Encounters With Seals

February 27, 1997

Russell Drumm

Charlie and Lisa Schell were walking along Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett when they came upon a seal that appeared sick. They hiked back to call the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, formerly the Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation.

The staff of the stranding program there reported on Tuesday that the seal was eating fish and antibiotics, doing fine.

The Schells may have been surprised to have encountered the seal in that location, but should not have been surprised to have encountered one at all. Several species of seals, in increasing numbers, have been seen in East End waters in recent years.

Relatively close encounters with late winter and early spring populations is the goal of a series of guided walks just announced by the Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island. The society is vying for a state contract to run the marine mammal and sea turtle stranding program with the Riverhead Foundation, which runs the program now.

The society plans a series of walks in search of seals. The first, about three miles and three hours long, will be on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. from the Montauk Point State Park concession stand. Others are planned for March 16, April 5, and April 27. A contribution of $5 per person will be asked.

Sam Sadove, former research director for Okeanos and a founding member of Coastal Research and Education, spoke this week about the dead dolphins that have washed up since Jan. 1 on Long Island beaches, including the East End beaches. Five of the seven were of the common dolphin species, Mr. Sadove said Tuesday.

Kim Durham, his former colleague, now a marine biologist with the Riverhead Foundation, told him about the dolphins, which were recovered by the foundation. It is not yet known what killed them.

"It's not the number, but the fact that it was five commons that's more of a surprise," said Mr. Sadove, explaining that the species is not unusual here but normally stays far offshore. "If in the next 30 days this continues, then there's something to look at."