was fishing a smaller river yesterday and a seal was way up like a mile above tide water in this tiny drain. I couldn't believe it but there were also alolt of fish in there also. Ben

I haven't seen a seal that far up above tide water before however, I have seen a sea otter
pretty close to two miles above the Union River bridge... And that's fighting log jams to boot.

Speaking of seals, looks like they are doing pretty good numbers wise... I see more and more everytime I am out on the water...
For sure a contributing factor to the depleted herring stocks.

Downriggin'

Rockfish, Downriggin

I've been working with WDFW observing seals at the river mouths of some Hood Canal streams for the past 5 years, and we would see seals coming into the rivers and going above tidewater. Most rivers on the canal are low enough this time of year, that they can only make it in on an incoming/high tide.

Downriggin, you are correct, seals in Washington are doing well. They experienced dramatic growth after the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the mid 70s, and now appear to be leveling off. I have not been directly involved with impacts on herring, but you are correct that both harbor seals and Calif sea lions are believed to be a contributing factor. Those I've talked to about the Cherry Point herring stock feel that seals and sea lions most likely did not cause the decline, but may be a factor in preventing recovery now that the stocks are so low. If you have further questions, email me and I might be able to get you more info.

Cheers
Josh

PS, you sure that wasn't a river otter on the Union river?? While sea otters have been seen on a few rare occasions in Puget Sound, they are almost exclusively found on the outer coast and just inside the strait. River otters typically swim with just their heads out of the water and have long tails. Sea otters will swim on their backs and have very small tails.

Josh,

I am pretty sure... I see them on ocassion waddling on their tails along the beach between the Narrows Bridge and Pt Fosdick when I am throwing flies at the Silvers.

Downriggin'

Downriggin,

That is interesting. I know there was a sea otter hanging around Tacoma a while back that was moved back out to the coast.

The next time you see one, watch it for a while and notice the behavior. Like I said, sea otters will swim almost exclusively on their back and will rarely come out on land. River otters swim belly down and come out on land often ... and are commonly found in the salt water. If you feel comfortable that it might be a sea otter, I would give WDFW a call.

Cheers
josh

I have seen otters in yukon harbor by where I live all the time. need to look closer to see how they are swimmin next time. Ben