A growing petition is urging federal authorities to investigate a series of harbor seal shootings in Washington, with supporters arguing the attacks reflect a troubling pattern targeting the protected marine mammals.
The Change.org petition was launched after a harbor seal pup was found with a gunshot wound to the head at the Bellingham tidal flats.
The pup, estimated to be about 3 weeks old, survived after being rescued by SR3 (Sealife Response, Rehab and Research), while two adult harbor seals shot near Hood Canal and Quilcene later died, according to the organization.
X-rays confirmed the pup had been shot in the head at close range. The seal survived and is recovering.
The petition also cites two additional harbor seal shootings in recent months — one near Hood Canal and another in Quilcene — that resulted in the animals’ deaths, according to SR3.
Petition seeks federal investigation
Organizers argue the incidents represent a troubling pattern rather than isolated acts and are asking the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to open a formal investigatiom.
“This is not a single act of cruelty. It is a pattern. And it is a federal crime,” the petition states.
Under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, harbor seals are protected marine mammals, and intentionally harming or killing them without authorization is generally prohibited.
“Yet no one has been held accountable,” organizers said.
Why organizers think the shootings are happening
SR3 believes the shootings may be fueled by the “dangerous myth” that harbor seals are primarily responsible for declining salmon populations, according to the petition.
However, harbor seals eat a wide variety of prey, including sole, flounder, sculpin, cod, herring, octopus and squid.
Researchers have also found that eliminating seals and sea lions from Washington waters alone would not restore salmon populations because habitat loss and other human-driven factors remain the primary causes of salmon declines, SR3 said.
Harbor seals are common throughout Washington’s nearshore waters, including Bellingham Bay, Hood Canal and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
As of Tuesday, July 21, the petition had received more than 1,100 signatures. Additional information, including the full petition, is available on Change.org.
Trending: ‘Such A Bright Light’: 6-Year-Old Dies After Driftwood Log Falls On Him At Bellingham Beach
