National Aquarium Stranding Response

14/04/2024

Come see us at Bay Day on Sunday May 19th!

Join us for a day of FUN for all ages. Come learn about our work with local marine life at this great community festival hosted by the Maryland Coastal Bays Program!

White Horse Park
235 Ocean PKWY
Ocean Pines, MD

29/03/2024

It’s a beautiful weekend and our hotline is already busy with reports of seals resting on the beaches along the Maryland coastline.

Reminder, if you spot a seal 🦭, give it space.
Stay back 150ft (3 🚌🚌🚌)
Keep pets leashed 🐾
Call our hotline to report your sighting!
☎ 410-576-3880
Keep the animal's location private so it can rest.

Stranding response activities conducted under NOAA permit 18786-04.

20/03/2024

Check out this awesome sea turtle learning opportunity!

Join AZA Sea Turtle SAFE for a Live Expert Webinar with Dr. Brian Shamblin.

Ancient mariners and modern technology: Resolving loggerhead turtle ecology and demographics using genetic tagging

Using genetic tagging to create DNA fingerprints from nest samples, we've been able to identify individual nesting females without ever seeing most of them. Learn about relatedness results (think AncestryDNA® for sea turtles) and other unexpected results that have reshaped our perspective on fundamental aspects of loggerhead turtle life history.

Speaker Dr. Brian Shamblin is an Associate Research Scientist at the University of Georgia. His Master of Science and Ph.D. research addressed the genetic structure and spatial ecology of Northwest Atlantic loggerhead turtle and green turtles.

Register:

https://bit.ly/SeaTurtleSAFE
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

11/03/2024

Two of our triage success stories 🦭 were released back to the wild 🌊 on Friday! Best of luck out there Yeti & Medusa!

Two young harp seals found stranded within the past several weeks on Delmarva beaches were released in Ocean City this morning after brief rehabilitation with N

08/03/2024

A peek at Selkie under the great care of our rehabilitation team 🥰

07/03/2024

Our triage space at the new Stranding Response Center has been a busy place this season! On Monday March 4th we admitted another harp seal dubbed "Medusa" as part of our mythological creatures naming theme. This young female was rescued by our partners at MERR Institute. Upon admit she showed signs of dehydration and had some superficial wounds on her flippers. She has been treated with antibiotics and fluid therapy and long term rehabilitation was deamed unecessary. She will be returning to her ocean home soon! Thank you to our amazing response volunteers who have helped with the care of this fiesty patient this week!

Please remember to call our animal rescue hotline ☎️ 410-576-3880 to report seal sightings in Maryland. Stranding response and rehabilitation activities conducted under NOAA permit 18786-04.

01/03/2024

More on our recent triage patients "Selkie" & "Yeti" and how they are doing in rehabilitation up in Baltimore!

A new recovery center in Ocean City is helping the National Aquarium in Baltimore respond more quickly to marine animals in need of care.

01/03/2024

Another great story about our new Stranding Response Center and the difference it is already making for marine life along the Atlantic Coast of Maryland!

The opening of the National Aquarium Stranding Response Center in Ocean City marks a significant advancement in the rescue and rehabilitation of marine wildlife along the Atlantic coast. Previously, stranded

19/02/2024

Our new Stranding Response Center in Ocean City is quickly proving it's value! On Saturday we admitted the second seal patient of the season for triage and sabilization.🦭 This harp seal stranded near the Indian River Inlet in Deleware suffering from dehydration and was rescued by our collegues at MERR institute. After recieving IV and oral fluid therapy he was ready for transport to long term rehabilitation. Thank you to all the wondereful volunteers who helped with care over the weekend!

Please remember to call our animal rescue hotline ☎️ 410-576-3880 to report seal sightings in Maryland. Stranding response and rehabilitation activities conducted under NOAA permit 18786-04.

