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.
The public should report all sightings of stranded animals to the appropriate contact number for your location (select your region below). If you see a stranded marine mammal or sea turtle, keep people and pets back a safe distance of at least 50 yards (150 feet).
Select Your Region
Contact Information
Alaska
Reporting Key



Statewide Contacts
NOAA Fisheries Alaska Statewide 24-Hour Stranding Hotline
*For injured/stranded whales, seals, sea lions, porpoises, and dolphins
Phone: (877) 925-7773 or (877) 9-AKR-PRD



Alaska SeaLife Center 24-Hour Stranding Hotline
Seward, AK
*Includes injured/stranded walruses, sea otters, and polar bears
Phone: (888) 774-7325


Marine Mammals Management Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Anchorage, AK
*Includes injured/stranded walruses, sea otters, and polar bears
Phone: (800) 362-5148 (business hours only)

Reporting Death/Injury of a Marine Mammal During Commercial Fishing Operations
Phone: (907) 586-7240 (business hours only)


Alaska Partners
Alaska Consortium of Zooarchaeologists
Anchorage, AK


Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Juneau, AK


Alaska SeaLife Center
Seward, AK


Alaska State Parks
Juneau, AK


Alaska State Parks
Kodiak, AK


Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services
Eagle River, AK


Alaska Whale Foundation
Petersburg, AK


Aleut Community of St. Paul
St. Paul, AK


Rachel Berngartt, DVM
Juneau, AK


Chichagof Conservation Council
Tenakee, AK


Glacier Bay National Park
Gustavus, AK


North Slope Borough
Utqiagvik, AK


Petersburg Marine Mammal Center
Petersburg, AK


Sitka Sound Science Center
Sitka, AK


Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Togiak, AK


University of Alaska Fairbanks, Museum of the North
Fairbanks, AK


University of Alaska Fairbanks, Marine Advisory Program, NW Alaska
Nome, AK


University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau
Juneau, AK


University of Alaska, Sitka
Sitka, AK


U.S. Forest Service
Yakutat, AK

Last updated on April 30, 2024
Contact Information
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Reporting Key



Regional
Northeast Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding and Entanglement Hotline
Phone: (866) 755-NOAA (866-755-6622)



Connecticut/Rhode Island
Mystic Aquarium
Area covered: Connecticut, RI and Fishers Island, NY
Phone: (860) 572-5955 x 107



Delaware



Maine
Maine Marine Animal Reporting Hotline
Phone: (800) 532-9551



Allied Whale, College of the Atlantic
Area covered: From the Canadian border to Rockland, ME






Maryland
Maryland State Hotline
Phone: (800) 628-9944



Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Cooperative Oxford Laboratory
Area covered: Maryland
Dead animals only
Phone: (800) 628-9944



National Aquarium in Baltimore, Marine Animal Rescue Program
Live animals only
Phone: (410) 576-3880



Massachusetts


Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Phone: (508) 349-2615 x 6104


International Fund for Animal Welfare
Area covered: Cape Cod and southeastern MA
Phone: (508) 743-9548


Center for Coastal Studies
Entangled animals in the marine environment only
Phone: (800) 900-3622




Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC)
Area covered: North Weymouth through Plymouth, MA
Phone: (617) 688-6872


Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah
Area covered: Martha's Vineyard, MA
Phone: (866) 755-6622


New Hampshire


New Jersey



New York
New York Stranding Hotline
Phone: (631) 369-9829









Virginia



Last updated on April 30, 2024
Contact Information
Pacific Islands
Reporting Key



Hawai'i
Hawaiʻi Statewide Marine Animal Stranding, Entanglement, and Reporting Hotline
Includes stranded/injured sea turtles, monk seals, dolphins, and whales
Phone: (888) 256-9840



Hawai'i DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) Hotline
DLNRTip app for iPhone or Android mobile devices: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/docare/
Phone: (808) 643-DLNR (808-643-3567)



NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Hotline
Immediately call/report possible illegal or suspicious activity.
Written reports, video, and photos may be emailed.
Phone: (800) 853-1964
Email: RespectWildlife@noaa.gov



