Seals Spotted In The Hackensack River In Secaucus

SECAUCUS, NJ — No, you're not seeing things. An adorable pair of harbor seals were spotted this week in the Hackensack River off Secaucus, New Jersey, the town's mayor confirmed.

The harbor seals were spotted either Monday or Tuesday of this week, Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli said. This photo was taken Tuesday from Trolley Park, which is a riverfront playground at the end of Paterson Plank Road. The seals were resting on a dock near River Barge Park (known locally as "The Barge"), a marina and now-closed bar on the river.

Interestingly, the seals were only yards away from the massive American Dream complex, an active construction site where a very large mall and entertainment complex is being built on the Hackensack.

"What it means is there are more fish in the river," said Capt. Bill Sheehan, a lifelong Secaucus resident and local expert on the river, who is affiliated with Hackensack Riverkeeper. "This time of year, especially early spring, is when the herring start running up the river. And the hungry seals chase them. From time to time, we do see seals in the Hackensack."

"This is the second year in a row, or possibly even third year, that we've seen seals in Secaucus," he said. "And if you see one, odds are very good that there are more around."

In fact, Sheehan said he saw a seal in the same area this past Saturday, also resting on the dock near the barge.

It's a sure sign the Hackensack River, long maligned as a polluted body of water, is getting cleaner, he added.

"The Hackensack now is cleaner than it's been in my entire lifetime," Capt. Sheehan said. "It used to be horribly polluted. No fish could survive in the water. But slowly and surely, as a result of the Clean Water Act, and environmental laws, the Hackensack has been getting cleaner all the time. If the seals are comfortable and have fish to eat, they will just hang out here."

Mayor Gonnelli said he would be notifying the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife, just as a precaution.

But Sheehan said it's best to just let the seals be, and that they will naturally leave the area on their own as spring progresses.

"Seals are cold-water animals. Right now the water temperature is in the 50s, and that's really good for them. But in the next few weeks the water and the air will start warming up, and they don't like that," he said. "They'll just swim back out to (Newark) Bay and then swim up to Maine. They don't like warm water at all."

Secaucus, in the heart of the Meadowlands, has abundant wildlife: Great blue herons, egrets, yellow-crested night herons, osprey, foxes and muskrat are all routinely seen in town. Coyotes also live in the Meadowlands near DeKorte Park. Now we can add seals to that list, as well.

Photos taken by nature photographer Rich Romano.