Saving Seafood

NOAA teams departing for expedition to Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

May 15, 2019 — It’s time again for a team of researchers to head out to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands at Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, where they will set up camps for the next five months.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ship Oscar Elton Sette departs on Wednesday for Papahanaumokuakea, one of the largest, protected marine conservation areas in the world and home to endangered Hawaiian monk seals, threatened green turtles and millions of seabirds.

NOAA researchers this year will conduct the usual tasks — measuring and tagging all weaned Hawaiian monk seal pups, conducting beach counts and removing marine debris. A team of biologists will also measure and tag basking and nesting sea turtles and monitor nesting activities at French Frigate Shoals.

Another field team, however, will focus on researching how animals responded to the loss of East Island at French Frigate Shoals, where a majority of Hawaii’s green sea turtles nest, and dozens of Hawaiian monk seals pup. East Island was washed away by Hurricane Walaka in October 2018.

Field researchers from NOAA, along with six partner organizations, will focus their research and conservation activities at French Frigate Shoals as well as Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef and Kure Atoll. They will also take day trips to survey Niihau, Nihoa, and Mokumanamana islands and Midway Atoll.

The NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette will transport state Department of Land and Natural Resources staff and supplies to Kure Atoll. At Lisianski Island, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will help the NOAA team find routes through the dense vegetation that blocks the shoreline and access to monk seals.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Partnering to Protect and Study Monk Seals and Sea Turtles: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Field Camps 2019

May 15, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette will deploy researchers to set up camps in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands for 5 months. Field researchers from NOAA and six partner organizations will conduct research and conservation activities at French Frigate Shoals, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef, and Kure Atoll. They will also take day trips to survey Niʻihau Island, Nihoa Island, Mokumanamana Island, and Midway Atoll.

Over the next 5 months, these field teams will measure and tag all weaned seal pups, identify all individuals, conduct beach counts of seals, remove marine debris, and conduct additional scientific and recovery efforts to protect the Hawaiian monk seal population. Additionally, a team of sea turtle biologists will be deployed at French Frigate Shoals to monitor nesting activities, assess nesting and hatching success, and measure and tag basking and nesting turtles.

To protect these fragile ecosystems from invasive species, the crew must quarantine anything brought ashore. That includes clothes, tents, stoves, boats, solar power arrays, computers, and provisions sufficient to sustain teams of 2–7 scientists for the length of their stay. They transport the gear by hand from the ship to small boats, which shuttle it to the islands.

One of the field teams will have a special focus this year at French Frigate Shoals. In October 2018, Hurricane Walaka passed through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and caused major damage to the islands of this atoll. East Island, where a majority of Hawaiʻi’s green sea turtles nest and dozens of monk seals pup, was completely washed away. Over the summer, field staff will research how animals respond to the loss of this important island.

Read the full release here

ALASKA: U.S. May Ease Rules Restricting Alaska Natives From Harvesting Seal Meat

May 8, 2019 — Nearly year-round, northern fur seals can be found on the beaches of the Bering Sea island of St. Paul, Alaska, or in the waters nearby.

The small island’s remote location — more than 250 miles from mainland Alaska — makes the seal meat particularly attractive to residents of St. Paul. Groceries have to be barged in or flown into the island’s sole store, and prices reflect that: Ground beef is $6 a pound, and a 12-ounce package of Oscar Mayer beef bologna costs $10.

St. Paul’s Alaska Natives refer to themselves as the Unangan people. Through the mid-1980s they, as employees of the U.S. government, killed the seals by the tens of thousands annually to supply a global fur trade. The Unangan people worked largely in exchange for goods and services in an arrangement that a federal supervisor described a century ago as “actual slavery,” according to Barbara Boyle Torrey’s book, Slaves of the Harvest.

But since the end of the commercial harvest in 1984, strict federal regulations have granted access to the seals solely during a 47-day subsistence harvest in the summer. St. Paul residents freeze as much meat as they can; for the rest of the year, the animals are off limits, forcing residents to turn to pricey store-bought food and the occasional illegal harvest.

