Once dwindling, the seals have bounced back and researchers are tagging some with radio units.
Hunting seals off the Maine coast is a bit like herding cats.
That's what a group of researchers were finding last week in Penobscot Bay. The researchers are attempting to capture, then tag harbor seals for the first comprehensive study of the species in a decade.
The seals descend on Maine from up and down the East Coast in the spring to have their pups on the state's tidal ledges and islands, presenting the perfect opportunity to count them and assess their health.
Waring said the survey will help scientists determine how the population is faring and whether the number of seals unintentionally killed by humans, such as those caught in the nets of ground fishermen, are reaching unsustainable levels.
Read the complete story from The Portland Press Herald.