The focus of this long-term (17th year!) research is to assess the health of whales in the rapidly warming waters around the Antarctic Peninsula.
This project is supported by the Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic Fund (LEX-NG) and the NG-LEX Visiting Scientist Program. More to come soon!
Three women hug and smile on a concrete dock in front of a navy and yellow ship.
And they’re off!! The SR3 team (Dr. Holly Fearnbach, Jessica Farrer and Sadie Youngstrom) are crossing the infamous Drake Passage onboard the M/V National Geographic Explorer.
We sat down with a couple of last year’s interns to hear more about their experiences. Learn from Olivia and Soline at www.sealifer3.org/impact-stories/testing-the-waters-in-marine-wildlife-conservation. If you want to join the team this summer, internship applications are open until February 2nd!
Four harbor seal faces photoshopped over backgrounds of breakfast foods, old letters, a pacific northwest forest and different types of candy.
It’s that time of year! Should 2026’s patients be named after breakfast foods, vintage names, native plants, or candy? Will we have a Burrito, a Bernard, a Blackberry, or a Butterfinger?
Vote at forms.gle/Mo7pqHehnkFq... by January 15th!
SR3’s on-the-beach education program was a wild success this year! www.sealifer3.org/impact-stori....
Such a hard case 💙
The most heartbreaking patients at SR3 are the ones harmed directly by human actions. This could be entanglement, pupnapping, or in the case of a juvenile harbor seal that came into care this fall, gunshot wounds. Read more at www.sealifer3.org/impact-stories/a-preventable-tragedy-in-the-puget-sound
A satellite image of the Salish Sea in Washington and British Columbia with photos of harbor seal pups scattered throughout Canadian waters.
The Salish Sea is one body of water - not two countries - and our seals know it. #WildlifeConservationDay
Four out of six of our satellite-tracked seals swam to Canada in the past year, traveling upwards of 150 miles!
Al Dente battled serious injuries, malnourishment and seizures, and he has needed a lot of intensive care.
If you want to support Al Dente’s recovery, a generous donor will DOUBLE your gift before midnight today - up to a total of $10,000. sealifer3.donorsupport.co/page/GT25
A harbor seal pup with a wound on his forehead rests on a towel with an oxygen mask help up to his face
This was Al Dente four months ago, when he came into care with severe trauma from a suspected dog bite.
You can DOUBLE your impact for Al Dente this Giving Tuesday, and check in tomorrow at 12pm PST to see how his recovery is going! sealifer3.donorsupport.co/page/GT25
You can read more about his story at www.sealifer3.org/impact-stori...
This California sea lion, named Oscar by the marina staff, was suffering from a jaw injury this past spring. Our team stepped in to provide field medical care in March, and we’re thrilled to share that Oscar has now been spotted twice in the wild since then, looking healthy and robust.
A large round brown sea lion sleeps on a floating dock
Good news - Oscar has returned to Des Moines!
a black sweatshirt with teal sea life design next to a tan tote bag with blue sea life design
Y’all voted on the designs, and here are the winners! New merch is live on our site at SR3.org/shop 🎉 And make sure you’re signed up for our emails to stay in the loop on upcoming Black Friday deals: SR3.org/join-the-community
After nine years of collecting moisture drops from the blow of North Atlantic right whales, scientists say they have a new tool for checking the health of these massive endangered animals.
@whalesorg.bsky.social @sr3sealife.bsky.social @whoi.edu
usatoday.com/story/news/n...
(3/3) On Monday afternoon, after exhausting all options, it became clear that euthanasia was the most humane course of action. Challenging situations like this require expertise and respect for the animal’s welfare, even when hard decisions must be made.
(2/3) Together with West Coast partners, we delivered medical care, deployed our specialized system in an effort to refloat the whale, and made every effort to give this animal a fighting chance.
(1/3) SR3’s veterinary staff contributed our expertise and equipment to the rescue attempt of a humpback whale in Oregon on Sunday and Monday.
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-stor...
Guadalupe fur seals are a threatened species that range along the West Coast, and these are two of the ten individuals we’ve had in our care since the Rescue Center opened in 2021.
These Guadalupe fur seals were found severely underweight and dehydrated along the outer coast of Washington State in June. After more than three months of intensive care at SR3, they fully recovered and returned to the ocean again!
Don't forget this Wednesday at 430pm PDT (Pacific time) we have a great free webinar for you about monitoring Orca health with Dr. Holly Fearnbach of @sr3sealife.bsky.social and Dr. Deborah Giles of @seadocsociety.bsky.social! Register today!
foundation.wwu.edu/event/photog...
cartoons of marine mammals and a sea turtle circle the text sr3
Black and white drawings of a harbor seal, herring, slickers, bucket, herding board, kelp, rain boot and dish glove aligned in a square. Text reads SR3.
Line art of a harbor seal, sea turtle, and sea lion with kelp on the bottom and wavy text at the top that says sealife response rehab research
blue background with a white shadow of a sea lion. Inside the sea lion is the blue shadow of a harbor seal. Text says SR3 in the middle.
We’re adding new apparel to our gift store - which design would you add to your cart? Comment your favorite below and the winner will be featured in our store 👕
Thanks to all of our incredible volunteers who submitted designs! These four were created by A) Adriana, B) Allie, C) Ro, and D) Sandy.
Animals out in the wild are facing a seasonal transition - pups who survived successfully with their mothers may be facing human-caused threats that leave them in need of care. Read about some of our fall cases at www.sealifer3.org/news/season-of-change
A brown harbor seal pup floats in a teal pool and looks at the camera
A harbor seal pup lounges in a green tub
A harbor seal pup swims in a teal pool and has a green tag on their head
Most of our patients have graduated fish school and are competing for their meals with their fellow seals! This means they just have to reach a release weight of around 50 pounds before they can return to the ocean.
Here we have Paparadelle, Vermicelli, and Udon striking poses.
Fans might also notice a megaesophagus in the first image as well - Linguine was treated for the condition and is feeding well with the rest of the seals!
an x-ray of a torso of a harbor seal with the skin very close to the ribs in the image
an x-ray of a torso of a harbor seal with a blubber layer between the skin and the ribs
Before and after x-rays of Linguine. One of the biggest differences is the thickness of her blubber layer. Image 1 was taken about 3 months ago, when she arrived at the Rescue Center because of maternal abandonment and malnutrition. Image 2 was taken 30 pounds later as she gets closer to release!
a harbor seal rests on an orange float and yawns
two harbor seals resting on an orange float in the ocean
Dragon, the Rescue Center’s first patient in 2024, was seen again in the wild! She hangs out in Seattle, and is our most resighted patient. This time, she was captured on camera by animal husbandry volunteer, Lauren 🐲💙
Many of our early summer maternal abandonment patients are returning to the wild. But even as pupping season begins to wind down, we still need to give marine mammals resting on shorelines plenty of space! Please keep your pets on a leash, and if the animal notices you, you’re too close 👀
four people and a camera person carry a pet carrier down onto the beach
a harbor seal pup slides out of a pet carrier onto the sand
a harbor seal pup rests on the shoreline and looks over her shoulder
a harbor seal pup rests in shallow water with seaweed stuck to her nose
Macaroni is back in the ocean!
First harbor seal release of the season!
