Why Are These Baby Seals Wearing FitBits?

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Health trackers are a part of many people’s everyday lives. From heart monitors to breath optimization, human health is experiencing a revolution thanks to new technologies. But are these innovations useful for the animal kingdom too? Can scientists utilize Apple Watch and FitBit technology for vulnerable species?

The answer is: yes. As technology improves, becoming smaller and more efficient, scientists are taking advantage of innovation. And there’s one particular group of animals they’re studying using what is essentially FitBits.

These are the grey seals of Sable Island, Nova Scotia, and scientists are using health trackers to study their biology.

Meet the Sable Island Seal Population

Each and every year, nearly half a million grey seals traverse Nova Scotia’s freezing waters to reach Sable Island. Technically a sandbar known for causing hundreds of shipwrecks over the years, Sable Island is protected by Canada’s National Park system.

Grey seals make the 180-mile journey to this sandbar every winter. It is the largest gathering of gray seals anywhere else in the world. These pinnipeds head to Sable Island to breed and care for their seal pups before returning to Nova Scotia proper come spring.

An assessment of the Sable Island seal population occurred in 2021. For the first time in 60 years, this mighty population appeared to be in decline. This fact paired with the probability of only 10% of these seal pups surviving made scientists spring into action.

Why Are Researchers Studying the Sable Island Seals?

Established in 1930, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is the leading organization studying Sable Island’s grey seal population. In partnership with Canada’s parks department, WHOI scientists are attempting to learn more about grey seal pups and why their populations might be at risk– now more than ever.

Grey seals give birth to their young and these pups are weaned from their mother within a scant 20 days. The transition from land-based living to freezing seas can be jarring for even the healthiest pup. Given the rarity of seal pup survival and data reflecting recent declines in the Sable Island pup population, WHOI recognized a need to study them.

But gathering data on oceanic animals is easier said than done. Health tracking technology for animals has remained too invasive, bulky, and limited for decades. Memory storage and long-distance tracking are two primary issues facing scientists – until now.

Researching Baby Seals: New Tech in Action

WHOI engineers and researchers have created what they call a “seal FitBit”. Utilizing off-the-shelf technologies and WHOI’s in-house 3D printer, scientists have developed a prototype designed to last longer, report more, and maintain a less invasive footprint for the comfort of the animal.

Six Sable Island seal pups were chosen to participate in WHOI’s testing of their discreet monitor. Outfitted with thin belts containing EKG trackers, the pups can be tracked remotely once released from WHOI’s initial observation pen. Thermal cameras are being used in conjunction with the trackers during the first few weeks, lending scientists even more insight into the delicate lives of Sable Island’s seals.

What These Seal FitBits Measure

Like many other animal species, grey seals experience a rough transition from birth to independent living. Seals have excess oxygen proteins, a trait that assists them in deep diving and breath-holding activities. However, young pups only have 2-3 weeks to make the switch from land-based feedings to oceanic hunting all on their own.

WHOI’s seal FitBits are designed to monitor the heart rate, temperature, and overall oxygen usage of these pups. As they mature and take to the seas, grey seals must adapt to survive– a process WHOI’s tech hopes to illuminate in further detail.

The decline of Sable Island’s seal population is concerning to researchers. While food competition may explain some of the population loss, there are still many unanswered questions. By tracking newborn pups during their most vulnerable days, WHOI scientists hope to protect and preserve this unique, once-thriving population.

How Long Will Researchers Study the Sable Island Seals?

WHOI scientists have been studying the Sable Island seal population for many years, but only through remote, surface-level observations. Now that six pups have their FitBits activated, researchers hope to study the population for years to come. However, funding and technological improvements are concerns, as WHOI is a nonprofit, independently run organization.

The pilot program for the Sable Island grey seals is going well, having started in February 2025. WHOI researchers hope to continue the program in 2026, but only time and funding will tell if their hopes can be realized. Regardless, the six seal pups WHOI outfitted with FitBits helped shine some light on the plights and health behaviors of this fascinating population.

Data From Seal FitBits: Hope For Future Populations

As WHOI scientists sift through the data gained from their grey seal FitBits, hope remains for future seal populations. Likewise, these technological advances offer opportunities to study other species once too difficult to track. 

In the meantime, the Sable Island seal pups grow up none the wiser, amongst the island’s feral horse population, while scientists marvel at how far our technology has come.

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