For Non-Emergencies - Monk Seal Photos and Written Reports

Guam
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
Agana, GU
Phone: (671) 472-7200


Conservation Office Hotline
Phone: (671) 688-DAWR (671-688-3297)


Department of Agriculture and Wildlife Resources Administrative Office
Mangilao, GU
*Please contact during regular business hours
Phone: (671) 735-0281 or (671) 735-0294


Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife Hotline
Saipan, MP
Phone: (670) CTRTLES (670-287-8537)


NOAA CNMI Field Office
Phone: (670) 285-2287


American Samoa
American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources
Pago Pago, AS
Phone: (684) 633-4456 or (684) 252-0445


Last updated on April 30, 2024
Contact Information
Southeast
Reporting Key



Regional
NOAA Fisheries Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline
Phone: (877) WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343)


NOAA Fisheries Southeast Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Hotline
State-specific hotline numbers listed below.
Phone: (844) SEA-TRTL (844-732-8785)

Smalltooth Sawfish Encounter Hotline
Phone: (844) 4SAWFISH or (844) 472-9347

Sturgeon Salvage Network
Phone: (844) STURG-911 or (844) 788-7491


Alabama
Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline
Phone: (877) WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343)

Alabama Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Hotline
Phone: (866) SEA-TURTLE (866-732-8878)

Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Dauphin Island, AL

Florida
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
Wildlife Alert Hotline
Phone: (888) 404-FWCC (888-404-3922)

Florida Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network
Phone: (888) 404-FWCC (888-404-3922)

Central Panhandle Aquatic Preserve Office
Eastpoint, FL

Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Clearwater, FL

Dolphin Conservation Field Station at Marineland
St. Augustine, FL

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, Inc.
Destin, FL

Florida Aquarium
Tampa, FL

Florida Marine Mammal Stranding Network—Southwest Region
Port Charlotte, FL

FWC FWRI Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory
St. Petersburg, FL

FWC Northeast Field Laboratory
Jacksonville, FL

FWC Tallahassee
Tallahassee, FL

Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Breeze, FL

Gulf World Marine Park
Panama City, FL

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute—Florida Atlantic University
Fort Pierce, FL

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute
Orlando, FL

Marine Animal Rescue Society
Miami, FL

Dolphins Plus Oceanside Marine Mammal Responders
Key Largo, FL

Mote Marine Laboratory
Sarasota, FL

NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami Laboratory
Miami, FL

Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves Office, Florida DEP
Milton, FL

SeaWorld Orlando
Orlando, FL

Volusia County
DeLand, FL

University of Florida/Cedar Key Northwest Florida Marine Mammal Stranding Program
Gainesville, FL

Georgia
Georgia Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline
Phone: (912) 269-7587

Georgia Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network
Phone: (912) 280-6892

Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Brunswick, GA

Louisiana
Louisiana Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline
Phone: (504) 235-3005

Louisiana Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network
Phone: (844) SEA-TRTL

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
New Orleans, LA

Mississippi
Mississippi Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network
Phone: 844-SEA-TRTL (844-732-8785)

Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and Stranding Hotline
Gulfport, MS
Phone: (888) SOS-Dolphin (888-767-3657)


Gulf Islands National Seashore
Ocean Springs, MS

NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Pascagoula Laboratory
Pascagoula, MS

North Carolina
North Carolina Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Hotline
Phone: (252) 241-7367

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
Morehead City, NC
Phone: (252) 241-5119

University of North Carolina–Wilmington Marine Mammal Stranding Program
Wilmington, NC
Phone: 910-515-7354

Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Manteo, NC

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher, NC

North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine
Morehead City, NC

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission - Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education
Corolla, NC

Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline
Phone: (787) 538-4684 or (787) 645-5595

Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
Santurce, PR

South Carolina
South Carolina Stranding Hotline
Phone: (800) 922-5431


Coastal Carolina University
Conway, SC

National Ocean Service Charleston Laboratory
Charleston, SC

Texas
Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network Hotline
Galveston, TX
Phone: (800) 9MAMMAL (800-962-6625)

