Susan Mailheau, a retired veterinarian and seal watcher for the Channel Islands Marine Wildlife Institute, says harbor seal numbers in Carpinteria are declining.
"I just counted about 63. There should be 200 to 300 right now," Mailheau said.
Between December 1 and May 31, a 1,500-foot section of beach along Carpinteria’s coast is closed for pupping season, a time when harbor seals birth and raise their young.
"This area is frequented by harbor seals their entire lives. They were born here and they established this rookery over 100 years ago, as far as we know," Mailheau explained.
She shared data from Carpinteria Seal Watch showing the number of seals in 2004 being around 365, compared to 158 in 2023.
"If somebody comes onto the beach or a person with a dog, the entire colony will disband and go out to water. They'll come back when the event has ended, but studies have shown that less than half will come back," Mailheau said.
Birder John Callender tells me closing portions of the beach is important to all the local species.
"Human uses of these environments being so intense in Southern California, the birds really take advantage of any place they can find that isn't like that," Callender said.
If you want to see the seals, Mailheau suggests doing so from the overlook on the bluffs.
Touching, disturbing, or feeding harbor seals is illegal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and carries criminal penalties of up to $100,000 and imprisonment.