14/02/2024

🦭 Over the weekend we had our very first seal triage patient at the new Stranding Response Center in Ocean City! This little maternally dependent grey seal pup stranded at Cape Henelopen on Saturday and was rescued by our friends at the MERR Institute. We were able to provide hydration and nutritional support locally to stabilizer her prior to transport to long term rehabilitation. Based on her full lanugo (white baby coat) and a fresh umbilicus we know this animal was too young to be out on her own. Wishing the best of luck to our little 🩷this Valentine Day!

Rehabilitation activities conducted under NOAA permit 18786-04.

07/02/2024

Seal season is officially underway along the Atlantic coast of Maryland! Our seal steward and stranding response volunteers spent the day assessing, monitoring, and educating about this juvenile grey seal at the Ocean City Inlet. Please enjoy the attached photos courtesy of our volunteer Kim A.. Notice the white fur called lanugo present on the flippers of this animal. Lanugo is typically shed within the first 4 weeks after birth, it's presence tells us this is a very young animal. The seal returned to the water overnight. Thanks to all the volunteers who bared the cold weather to help protect our little visitor yesterday!

Just a few reminders If you spot a seal 🦭
Remember to call our hotline ☎ at 410-576-3880 to report your sighting!
Stay back 150ft (3 🚌🚌🚌)
Keep your pets 🐶 leashed
Don't post the animal's location so it can rest undisturbed. 😴

Stranding response activities conducted under NOAA permit 18786-04.

05/02/2024

Check out this wonderful piece about our new Stranding Response Center in Ocean City! We are so excited to be part of the Ocean City community and are looking forward to putting this space to good use in the 2024 seal season.

  OCEAN CITY, Md. – The National Aquarium recently opened a new Animal Rescue Triage and treatment space in Ocean City. Since 1991, the National Aquarium has maintained a presence in Ocean City in order to preserve the marine wildlife. While rescuing an animal is typically the first step, getting...

17/01/2024

We would like to welcome our new Stranding Response Intern Wes to the team! Though new to this position, Wes has been volunteering with our program as a Seal Steward and Response Volunteer since 2022. Wes is currently a senior at Salisbury University and works part time for the Maryland Coastal Bays. We are excited to work with Wes to expand his experience with stranding response and better serve the animals of coastal Maryland! Welcome aboard Wes!

02/01/2024

It's that time of year again 🦭 SEAL SEASON! We had our first sighting in Ocean City over the holidays 🧐 Please remeber to report all local seal sighting to our Animal Rescue Hotline☎️at 410-576-3880 https://fb.watch/pka2LcFlxM/

21/12/2023

to the Ocean City Christmas Parade on December 2nd. Our team had a BLAST representing the National Aquarium Animal Rescue Team and letting the community know about our presence here on the Atlantic Coast! Thank you to our awesome volunteers!

30/11/2023

We are all ready for the 🎄can’t wait to spread a little holiday cheer in our community with our wonderful volunteers!

19/11/2023

Yesterday marked the official opening of our new Stranding Response Center! So excited to put this space to use for the benefit of marine mammal and sea turtles along the Atlantic coast this winter 🦭

Stranded marine animals in Ocean City have a new safe haven today.

13/11/2023

It’s beginning to look a lot like SEAL SEASON 🦭 All prepped and ready for our annual seal response volunteer training tonight. So grateful for the wonderful volunteers who donate their time to our mission!

09/11/2023

Let’s do this one small thing to help protect marine mammals and sea turtles! STOP releasing balloons! Find an alternative way to honor lost loved ones that doesn’t have the potential to harm or kill other living creatures 🙏

09/11/2023

Please continue to support this important legislation to provide funding for endangered sea turtles 🐢https://bit.ly/3QkGHRo

Big news! Last week, the House Committee on Natural Resources unanimously advanced the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act out of committee and on to the full House of Representatives. This is an important milestone in our work to pass bipartisan legislation that would provide critical federal funding to protect endangered sea turtles. 🐢

We appreciate everyone who has helped us reach this point! To continue the momentum, please tell Congress you support the bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act—and spread the word: https://bit.ly/3QkGHRo