Read the full story at NPR

 

State of Alaska petitions federal government to delist Arctic ringed seals under the Endangered Species Act

April 9, 2019 — In the latest chapter of an ongoing debate over the status of Arctic ringed seals, the state of Alaska has petitioned the federal government to take the seals off the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Ringed seals were added to the list back in 2012 because their sea ice habitat is expected to decline significantly in the coming years as the Arctic warms. A species can be designated “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act if it’s likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future through much of its range.

But in its petition, the state says that new research and re-analysis of prior data shows that ringed seals are doing well despite documented sea ice loss, and are likely to adapt to changing habitat conditions.

“They’re the most abundant marine mammal in the Arctic, there’s millions of them, and they’re a very resilient marine mammal as far as we can tell,” said Chris Krenz, the wildlife science coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Krenz said that the “threatened” designation could create hindrances for oil and gas development, as well as for subsistence hunters.

Three North Slope entities are listed as partners in the state’s petition: the North Slope Borough, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, and the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope.

Subsistence hunting is generally exempt from restrictions under the Endangered Species Act, although the government can put regulations in place if they find that a hunt materially and negatively affects a species protected by the act. There are currently no such regulations for ringed seals, and federal government officials say there are no plans to put any in place.

Read the full story at KTOO

Reminder: Seals Need Space

January 30, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA:

With daily reports of seals and seal pups coming into our hotline, this is a good time to remind everyone of seal watching guidelines and information.

Gray seals pup this time of year in New England, with pupping season extending through March. Then, in May, harbor seal pupping season begins.

Seal pups are adorable, but the best thing you can do for them is to keep your distance! Stay at least 150 feet (about four school bus lengths) away from seals, and keep pets away, too.

Despite good intentions, some beach goers take actions that put themselves and the seals at risk of injury. More often than not, interactions with seals leave the seals and their pups in dangerous situations–pups can be abandoned by their mothers, forced into the water when they aren’t old enough, or fed foods that make them ill. (Even if it were legal to feed seals, which it is not, they don’t eat peanut butter and jelly, just FYI.) The people approaching are also at risk of being bitten by a terrified seal that just wants to be left alone.

If you see a seal that you think might be in trouble, please call the Greater Atlantic Region Marine Animal Hotline at 866-755-6622, so trained responders can assist.

No selfies with seals please!

The popularity of selfies and capturing any moment through photographs or video is posing a new threat to wildlife and humans, including seals. Getting too close to seals can scare the animals and change their behaviors. Quietly watching from a distance can be even more rewarding than getting the perfect shot. Use your zoom or a telephoto lens instead of a selfie stick, or put your camera down and take a moment to really appreciate how cool sharing the shore with seals can be.

Mother Knows Best

Pups don’t swim very well– which is the reason they are hanging back on the beach while mom hunts. It is normal for a mother seal to leave her young pup alone on the beach for up to 24 hours while she feeds. You may not see the mother, but if she sees you near her pup, she may not think it’s safe to come back. It might only take a few seconds for you to snap the photo, but the mother may abandon her pup if she feels threatened. For the seal pup, the consequences can be devastating. Also, attempting to put or chase a seal pup into the water can cost the pup it’s life.

Even if the mother is present, if a curious seal pup approaches on its own, the right move is to back away so the mother doesn’t perceive your interaction as a threat and abandon the area, leaving her pup behind.

Are you too close?

Is the seal waving its flippers? Does it look sleepy and is repeatedly yawning? Do you hear it barking or making any other noises? If so, then, YES, you are too close! Despite their appearance, these aren’t friendly behaviors. They are the seal’s way of telling you to back off because it is uncomfortable and getting nervous. Is the seal moving away from you? Another sure sign that you are encroaching on its personal space.

More Info

Print out out our handy Seal Viewing Guidelines cards, and find out more about how you can Share the Shore with seals.

Also, please keep in mind that there is currently a phocine distemper outbreak in the northeast, and we are monitoring the seal population as part of an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event investigation. Please be sure to keep pets away from seals for everyone’s safety.

And remember, if you see a seal that you’re concerned about, call the Greater Atlantic Region Marine Animal Hotline at 866-755-6622.

