Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal
Reporting a sick, injured, entangled, stranded, or dead animal is the best way to make sure professional responders and scientists know about it and can take appropriate action. Numerous organizations around the country are trained and ready to respond. If you see a sick, injured, stranded, or dead marine mammal or sea turtle, immediately contact your local stranding network (phone numbers provided below).
You can also use our Dolphin and Whale 911 app to report a stranded marine mammal. The app is available for Apple devices.
NOAA Fisheries has heard from its marine mammal and sea turtle stranding network partners who are making operational decisions based on COVID-19 that may impact the ability to respond to strandings and entanglement incidents. However, all stranding hotlines should remain staffed, and the public should continue to report all sightings of stranded animals to the appropriate contact number for your location (select your region below). As always, if you see a stranded marine mammal or sea turtle, keep people and pets back a safe distance of 50 yards (150 feet).
There is currently no evidence to support claims that whales, sea lions or other marine mammals are infected with COVID-19. More information about pets and other animals is on this Centers for Disease Control website.
Select Your Region
Alaska


Statewide Contacts
NOAA Fisheries Alaska Statewide 24-Hour Stranding Hotline

Alaska SeaLife Center 24-Hour Stranding Hotline

Marine Mammals Management Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Reporting Death/Injury of a Marine Mammal During Commercial Fishing Operations
Alaska Partners
Alaska Consortium of Zooarchaeologists

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska SeaLife Center

Alaska State Parks

Alaska State Parks

Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services

Alaska Whale Foundation

Aleut Community of St. Paul

Rachel Berngartt, DVM

Chichagof Conservation Council

Glacier Bay National Park

North Slope Borough

Petersburg Marine Mammal Center

Sitka Sound Science Center

Togiak National Wildlife Refuge

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Museum of the North

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Marine Advisory Program, SE Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Marine Advisory Program, NW Alaska

University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau

University of Alaska, Sitka

U.S. Forest Service

New England/Mid-Atlantic


Regional
Northeast Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding and Entanglement Hotline


Connecticut/Rhode Island


Delaware


Maine
Maine Marine Animal Reporting Hotline






Maryland
Maryland Marine Animal Reporting Hotline


Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Cooperative Oxford Laboratory




Massachusetts
NOAA Hotline



Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary



International Fund for Animal Welfare

Center for Coastal Studies



Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC)


New Hampshire
NOAA Hotline




New Jersey


New York
New York Stranding Hotline






Virginia
Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center


Pacific Islands


Hawai'i
Hawaiʻi Statewide Marine Animal Stranding, Entanglement, and Reporting Hotline


Hawai'i DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) Hotline


NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Hotline


For Non-Emergencies - Monk Seal Photos and Written Reports

Guam
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement


Conservation Office Hotline


Department of Agriculture and Wildlife Resources Administrative Office


Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife Hotline


NOAA CNMI Field Office


American Samoa
American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources


For Non-Emergencies - General


Southeast


Regional
NOAA Fisheries Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline

NOAA Fisheries Southeast Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Hotline

Smalltooth Sawfish Encounter Hotline
Sturgeon Salvage Network
Alabama
Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline

Alabama Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Hotline

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Florida
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

Florida Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network

Central Panhandle Aquatic Preserve Office

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Dolphin Conservation Field Station at Marineland

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, Inc.

Florida Aquarium

Florida Marine Mammal Stranding Network—Southwest Region

FWC FWRI Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory

FWC Northeast Field Laboratory

FWC Tallahassee

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Gulf World Marine Park

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute—Florida Atlantic University

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute

Marine Animal Rescue Society

Dolphins Plus Oceanside Marine Mammal Responders

Mote Marine Laboratory

NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami Laboratory

Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves Office, Florida DEP

SeaWorld Orlando

Volusia County

University of Florida/Cedar Key Northwest Florida Marine Mammal Stranding Program

Georgia
Georgia Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline

Georgia Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Louisiana
Louisiana Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline

Louisiana Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Mississippi
Mississippi Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network

Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and Stranding Hotline


Gulf Islands National Seashore

NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Pascagoula Laboratory

North Carolina
North Carolina Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Hotline

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

University of North Carolina–Wilmington Marine Mammal Stranding Program

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission - Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education

Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline

Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

South Carolina
South Carolina Stranding Hotline


Coastal Carolina University

National Ocean Service Charleston Laboratory

Texas
Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network Hotline

Texas Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Texas State Aquarium

SeaWorld San Antonio

U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline - Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife

West Coast


Regional
West Coast Region Stranding Hotline


California - Live Animal Response
Northcoast Marine Mammal Center

The Marine Mammal Center


Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute


California Wildlife Center

Marine Animal Rescue

Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles

Pacific Marine Mammal Center

SeaWorld of California


California - Dead Animal Response
Humboldt State University

California Academy of Sciences

Long Marine Laboratory

Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute


Moss Landing Marine Laboratory

Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit

Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History

NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Oregon
Portland State University/Seaside Aquarium

Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute

Puget Sound, Washington
Whatcom County Marine Mammal Stranding Network

San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network

Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network

Sno-King Marine Mammal Response

Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network

MaST Center Stranding Team

Vashon Hydrophone Project

Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Cascadia Research Collective

Port Townsend Marine Science Center

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

Feiro Marine Life Center

Washington
Whatcom County Marine Mammal Stranding Network

San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network

Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network

Sno-King Marine Mammal Response

Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network

MaST Center Stranding Team

Vashon Hydrophone Project

Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Cascadia Research Collective

Port Townsend Marine Science Center

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

Feiro Marine Life Center

Makah Tribe

Olympic National Park

NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Portland State University/Seaside Aquarium
