Seal pup found oiled in wake of Puget spill

TACOMA — A seal pup found oiled on a Tacoma beach was examined Sunday to determine whether its death was caused by a 1,000-gallon oil spill in south Puget Sound.

Cleanup costs for the spill have topped $750,000 so far, said Larry Altose, a spokesman for the joint information center of the state Ecology Department, U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies.

The young seal was discovered alive and “lightly oiled” Saturday at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, the agencies said Sunday. It was transferred to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society wildlife center in Lynnwood, where it died Saturday night or early Sunday.

Remains were taken to NOAA Fisheries for further examination.

“Oil can be harmful to seals and other wildlife because it interferes with insulating properties of feathers and fur,” Altose said. But at this time of year, some young pups that have been weaned are dying naturally, he said, so the cause of the pup’s death is not yet clear.

One bird, a Western grebe, continued to be treated Sunday at the wildlife center in Lynnwood after it was found oiled two days earlier at the Des Moines Marina.

An investigation continued to find the source of the oil spill reported Thursday, which spread a sheen of oil over south Puget Sound around the Key Peninsula, Tacoma and Vashon and Maury islands.

Helicopter crews continued flights over the oil spill Sunday, trying to better determine its extent.