Abstract

Since 1997, the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) has examined 44 live and dead stranded harbor seals from Cook Inlet, Alaska. Animals in distress are identified to ASLC by the general public and are carefully assessed prior to any intervention. Live seals are only retrieved if it is determined in coordination with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, that the seal would be unable to survive on its own. Upon admission to the rehabilitation program, seals receive an initial physical examination that includes obtaining biological specimens for routine diagnostic and disease screening analysis. These tests not only guide treatment of rehabilitating animals but also provide a window into disease processes active in the population. Dead seals receive a thorough necropsy examination by an experienced veterinarian. All animals are screened for fecal pathogens and for exposure to a variety of diseases known to affect marine mammals and/or humans including seal herpesvirus, phocine distemper virus, avian influenza, canine distemper virus, brucellosis and six leptospirosis serovars. A subset of these seals has been tested for contaminants.

Harbor seals in Cook Inlet use the same habitat, eat similar prey items, and are vulnerable to similar conditions as a critically endangered population of beluga whales. Research requiring directly handling or affecting these whales is currently prohibited. Studying a sympatric species, such as harbor seals, may help provide insight into pressures that may contribute to the continued decline or prevent the recovery of Cook Inlet Belugas.