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Select Board approves NOAA/ WDC seal-safety signage for Situit beaches and marina
Summary
Whale and Dolphin Conservation proposed NOAA 'Share the Shore' seal-safety signs (stay ~150 ft) for five sites; the board approved placement at Egypt Beach, Hummock/Marsh entrances, Peggy Beach and the town marina to reduce risky human–seal interactions and public-safety calls.
The Select Board voted unanimously to approve seal-safety signage proposed by Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) to reduce human–seal interactions at busy summer beaches.
Caroline, a WDC marine-animal-rescue team member, explained that seals commonly ‘haul out’ to rest and can be hard to spot; they warned that seals are wild, can bite and may carry zoonotic diseases. WDC offered NOAA-produced signs free to the town; the signs show an instruction to keep a recommended distance (about 150 feet) and include a WDC hotline number for reporting stranded or entangled animals.
WDC recommended posting at high-traffic entrances where seals have been reported: Hummock/Hummer Rock, Peggy Beach main entrance, North Situit entrances, the town marina, and Egypt Beach. Board members praised the educational approach but emphasized coordination with the beach commission to avoid sign clutter. The board moved and unanimously approved initial placements and asked staff to coordinate installation and sign sizing with NOAA/WDC as supplies allowed.
WDC noted the signs help reduce nonemergency calls to police and animal control and direct the public to the WDC hotline for rapid specialist response.
