Tomales Bay
Harbor Seal
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Seal and Clam Islands have been popular with clammers for more than a century, particularly during extremely low tides that occur in spring. Some families have been clamming here for decades. Most arrive on the Clam Clipper, a barge from nearby Lawson's Landing, a camping, boating, and fishing resort, to search for gapers, geoducks, and other clams until the tide covers the islands again. On a good low-tide weekend over 1,200 clammers have been counted in just a four-hour period on these islands - where harbor seals are trying to care for their newborn pups.
Tranquillity is essential to the seals. The pups, born weighing about 20 pounds, must double their birthweight in four to six weeks; after that they start to fish and forage independently. It's important that the pups and their mothers not be disturbed. If humans, dogs, or boats come too close, harbor seals flush en masse into the water. Disturbances may cause pups to be separated from their mothers and, in the long term, reproductive success can fall and the haul-out site may be abandoned.
Studies have shown that harbor seals at Seal and Clam Islands have been disturbed more than seals at any of the four major haul-out sites in the Point Reyes area, primarily by clam diggers and fishermen, but also by boaters and dogs. The reproductive rates of these seals have been lower and pup mortality has been higher than at other sites where the human presence is less pervasive.
The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which is mandated to protect its natural resources, considered the problem and addressed it. In Spring 1996, in partnership with the nonprofit Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, the Sanctuary started a volunteer program called SEALS (Sanctuary, Education, Awareness, and Long-term Stewardship). This program has proved so successful that it is now a model for resolving inter-species conflicts elsewhere, particularly access conflicts between humans and marine mammals.
On low-tide weekends from February to June, trained volunteers arrive on the islands - often before dawn - aboard the Clam Clipper or a skiff provided by Lawson's Landing, which has been cooperating with the program. They set up orange cones and flags at a distance of some 300 feet from the seals - a distance that has been found generally adequate to prevent disturbance of these harbor seals while allowing clammers to use and enjoy the islands.
The volunteers count the seals before the first clammers come and then every 30 minutes until the islands are about to be submerged again. They explain the cone and flag barriers and offer leaflets to all in English, Chinese, and Spanish. Many of the clammers are families from the Central Valley, and many are Asian-American.
The volunteers invite clammers to look through spotting scopes and to examine marine mammal artifacts. Each has completed a 32-hour training program and has learned about stewardship, education techniques, the cultural and natural history of Tomales Bay, and about marine mammals and clamming. Each carries a cell phone in case there is a need to report trouble. (No problems have occurred to date.)
In its two years of operation, the SEALS program has significantly improved life for the harbor seals on the two islands. The number of pups, which had dropped from 80 to 45 between 1991 and 1995, rose to 131 in 1997, reports Sarah Allen of the Point Reyes National Seashore, who has studied seals at Point Reyes for more than 20 years. "I've wanted a program like this for a long time and am thrilled with its effectiveness," she says.
"I believe the program works because instead of setting up signs and having uniformed officers, you have people talking to people," says volunteer Caroline Bolthouse, of Mill Valley. "When people understand why we're there we have no conflict at all. This is a wonderful example of how diverse people can work together."
Volunteers report a sense of deep satisfaction from observing the seals and looking after their interests. "I feel like I'm joining a very joyous and friendly family," says Gordon Bennett, of Muir Beach. "It's sheer pleasure to watch them. I also like the interaction with the people. They're busy clamming but interested when you talk with them."
The Sanctuary and the Association also have a highly successful Beach Watch program, which is now in its fifth year. Trained volunteers sign up to visit a particular beach every four weeks for a year, and report the presence of oil, other pollution, and live and dead organisms. Over 80 percent of these volunteers extend their one-year commitment. When 25 Beach Watch spots opened up recently, 600 people called to volunteer. The success of the SEALS program is one more example of the willingness of citizens to serve as stewards of their coast. 
Leslie Grella is a naturalist and the volunteer coordinator for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.
For more information, contact Leslie Grella at the Golf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, Fort Mason, Building 201, San Francisco, CA 94123; (415) 561-6622. The next training program for SEALS will be held in February.
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