Marine Mammal Stranding Center

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Brigantine, NJ
Marine Mammal Stranding Center

MMSC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to the
RESCUE, REHABILITATION & RELEASE of marine mammals

All photography/videography of marine mammals on this page is conducted under a Stranding Agreement between NOAA NMFS and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

11/14/2025

How can YOU help a marine mammal or sea turtle this ?
1- Save the date! is December 2nd 📆
2- Spread the word! Share our posts with your friends and let them know why YOU support MMSC 📣
3- Make an early donation! We get it, life is super busy this time of year, which is why all our donation options are open now to save you time.⏰
4- Visit our website https://giving.classy.org/campaign/738732/donate to make your donation! 🎁
5- Or mail your donation to:
Marine Mammal Stranding Center
P.O. Box 773
3625 Atlantic-Brigantine Blvd.
Brigantine, New Jersey 08203 📨
Remember that EVERY donation makes a big difference, no matter the size. With your help and generosity, we are confident that we can reach our goal this season of giving. TOGETHER we can make a difference for stranded marine mammals and sea turtles! 🐬🐋🐢🐳

11/13/2025

Enjoy this turtle-y awesome to August 2014 when crew members from U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center rescued a Leatherback sea turtle entangled in fishing gear 30 miles offshore. 🐢

11/13/2025

"The kindness one does for an animal may not change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal."

11/12/2025

Recently New Jersey's waters have been very active with abundant sightings of whales! 🐋Last week local whale watching boats spotted numerous large whales actively feeding close to shore. One "hot spot" was Manasquan, where several Humpback whales were observed feeding on massive schools of bait fish near the Manasquan Inlet. On Friday morning one adventurous Humpback whale made a detour into the Manasquan River, where witnesses observed the whale feeding on schools of fish in the area between the inlet and the railroad bridge. MMSC Stranding staff and Stranding volunteers were on site monitoring the whale throughout the day with the assistance of Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet/Shark River and NOAA Office of Law Enforcement. The whale was last spotted swimming out towards the inlet.
With the schools of bait fish shifting and large whales migrating through the area, this is a great reminder for boaters to please stay "whale aware" for your safety and theirs. Be on the lookout for whales and reduce your speed to 7 knots if a whale is spotted within 400 yards of your vessel. Stay at least 300 feet away from whales, and if one should surface closer than 300 feet, stop immediately to reduce the risk of a collision. If you see a marine mammal or sea turtle in distress, please call our 24-hour hotline (609) 266-0538. Thank you!
photos 📷Michael McKenna

11/11/2025

Thank you, Veterans ❤️🤍💙

11/10/2025

We are very honored to have been awarded the Silver Medal for Best Nonprofit Charitable Organization in Best of the Press 2025! Thank you to everyone who voted for us, shared our posts and cheered us on. We couldn't do it without YOU! 🐋🦭🐬🐢

11/10/2025

Behind the scenes of our second annual MMSC Pod Member's Open House Event!

11/07/2025

What are those bumpy white patches on whales? Barnacles attach themselves to the bodies of whales while they are still free-swimming larva, forming large colonies as they grow. This arrangement generally neither harms nor benefits the whale, and the barnacle gains a free ride to filter feed as the whale travels the ocean. Barnacle species are unique to the type of whale they colonize, for example the species Coronula diadema is only found on Humpback whales. Whale barnacles often slough off along migration routes or at calving grounds. Because of this, fossil whale barnacles can be used to study ancient whale distribution. 🐋
📸Jorge Vasconez

11/06/2025

Look who's on his way to his new home in Australia! 🦭
Did you know you can send a seal adoption package to anyone in the world? Every adoption helps to provide food, medicine and veterinary care to our patients, so please give a gift that makes a difference! Visit our online store at the link in our bio to explore our adoption packages today-
https://mmsc.org/online-store/ols/categories/animal-adopt

11/06/2025

We hope you enjoy this video of MMSC alumni "Snooki, a 300lb. Loggerhead sea turtle, snacking on whelk and crab in our big rehabilitation pool!🐌🦀
This pretty lady spent a little over one month recovering at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center before she was transported to The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center for long term rehabilitation for a buoyancy disorder. "Snooki" recently found her forever home at the Minnesota Zoo where she will continue to be an ambassador for her species. 🐢

11/05/2025

We had a FULL hospital this weekend at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center- but this time the visitors were of the two-legged variety! MMSC Pod Members joined us as we celebrated our second annual Pod Member's Open House Event, giving our members the rare opportunity to tour the inside most of our rehabilitation hospital facilities, see stranding equipment demonstrations, and talk one-on-one with our entire staff. Thank you to everyone who attended this weekend! We enjoyed meeting all of you, and being able to put faces to many very familiar names. We appreciate your ongoing support of MMSC's mission and the animals that we serve. We could not do this work without YOU! ❤️
This exclusive event was available to everyone who participated in our January 2025 Pod Membership promotion, which included an invitation to the Pod Members Open House. If you missed out this year don't worry, we will be offering this opportunity again next year, so stay tuned for our January 2026 Pod Membership promotion announcement!

11/04/2025

We are sorry to share some sad news with you today. Grey seal #25-049 (Brigantine) has passed away. As you may recall, he has been in our hospital since April 3rd being treated for a severe left rear flipper injury. The Schreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University Large Animal Field Service has been working closely with MMSC’s veterinarian Dr. Paluch on the case, providing diagnostic imaging to monitor the patient’s progress and to assist in guiding treatment plans. The injury was diagnosed through radiographs (x-rays) as a possible crushing injury to the tarsal bones with evidence of the bones beginning to heal. Initially there was no evidence of osteomyelitis (bone infection), however cellulitis (infection of the subcutaneous tissue) had developed in the vicinity of the wound. Despite multiple treatment plan adjustments, recent radiographs indicated that osteomyelitis had developed and the cellulitis continued to spread. With all other medical options exhausted, surgery to amputate the injured flipper was the only option to stop the infection from spreading and prevent sepsis.
On Monday November 3rd a team of six veterinarians, including Dr. Paluch, two surgeons from the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, two anesthesiologists from University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center, and a veterinarian from Nautilus Avian & Exotics Veterinary Specialists, assembled at MMSC to perform the surgery. Unfortunately, during the procedure the seal died under anesthesia. Despite the veterinary team’s extraordinary efforts, they were unable to resuscitate the seal.
This is always the hardest part of wildlife rescue. While we know we can’t save them all, every loss is felt deeply by our team. In addition to performing a full necropsy, the surgeons will also continue the originally planned procedure in the laboratory, documenting the case as a teaching tool for the veterinary students of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine. Although we are deeply saddened by the outcome of this case, it is comforting to know that this patient will still have a chance to teach the next generation of veterinarians.
Thank you to our dedicated staff and MMSC veterinarian Dr. Paluch for doing everything possible to try to give him a second chance. We are also grateful to the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet New Bolton Center, and Nautilus Avian & Exotics Veterinary Specialists for your assistance with this patient’s case. Thank you to our supporters for following along in this seal’s journey, we know you are hurting as much as we are today.

Address

3625 Brigantine Boulevard
Brigantine, NJ
08203

Telephone

+16092660538

Website

http://www.mmsc.org/

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Our Story

We are the only federally authorized rescue facility for sick and injured wild marine mammals and sea turtles in the State of NJ. Our museum & gift shop are open to the public where you can watch recovering animals remotely via our big-screen tv. We also hold several fun and educational programs throughout the summer for families. Our events and donations from the public are the only way that we can continue the work we do to help these fragile species.