Texas Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network
Phone: (866) TURTLE5 (866-887-8535)

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Austwell, TX

Texas State Aquarium
Corpus Christi, TX

SeaWorld San Antonio
San Antonio, TX

U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline - Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife
Frederiksted, VI
Phone: (340) 713-2422

Sea Turtle Assistance and Rescue (STAR)
Christiansted, VI
Phone: (340) 690-0474

Last updated on October 15, 2024
Contact Information
West Coast
Reporting Key



Regional
West Coast Region Stranding Hotline
Phone: (866) 767-6114



California - Live Animal Response
Northcoast Marine Mammal Center
Counties served: Del Norte and Humboldt
Phone: (707) 951-4722



The Marine Mammal Center
Counties served: Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo
Phone: (415) 289-7350



Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute
Counties served: Santa Barbara and Ventura
Phone: (805) 567-1505



California Wildlife Center
Counties served: Los Angeles – City of Malibu only
Phone: (310) 924-7256



Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles
Counties served: Los Angeles
Phone: (800) 399-4253



Pacific Marine Mammal Center
Counties served: Orange
Phone: (949) 494-3050



SeaWorld of California
Counties served: San Diego
Phone: (800) 541-7325



California - Dead Animal Response
California Polytechnic State University-Humboldt
Counties served: Del Norte, Humboldt, and Northern Mendocino
Phone: (707) 826-3650



California Academy of Sciences
Counties served: Southern Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, Contra Costa, Sutter, San Joaquin, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo
Phone: (415) 379-5381



Long Marine Laboratory
Counties served: Santa Cruz
Phone: (831) 212-1272



Moss Landing Marine Laboratory
Counties served: Monterey
Phone: (831) 771-4422



Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute
Counties served: Santa Barbara and Ventura
Phone: (805) 567-1505


Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit
Counties served: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura
Phone: (805) 500-6220

NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Counties served: San Diego
Phone: (858) 546-7162


Oregon
Portland State University/Seaside Aquarium
Areas served: all counties north of the City of Tillamook
Phone: (503) 738-6211



Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute
Areas served: all counties south of the City of Tillamook
Phone: (541) 270-6830



Washington
Whatcom County Marine Mammal Stranding Network
Areas served: Whatcom County
Phone: (360) 966-8845



San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network
Areas served: San Juan Islands
Phone: (800) 562-8832



Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network
Area served: Whidbey and Camano Islands, Skagit County, and North Snohomish County
Phone: (866) ORCANET



Sno-King Marine Mammal Response
Areas served: Seattle to Kayak Point
Phone: (206) 695-2277



Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network
Areas served: West Seattle
Phone: (206) 905-7325



MaST Center Stranding Team
Areas served: Fauntleroy Ferry south to Dash Point
Phone: (206) 724-2687



Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Areas served: Pierce County, Kitsap County, and Grays Harbor and part of norther Pacific County (for pinnipeds)
Phone: (253) 208-2427



Cascadia Research Collective
Areas served: Thurston County, western shoreline of the Hood Canal to Brinnon, and the outer coast of Washington (cetaceans)
Phone: (360) 791-9555



Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Areas served: Eastern Jefferson County and part of eastern Clallam County. Port Townsend east to the Hood Canal Bridge, south to Brinnon and west to Sequim Bay also including the Miller Peninsula
Phone: (360) 385-5582 x 103



Feiro Marine Life Center
Areas served: East of Port Angeles to Makah Reservation Line
Phone: (360) 417-6254



World Vets
Areas served: Vashon and Maury Islands and emergency support for West Seattle for live and dead animal response
Provides 24 hour or less care for small pinnipeds in Washington State and can perform health assessments, stranding response and vessel support, euthanasia, necropsy, live animal stabilization, and transport services as requested
Phone: (253) 777-1775



Makah Tribe
Areas served: Makah Territory (Neah Bay, WA)
Phone: (360) 640-0569



Last updated on November 08, 2024