'And there she goes.' Marine rescuers release seal to Cape Cod Bay after critical injuries

SAGAMORE BEACH — As the evening high tide began its climb onto Sagamore Beach Tuesday, animal care staff and volunteers with the National Marine Life Center carefully carried a large crate onto the sand and lifted the door from its slot.

Inside was a gray seal they'd named Salted Caramel. "Salty" for short.

At first, the nearly 150-pound seal was hesitant, poking her head out, sniffing the sand and air, eyeballing the water and the spectators, and ducking back into the crate for a couple of minutes before again peeking out, sniffing the air as she reacquainted herself with the scents of her natural habitat, and even glancing toward the caretakers as if to ask "it's OK if I go? This isn't a trick?"

Then, about seven minutes after the door to her crate opened, Salty heaved forward across the sand and scooted into the water, quickly disappearing under the gentle, silvery blue swells.

"And there she goes," whispered Judy Isaksen, who as a volunteer at the Buzzards Bay marine animal rehabilitation center, helped care for Salty.

The intense rehabilitation journey began for Salty nearly a month ago when she was found severely entangled in fishing gear among the rocks on the Isles of Shoals about six miles off Maine and New Hampshire.

"She was rescued by Seacoast Science Center on June 15 on White Island, the most southerly island of the Isles of Shoals," said Beth Sobiloff, a member of the National Marine Life Center's board of trustees.

Salty, estimated to be about 3 years old, had about six pounds of gill netting and fishing rope around her neck, which caused a deep laceration that exposed some of her cervical spine vertebrae.

"The gear was caught on a rock that anchored her in place. She could barely keep her head above water at high tide to breathe, and she couldn't forage because she was stuck there," Sobiloff said. "She was very dehydrated. She was in critical condition."

It's estimated Salty spent about three days anchored by the gear before she was rescued and then transported immediately to NMLC's marine animal hospital. She received intensive care from veterinarians and rehabilitation specialists, including delicate wound management, nutrition, and specialized treatments — all crucial to her recovery, according to her rescuers.

Meghan Wells, a member of the center's animal care staff, said the seal's entanglement was "the worst I've seen."

Madi Melville, a volunteer at the center, was present when Salty arrived.

"We really didn't think she would make it," she said. "When we opened the truck, she was non-responsive at first."

"In the beginning, she could hardly hold her head up," said Isaksen.

Volunteer Lisa Meeks used rolled up towels to help keep Salty's head up during the first days of her rehabilitation. The seal proved to have a lot of grit, and quickly gained strength under the team's care.

"She got to the point where she's been eating 3.3 kilos of herring — that's almost 22 pounds — three times a day," Meeks said.

Gray seals, which are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, are known to be strong animals who can have an attitude. Salty did not disappoint in that regard, Wells said.

"As she got stronger, she got a little bit more feisty and a little bit more spicy," she said.

She also got more stubborn, sometimes refusing to leave the rehab tank to allow for a change of water, which needed to be done multiple times a day.

"Sometimes we had to go at her pace," Wells said.

The staff minimized their interactions to ensure her release back into the wild would be seamless.

"We try to have as little contact as possible, as little eye contact, as little talking and noise, because we don't want them to have them any more human contact than they need," Sobiloff said "She will continue to heal in her natural environment."

NMLC CEO Connie Merigo said it's gratifying to see Salty back in the ocean.

"Her release back into the wild is a testament to the collaborative effort and dedication of our staff, volunteers, and supporters," she said.

The team continues to work with four other seals getting rehabbed at the local facility, where the staff and volunteers have adopted an ice cream theme for the season. They have taken to calling their remaining patients Banana Split, Chunky Monkey, S'mores, and Cherry Garcia.

To learn more about the National Marine Life Center, visit www.nmlc.org

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Seal released in Cape Cod Bay after being wounded by fishing gear