Marine Mammal Stranding Center

01/05/2026

UPDATE 1/6/26: Yesterday MMSC was on scene working with local assets to remove the whale from the bow of the ship and tow the carcass to a nearby secure location. MMSC is currently working with local, State and Federal officials to identify an appropriate necropsy and disposal site. Additional information will be shared via MMSC’s Media Center https://mmsc.org/mmsc-media-center and social media platforms as it becomes available.
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On Sunday January 4th at 11:15pm the US Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay reported a dead whale caught on the bow of a ship at a marine terminal in Gloucester City, New Jersey. The whale has been tentatively identified as a Fin whale, approximately 25-30 feet in length. Identification will be confirmed during the recovery and examination. Marine Mammal Stranding Center is on scene and is working with local assets to secure the carcass, identify a staging area, and conduct a necropsy. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating this incident. Additional information will be shared via MMSC’s Media Center https://mmsc.org/mmsc-media-center and social media platforms as it becomes available.
Photo credit- NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

01/05/2026

Leaping into the first Monday of 2026 like...🐬
Enjoy this clip of a Bottlenose dolphin breaching right off of Atlantic City, captured by Education Assistant intern Kendall last summer during one of our summer education programs aboard Atlantic City Cruises!

01/02/2026

The seals are here, please give them a break! The best way you can do that is to give them plenty of space to rest undisturbed by keeping people and dogs at least 150 feet away. Not sure what this looks like? Give the seal a "thumbs up"- if you can still see the seal behind your thumb, you're too close. The second way you can help the seals is to never share locations of seals on social media. One post can encourage other people to seek out the seals, creating more disturbance for these animals. Remember to call our 24-hour hotline (609) 266-0538 to report sightings, and please help us spread the word by sharing this post with others. Thank you for helping us keep the seals safe! - MMSC Staff

01/01/2026

From everyone at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center- We are wishing all of our friends and supporters good tidings for a healthy and joyful New Year 💙🌊🐋🐬

12/31/2025

A message from the Director~
Since 1978, we have responded to over 6,427 stranded marine mammals and sea turtles. Looking back over the years, we view every animal as an individual. As we reflect upon these beautiful creatures, we can’t help but be grateful for the lessons they have taught us and for the knowledge the scientific community has gained from these fragile species.
Marine animals in the wild face many natural and man-made challenges including illnesses, injuries, vessel strikes and the deadly impacts of marine debris. This year, out of the 167 marine animals ashore, 13% of strandings in New Jersey were attributed to human interactions.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center is the only Federally authorized animal hospital in New Jersey that rescues and provides critical medical treatment for sick and injured marine mammals, giving them a second chance at life in the wild. We can only do this with YOUR help!
When you give to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, you are supporting humane response and compassionate care for stranded marine mammals and sea turtles. As we enter the busiest time of year for standings in New Jersey, your gift is the promise of a second chance for an animal in need.
For the animals,
Sheila Dean
Director

Photo📷 Michael McKenna

12/31/2025

Have you ever wondered what the inside of New Jersey's only marine mammal hospital looks like? Now is your chance to visit our rehabilitation facilities, talk one-on-one with our staff, and learn exactly how your donations help the animals! All memberships purchased or renewed from now through February 28th will include an exclusive invitation to MMSC's 2026 Pod Member Open House Event. For more information on our five different membership levels and benefits included with each, please visit our website-
https://mmsc.org/online-store/ols/categories/membership

12/31/2025

The seals are back in New Jersey and so is our popular "Respect the Locals" design! 🦭 Be an ambassador for the seals by sporting this responsible seal distancing message, available in a variety of styles and colors, as well as coffee mugs! Every purchase helps support MMSC's work with marine mammals and sea turtles.
View the full line in our Bonfire store-
https://www.bonfire.com/store/marine-mammal-stranding-center

12/30/2025

Enjoy this live view of the Grey seal colony pupping beach on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge in Maine! Within 2-3 weeks of being born, Grey seal pups are weaned and completely on their own. The live camera has been showing lots of very plump seal pups, some already starting to shed their white lanugo (birth coat). Many will be making a nearly 500-mile marathon swim south to New Jersey waters. We are bracing for the surge of grey seal pups in our area and are ready to help any that need our assistance.

The live seal camera brings you up close with baby seals at a gray seal colony off the coast of Maine. Follow the pups in their first months of life.

12/29/2025

We are just swimming through your timeline to give our seal of approval to our recent Amazon Wish List donors! 🏆THANK YOU to Janice, Elaine, John, Kristine, Joanne, Lori, Charles and fellow anonymous donors for sending us nitrile gloves, povidone-iodine scrub, laundry detergent, sponges, trash bags, Dawn and Sharpies. Thank you for keeping our hospital well-stocked and ready for this season's patients! 🦭

12/29/2025

Let's hear it for the last Monday of 2025!!! 😱

Adult Grey seal-photo 📷 Apryle Panyi

12/26/2025

🚨The seals have returned to our area! 🚨For you and your dog's safety, and for the health and well-being of the seals, please keep dogs leashed and stay at least 150 feet away from seals on the beach. Seals have a very painful bite and can transmit many serious diseases to dogs (and humans, too!) that will make them extremely sick. Treatment for these diseases can be long, painful and costly. Please keep you and your canine companion safe by giving seals plenty of space on the beach.
If you spot a seal while you are out on your walk, please remember to call MMSC's 24-hour hotline at (609) 266-0538 so that our trained Stranding Technicians may assess the animal. Thank you for helping to keep seals safe!

12/25/2025

Wishing you Peace on Earth and in the Sea ❤️🌊✨