You can observe the harbor seals, but do so quietly—their pups’ lives depend on it, according to a study.

Erik Chalhoub here. Besides the increase in traffic, there’s one surefire way to tell that tourism season is here: Just go to the Rec Trail in Pacific Grove and witness the large groups of people pointing their fingers and cameras at the dozens of harbor seals on the beach near Hopkins Marine Station.

The harbor seal pupping and tourism seasons always seem to collide around the same time—unfortunately for these sound-sensitive marine mammals.

In this week’s edition of the Weekly, Staff Writer Katie Rodriguez wrote about a new study that reveals the impacts of noise on these seals. She likens it to humans trying to sleep next to a construction site every night—“You’d likely be grumpy, maybe stressed, especially if you were expected to perform your best at work”—but with higher stakes.

The study found, among other things, that nearby roadwork likely caused a sharp drop in births during the 2022 pupping season, due to high stress levels from the mother seals.

Large signs on Ocean View Boulevard and the Rec Trail advise passersby that the area is a “quiet zone,” yet not all heed them. During her reporting, Rodriguez says she asked the researchers why the seals can’t move to a different, quieter location to birth their pups.

Problem is, there are very few other nearby locations that are the perfect blend of tide levels, wind breaks and away from predators, leaving the seals with few other places to go.

You can learn more by checking out the article. And please, be quiet while you observe these creatures.