Dead Seal or Otter At Waterway 1

 

 

 



The Laurelhurst Blog has received many emails about what looks like a deceased seal or otter at Waterway 1 located at the corner of 43rd Avenue NE and NE 35th Streets.

Readers said:

The carcass looks as if it a sea otter, which most likely came through the Ballard locks and maybe went into shock and died from not being in the correct water environment, changing from the Puget Sound water to the Lake Washington water.  The area has a very strong odor and hopefully the appropriate agency will remove the decaying carcass. 

Very unlikely to be a sea otter, as I believe the nearest ones are out beyond the San de Fuca strait. Puget Sound otters tend to be river otters. Judging from the photo, it is more likely a seal, or seal pup. 

It does not look like a sea lion for sure nor much like any kind of otter. It could be a seal.

 

To report a stranded, injured or dead marine mammal go here. 

Long ago, Waterway 1, was used as a boat launch for one of Seattle’s mosquito fleet ferries, the Laurelhurst Launch, which shuttled passengers from Laurelhurst to Madison Park and back. 

Now it is a small park as well as public access point to the waterfront. The property is owned by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and regulated by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).