Rehabilitated seals ‘galumphed’ back into the ocean in R.I.

Hundreds of people gathered on a Rhode Island beach Wednesday to witness six gray seals being released back into the ocean following weeks of rehabilitation at the Mystic Aquarium. 

The seals were all found on Block Island entangled in fishing gear and marine debris between late March and early April. They “galumphed” back into the sea at Wuskenau Town Beach in Westerly, guided by volunteers and officers from the New Haven Police Department, the aquarium said in a press release.

With the surge in New England’s seal populations, the aquarium said it is seeing a “sharp rise” in the animals becoming entangled in fishing gear. So far this year, the Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program has rescued and rehabilitated 24 seals, a number the institution said is likely to rise and surpass the total number seen last year, 25. 

As entanglement cases continue to increase in line with upticks in seal populations, our team cherishes the opportunity to help these animals and strengthen marine ecosystems up and down the East Coast,” Sarah Callan, Animal Rescue Program Manager at Mystic Aquarium, said in a statement.

The cost of treating each seal is more than $10,000, with research items, such as satellite and acoustic tags for when the animals are released into the ocean costing $5,000 and $400 respectively. 

The aquarium said funding cuts meant that only two of the seals released on Wednesday were fitted with satellite tags, which help researchers track “climate-driven movement, predator-prey dynamics, and the impact of human activity.” 

“These tags mark the last two in the aquarium’s inventory, highlighting the urgent need for donations to continue this vital work,” the aquarium said.

Dialynn Dwyer is a reporter and editor at Boston.com, covering breaking and local news across Boston and New England.