Marine Mammals in the Harbor

Harbors are attractive to wildlife and those who enjoy watching that wildlife. Alaskan harbors often have protected animals like marine mammals call their facilities home. Marine mammals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA). The act prohibits harassment of marine mammals and defines this as any action that causes disruption in the animal’s normal behavior.

It is important to educate harbor users of the dangers and problems associated with feeding sea lions. Feeding a sea lion could encourage it to take up permanent residence on the harbor docks. Since it is illegal to touch or harass a sea lion, boaters that feed them could lose access to their boat slips when the sea lion decides to haulout on the boat dock. Feeding can disrupt normal feeding patterns and habituate animals to human contact. Habituated animals have a much greater chance of being struck by boats or being aggressive towards people on the docks, while anticipating the source of their next meal. There was a man in Western Alaska feeding and teasing a sea lion and had some herring in his back pocket. You should be able to correctly guess what happened next!

There are times were you may be concerned about an injured or abandoned marine mammal. Avoid touching or approaching the animal. Contact the Alaska Sealife Center at 1-888-774-SEAL to talk with representatives of the Rescue and Rehabilitation Program staff. The Sealife Center staff will ask you about the physical condition of the animal, if there are signs of injury and will ask you to provide digital photos of the animal and immediate area around it. You will be instructed on what to expect next and the actions that need to be taken.

Tags: Marine Mammals Harbor Marina Alaska