off.’’

It is unusual to find any kind of seal in the Charles, LaCasse said. The most recent case was in the early 1990s, when a ringed seal found its way onto the other side of the dam in winter, spending only a few days before making its escape.

Prolonged time in a fresh-water environment could become a concern if this harbor seal does not exit the river in the coming weeks, LaCasse said.

Though it probably has no trouble catching fish, which are not accustomed to such a large predator, the seal needs a certain intake of salt to maintain its health, which could be difficult in the Charles, he said.

It is possible the seal could leave the river over the weekend during the rowing race, LaCasse said.

Heavy boat traffic through the dam locks during the race will create a current that the seal may follow out, he said.

But as a last resort, biologists could attempt to capture the seal and relocate it.

“He’s probably active and alert enough that he could evade any of our efforts,’’ LaCasse said. “We’re pretty confident he’ll exit before then.’’

In the meantime, federal law prohibits the harassment of marine mammals, and the aquarium asks that people not disturb, harass, or feed the seal.

If the seal hauls out of the water, people are asked to call the marine animal hot line at 617-973-5247.