MASSACHUSETTS: Seashore plans forum on shark safety

November 9, 2018 — Wellfleet, Mass. – Cape Cod National Seashore Superintendent Brian Carlstrom invites the public to attend an information session on sharks, seals, and public safety on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

The meeting will take place at the Nauset Regional Middle School auditorium in Orleans, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will consist of speaker presentations followed by an expert-panel question and answer session.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

After A Shark Attack, Addressing Cape Cod’s Growing Seal Population

October 10, 2018 — In the wake of the Cape’s first shark fatality, there have been increasing concerns about the seal population and its impact on tourism and the economy of fisheries, which leaves many people wondering — does Cape Cod have a seal problem?

Out at the Chatham Harbor fish pier, tourists gather on an observation deck to watch gray seals wait for scraps from nearby fishing boats. The spot is well-known amongst pinniped lovers like Debbie Hinds-Gale, a visitor from Syracuse, NY who returns to this place every year her family visits the Cape. She pointed out at a seal not far from the shore.

“There’s another one with its fins up, I think it’s fun when they lay on their backs like that and put their fins up in the air, it’s like they’re doing tricks for you,” she said, adding that she could watch them for hours. “To me it almost looks like a smaller manatee, but their faces, I think look like they’re between a dog and a horse face.”

But for others, the seals have become more than just adorable creatures to see on vacation. The Cape’s population of gray seals has grown dramatically in the past 20 years. For fisherman Mike Rathgeber who runs fishing tours out of Provincetown, the seals have become a nuisance.

Read the full story at WGBH

 

‘They’re eating our children’: Hundreds of furious Cape Cod beachgoers demand officials kill off seals to help cut down shark attacks after 26-year-old man is killed

October 1, 2018 — Residents of Cape Cod are demanding city officials do more to protect beachgoers following two shark attacks this year, one of which was fatal.

Hundreds of concerned locals packed into the Wellfleet Elementary School gym on Thursday for a public forum with officials and experts to discuss possible ways to keep people safe from sharks.

One by one residents tossed out a number of suggestions on how to deter sharks, including demanding officials to look into reducing the growing seal population on Cape Cod beaches. Many believe increased numbers of seals are attracting sharks hunting for food.

‘The seal population on the Cape is way of our control. They’re eating all of our fish and now they’re eating all of our children,’ said resident Gail Sluis of Brewster.

‘No sharks or seals are worth a young man’s life — they’re just not,’ she added.

According to a 2017 report by Cape Cod Times, there are 30,000 to 50,000 seals living in the waters of Southern Massachusetts, primarily on and around Cape Cod.

City officials acknowledged the seal population has grown tremendously but told locals at the forum that there are federal laws preventing the removal of seals.

Read the full story at the Daily Mail

Cape Codders call for killing sharks, seals following fatal attack

September 28, 2018 — WELLFLEET, Mass. — Several of the hundreds of people who turned out here last night for a public forum on sharks in the wake of the first fatal attack in Massachusetts in more than 80 years urged officials to kill them or the seals that tend to attract them.

Laurie Voke of Eastham said this month’s death of Arthur Medici, a 26-year-old boogie-boarder from Revere, said shark attacks on seals swimming near people on outer Cape Cod have become “too numerous to count” in recent years, but officials have failed to lift the fishing ban on white sharks or to take steps to control the number of seals.

“Instead, certain government officials have given pet names to white sharks and prioritized the lives and safety of sharks and seals over that of those who swim in the cape water,” Voke, the mother of four lifeguards, told a panel of officials and experts on the animals.

Read the full story at the Boston Herald

 

NOAA officials say seal die-off linked to virus

September 24, 2018 — Gray and harbor seals have lured sharks in increasing numbers into Cape Cod waters, with tragic results, but the burgeoning seal population is taking a hit from viruses.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued an unusual mortality event alert for both species of seal in the Gulf of Maine.

From July 1 to Aug. 29 (when the alert was issued) 599 seals were found dead (137) or ill and stranded (462) on New England shores. In the few weeks since that number has soared to 921. Most of those were in Maine (629), with 147 in New Hampshire and 125 in Massachusetts.

The dead or dying seals have been located mostly to the north but a couple were found as far south as Plymouth in Cape Cod Bay.

The dead or dying seals have been located mostly to the north but a couple were found as far south as Plymouth in Cape Cod Bay.

For comparison the nearly 500 seals found last month is roughly 10 times the number that stranded in August of 2017.

“That is attributed to the influences of disease,” noted Terri Rowles, NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Program coordinator.

Read the full story at the Eastham Wicked Local