2026 Pupping Season is Over
The Viewing Guideline Rope is on the Beach Until 12/15/2026
We remind visitors to Casa Beach in La Jolla that the City’s viewing guideline rope is meant to remind you to maintain a 50′ distance between yourself and any seals that might be hauled out on the beach!
The La Jolla seals have begun their annual catastrophic molt and you can see the seals with only fur on one side of their body until new fur grows in. This is also the mating season and one couple have been seen mating on 5/17/2026, and on 5/18/2026 there were 2 males who were competing for the female 15′ from the end of the sea wall. Both mating and molting will continue for the next month until the end of June.
We are thrilled to report that 44 new pups were born here at Casa Beach during the 2026 harbor seal pupping season. The majority of the newborn pups arrived between February 8 and March 8. If you were lucky, you might have even witnessed one of the births!
Casa Beach in La Jolla is the only NOAA-recognized mainland harbor seal rookery between the U.S./Mexico Border and Ventura County, 160 miles to the north. It is very rare for harbor seals to choose an urbanized setting for their home. Nevertheless, the La Jolla Seals have been documented to exhibit extreme site fidelity to Casa Beach because of the ideal conditions that this specific beach provides them for birthing and bonding with their pups (McInnis, 2010; Linder, 2011; McInnis, 2012).
There is no beach access allowed during harbor seal pupping season (December 15 to May 15) in order to protect the moms and pups when they are most vulnerable. Visitors are able to watch the pregnant seals and their newborn pups from the mid-landing behind the chain; from the sidewalk above Casa Beach; or from the sea wall. The seasonal beach closure — for which the permit is approved through 2029— has reduced seal harassment to zero during the pupping season while dramatically reducing police calls with no citations issued at all. The closure has restored the calm needed for the seals to give birth and nurse their pups in a natural environment free of human interference during this critical time.
These permits are an elegant compromise which balance public access to the beach with animal habitat protection, successfully maintaining this unique and special coastal resource.
Thanks to you, the La Jolla Seals are guaranteed to benefit from these sensible and effective protections for the next 3 years. The Seal Conservancy is already working with the San Diego City Council, the Mayor, the City’s Planning Commission, and the California Coastal Commission to ensure that the permits authorizing the seal protections will be extended without interruption before they expire in 2029.
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Video provided by Roxy Grant
Want to hear what a seal pup sounds like? Please click the picture below.
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Help us by making a tax-deductible donation of $10, $100, $1,000 or more.
Each dollar brings us closer to our goal of protecting the Casa Beach harbor seal rookery. THANKS!
or mail a check to:
Seal Conservancy
PO Box 2016
La Jolla, CA 92038
All donations are tax deductible per IRS regulation 501(c)(3)
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What is the Seal Conservancy ?
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- A non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1999 to protect the harbor seal rookery at Casa Beach, 850 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, California
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- A local organization exclusively dedicated to educating the public about seals and to advocating for enforcement of laws to protect the seals
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- Consists of a Board of Directors, and supporting contributors
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- The Seal Conservancy is the spokesperson for the seals in the media, in courtrooms, and in public debates
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- The Seal Conservancy does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
The mission of the Seal Conservancy is to preserve and protect the La Jolla harbor seal rookery for the enjoyment and educational benefit of children, and for the ecological, scientific, historic, and scenic benefits to all.