SEAL WATCH

Seal Watching Cruises in New Harbor

Looking for a great family trip? This is it! Young and old will appreciate this trip. It is just the right amount of time on the water and we never lose sight of shore. It begins as a gentle sightseeing tour following the early morning wake of the lobstermen. As we travel northward, points of interest are shared and we often find the lobstermen hard at work hauling their gear. As we approach Webber’s Dry Ledge – the summer home to the harbor seals – they are either sunning themselves on the rocks or frolicking in the water around the ledges. The history and biology of our resident population of seals in Maine is explained in an entertaining and enjoyable way.

SEAL FACTS:

• Harbor seal scientific name: Phoca vitulina
• Males average 5-6 feet and 250-300 pounds
• Females average 5 feet and 200 pounds
• Dive time up to 30 minutes
• New England population approx. 100,000
• Covered by 2 layers of coarse thick fur
• Approx. 2 inches of fat or “blubber” wraps their body
• Protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
• Live an average of 20-25 years
• The famous seal “Andre” from Rockport, Maine, was a harbor seal