Volunteer Carol Davies uses her harbor seal hand puppet to explain the rules to visitors while they view harbor seals from a safe distance.
At FMR, the relatively small (under 150 lbs) and shy harbor seals rule the beach when they come ashore to rest during low tides. Due to their federally protected status as marine mammals, humans are required to stay at least 100 yards away from their resting areas. Depending on where seals opt to haul out, large swaths of the tidepools may be inaccessible to visitors.
