SFSU researchers have been working with Caltrans to make sure that harbor seals living on the Castro Rocks are not displaced by seismic work on the nearby Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

Perched on a platform near the Castro Rocks, SFSU researchers have been monitoring when the seals are disturbed from their resting places and how long it takes them to return. They were especially concerned by the possibility that mother seals would be affected during the pupping season, which runs from March through May.

As a result Caltrans, which is paying for the study, has put in place several precautions, including not working during the pupping season and establishing an exclusion zone where boat traffic isn't allowed. The precautions seem to be working, according to the SFSU faculty and students who are observing the seals. They will continue their observations until the seismic work is completed.

Read the front page Oakland Tribune story on the harbor seals.