In Narragansett Bay, seals are counted every March to measure the bay’s overall health. Eric Pfirrmann, from Save the Bay, has been counting seals for 22 years and has seen a steady increase since the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972. Seals were once hunted as they were seen as competition for the bay’s fish stock, but now their presence shows that there are plenty of fish in the area. The 2021 statewide tally of seals in Rhode Island is yet to be released, but the harbor seals can mostly be found around Bristol, Newport, North Kingstown, and Providence. Save the Bay offers seal watch tours and volunteers are welcome to participate in coastal cleanups and seal counts.