- MOF returning a rescued spotted seal into the wild after recovery

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced that a young spotted seal rescued off the coast of Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do on Thursday, March 27 was released in the waters near Sageunjin Beach, Gangneung on Wednesday, June 25 in fully recovered state after about three months of intensive treatment.

Although the spotted seal showed no apparent injuries when it was rescued, it was so weak that it could not escape from people; it was in an unstable condition due to severe dehydration and malnutrition, weighing only 12.4 kg compared to its body length of approximately 110 cm.

The day after the rescue, the animal was transferred to Seoul Grand Park—a specialized marine animal rescue and treatment facility designated by MOF—where it quickly found stability in a large tank environment and recovered thanks to consistent food supply and rehabilitation training.

In particular, the animal had an external identification tag with the unique number “L0283” attached to its left hind leg. A follow-up investigation by the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK; President Kim Hyun-tae) found that the animal was born in the Rimsky-Korsakov Archipelago in the Russian Far East and released to nature on March 6.

“This case has significant academic value as it is the first empirical proof that a young spotted seal born in Russia inhabits the East Sea coast,” said Ahn Yong-rak, head of MABIK’s Marine Biodiversity Division.

MABIK attached a satellite tracking device to the released animal to collect scientific data, such as the migration routes of spotted seals in the East Sea. Tracking the location the day after release showed that the animal had moved 15km north of the release point, and that it was actively moving back and forth in the open sea. MABIK plans to continue observing the movement of the animal. The device is expected to fall off naturally within approximately six months.

“MOF will continue to expand the rapid rescue and treatment of injured marine animals by actively supporting specialized marine animal rescue and treatment institutions. We will do our best to restore marine life populations and preserve ecosystems by designating marine protected areas and through the artificial breeding and releasing of marine protected organisms into the wild,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.