22 September 2025: New publication reveals that seals strand less, but human-induced strandings increase in New York

The first article in Volume 14 is titled “Pinnipeds in New York (1996–2021) are stranding less frequently but human interaction cases are increasing”.  In it, Montello and colleagues analysed 25 years of data on live strandings of seals along New York’s beaches. They document interesting patterns in the frequency and types of strandings, almost 10% of which involved human interactions—harassment, entanglement, and vessel trauma. Half of the human interactions involved entanglement in fishing gear or other marine debris, while over a third occurred in the last four years included in the study. This indicates a disturbing increase in human-caused strandings in recent years (55% of which involved grey seals) despite the frequency of overall strandings decreasing. Strandings were found to increase significantly along with proximity to boat access points, such as ramps and marinas. The authors underline the importance of these findings in the creation of targeted management and outreach initiatives for improved species protection. 

Read the full article here

Photo: Montello et al., 2025