Petition demands investigation after third seal is shot in the head in WA
Jul 21, 2026, 3:29 PM
This harbor seal was shot in the head in Bellingham. (Photo courtesy of NOAA via KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of NOAA via KIRO 7)
A group of people is demanding action after a third seal was shot in the head in Washington.
A Change.org petition wants the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife to open a formal investigation and press charges.
Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research (SR3) took in the three-week-old seal pup after someone found it near the Bellingham tide flats.
“This is not a single act of cruelty. It is a pattern. And it is a federal crime. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, harming a harbor seal carries serious penalties. Yet no one has been held accountable,” the petition stated.
This is the third seal shooting in 11 months, according to SR3. The agency believes the shootings are fueled by the misconception that seals are wiping out salmon.
According to the Seattle Aquarium, a harbor seal’s diet mainly consists of sole, flounder, sculpin, cod, herring, octopus and squid.
If you’re interested in signing the Change.org petition, click here.
Harbor seals are found throughout the nearshore waters of our state, including places like Bellingham, Gig Harbor, Hood Canal, Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca out to Cape Flattery.