24/10/2023

Yesterday our team had the pleasure of returning Seaward, a juvenile Kemps ridley sea turtle to the ocean 🌊. Seaward was hooked by a recreational fisherman back in August and underwent a hook removal procedure, and rehabilitation, with our Animal Health & Animal Rescue teams. We drove Seaward to Virginia Beach, VA to reach appropriate water temperatures and proximity to the gulf stream. Best of luck Seaward! Stay away from those 🪝s. Sea turtle rescue and rehab activities conducted under USFW recovery permit

18/10/2023

Recently the Animal Rescue Team received an invitation for a behind the scenes tour of the Smithsonian Museum Support Center in Washington D.C. Our staff and volunteers want to send a huge THANK YOU to our host John Ososky for allowing us to visit the impressive marine mammal collection and talking with us about their amazing history!

The Smithsonian will be hosting a free symposium on Nov 16th, 2023 entitled: Whales on the Brink: Stories from the Rice's Whale Discovery and Right Whale Tales. For more information visit https://naturalhistory.si.edu/events/scientific-symposium-whales-brink

05/10/2023

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS: Animal Rescue Stranding Response Internship 📋

Do you know a college student or recent graduate who would like to gain experience working with marine mammals 🦭🐋 and sea turtles 🐢 in Coastal MD?

For the first time we are offering a field based internship position to support stranding response along the Atlantic Coast of Maryland. Stranding response interns will gain hands-on experience with stranding response, behavioral observations, marine animal triage, animal documentation, and outreach. The intern will be expected to reside near the primary response area (within 30min of the Atlantic Coast). 🏖

For more information and to apply please visit
https://nationalaquarium.my.site.com/volunteers/s/internship-opportunities

02/10/2023

RESCUE ALERT 🚑: On Saturday September 30th our team responded to a Loggerhead sea turtle that was found stuck in a precarious situation at a local power plant. The turtle was extracted, evaluated, and after consultation with our animal health team and NOAA, determined to be in good condition and a candidate for immediate release. The turtle received some fluids, was tagged for future identification, and transported to an appropriate release site. The turtle retuned to the water eagerly and swam away quickly!

If you spot a sea turtle 🐢 or marine mammal 🦭🐋🐬 in trouble please call our Animal Rescue Hotline at 410-576-3880 to speak with a trained responder.

Sea turtle rescue activities conducted under USFW recovery permit TE703

08/09/2023

Join us in supporting sea turtles through the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act!

Join us in making a difference for sea turtles! 🐢

We're proud to support the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act, a bipartisan bill that aims to bridge the gap in sea turtle conservation. By creating a federal grant program, this bill will directly aid organizations like ours in rescuing and rehabilitating endangered sea turtles. Together, let's urge Congress to pass this crucial legislation. Contact your representatives today and be part of the change: https://bit.ly/481njRd

31/08/2023

PATIENT UPDATE: We are happy to report that the hook 🪝removal procedure was successful for the Kemps ridley sea turtle 🐢 rescued by our team late last week. The animal will continue to recover in rehabilitation 🏥under evaluation to confirm there are no residual effects from the incident. Thank you to the fisherman for ensuring this turtle received the care necessary, and to all the staff and volunteers who have participated in his recovery thus far 🙏 Please report stranded marine mammals and sea turtles to our stranding hotline at 410-576-3880. Sea turtle rescue activities conducted under USFW recovery permit TE70312D

27/08/2023

This little Kemps ridley sea turtle was hooked 🪝by a surf fisherman in Ocean City last week. The fisherman called our stranding hotline 📞 to get the animal necessary assistance. The turtle was collected by our response team and triaged at our Stranding Response Center with the help of our wonderful volunteers 💙The animal has been transferred to rehabilitation 🚑 where a hook extraction procedure will be performed. If you accidentally catch a turtle 🐢 please call our stranding hotline at 410-576-3880, leave the line attached, and move the animal to a shaded area until responders arrive. Sea turtle rescue activities conducted under USFW recovery permit TE70312D