Saving Seafood

New England lobstermen save trapped seal pup

July 18, 2017 — The internet is celebrating two Maine lobstermen who rescued a seal pup trapped in a fishing net.

WCSH-TV reports Jeremy Willey and Jeffrey Door were lobstering near Matinicus Rock Monday when they saw a baby seal floating in rope. Door pulled the trapped pup aboard to see what they could do.

Willey carefully cut the rope around the sea critter in order to free it as it wriggled. He returned the bewildered-looking seal pup to the water and watched the furry captive float near the boat for few moments.

Video of the lobstermen saving the seal pup has been viewed on Facebook more than 800,000 times.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at NH1

Maine boat captain gets jail, fine for shooting seal off Acadia National Park

June 27, 2017 — A Knox County man will serve time in jail and be required to pay a fine after pleading guilty to shooting a seal off the coast of Acadia National Park. The seal apparently died.

Joseph A. Martin, 54, of Warren pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to the misdemeanor charge of taking a federally protected marine mammal.

Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison sentenced Martin to serve three days in jail and to pay a $1,000 fine.

Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy issued a statement Monday describing the circumstances behind the killing of the seal.

Murphy said Martin was acting as a captain of a fishing vessel on Oct. 10, 2016, when “multiple protected seals began to approach” the vessel, which was off the coast of Acadia National Park at the time. Court records do not specify the exact location.

“The defendant retrieved his rifle and began to shoot at the seals in the ocean,” Murphy said in the statement. “After the shooting took place, one seal could be seen floating in the water with a dark liquid surrounding its body.”

Court records indicate that the seal that Martin fired his rifle at was either a harbor seal or a gray seal.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Grey seal population booming in New England

June 16, 2017 — Grey seals are making a comeback, not only in Connecticut, but throughout New England.

Hunted for more than a century the population was dangerously low.  The Marine Mammal Protection Act went into effect in 1972, and thus began a reversal in the numbers.

“That provided them federal government protections from harassment, killing them as well,” said Janelle Schuh, Stranding Coordinator at Mystic Aquarium.

Now scientists are saying the population is booming. They estimate there are anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 grey seals in New England.

“In 2015 NOAA did a recent stock assessment where basically they g out to the pupping areas where grey seals are giving birth and kind of look at what the population is doing and what the status is and they are definitely seeing increases,” said Schuh.

Exactly why the number has grown so much remains to be seen but Shuh says they’re staying because the location is ideal.

“Seals are quote unquote smart individuals. They’re gonna go where the fish are. They’re opportunistic feeders so they’re gonna swim around in the ocean if they find a large supply of fish they’re gonna hang out and they’re gonna have fish that they have in that area,” said Schuh.

Read the full story WTNH

MASSACHUSETTS: Great White Shark Numbers Increasing On Cape Cod

May 26, 2017 — We’re getting close to that time of year, when the great white sharks make their annual visit to the waters of Cape Cod. Cape Cod is the only known aggregating site for white sharks in the North Atlantic.

According to the latest study by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the number of great white sharks vacationing there appears to be rising. That’s a public safety issue for towns, according to the state’s top shark expert.

Guest

Gregory Skomal, program manager and senior marine fisheries biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. His research group tweets @a_whiteshark.

Interview Highlights

On their survey of the numbers of great white sharks

“We are right in the middle of a 5-year population study … what I can tell you … is how many individuals we’ve tabulated year for the last couple of years. In 2016 for example, we identified 147 individual white sharks along the Eastern shoreline of Cape Cod. The year prior to that, it was 141 and the year prior to that in 2014, it was about 80. So we’re seeing that subtle increase from year to year. And as tempted as I am to say that it’s actually an increase in the population size, it’s more likely a shift in the distribution of sharks in response to the growing seal population.”

On how the seals are attracting sharks

“Most people don’t realize the interesting history of the seal populations on the Northeastern coast of the U.S. They had been all but drive to extinction a couple of hundred years ago. And now, with protection that was put in place in the early 1970s, we’ve seen the slow growth in the population that has now resulted in literally tens of thousands of seals along our coastline. And that has drawn the attention of one of their predators, the white shark.”

Read and listen to the full story at WBUR

REMINDER: No Selfies with Seals!

May 26, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA:

Seal pupping season is underway in New England. If you are headed to the beach this Memorial Day weekend, you might see a seal pup resting on the beach.

There is no selfie stick long enough!

As tempting as it might be to get that perfect shot of yourself or your child with an adorable seal pup, please do the right thing and leave the seal pup alone. Getting too close to a wild animal puts you–and the animal-at risk. 

Seals have powerful jaws, and can leave a lasting impression. 

We have received reports of (and seen on social media) numerous injuries to humans as a result of getting too close to an animal during a quick photo op. When you get too close to a wild animal, you risk stressing or threatening it, and stressed animals are much more likely to act unpredictably. 

Normal Behavior

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 offshore, 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.

Give Them Space

If you see a seal pup, keep your distance. As a rule of thumb, stay at least 50 yards (150 feet) from seals. A curious seal pup might approach on its own, but the mother is likely to be nearby, and may see your interaction as a threat.

“The best thing you can do if you want to help is keep away from the animal and keep your pets away from it, so the mother has a chance to return,” says Mendy Garron, marine mammal stranding program coordinator for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region.

The Rules

Approaching a wild animal can be considered harassment, which is an illegal activity. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, harassment is defined as “any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance” which has the potential to injure or disturb a marine animal. This can be dangerous for the animal, but can be dangerous for you, too.

How to Help

If you think an animal may be in trouble, there are things you can do:

  • To report a stranding, please call your local Marine Mammal Stranding Network Member or the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional 24-hour hotline 866-755-NOAA (6622).
  • If you see someone harassing a marine mammal, please contact our Office of Law Enforcement at 800-853-1964.
  • Always maintain a safe distance, at least 150 feet, from the animal to avoid injury to yourself or injury to the animal.

More information on the Greater Atlantic Region’s Stranding Program (covering the coastlines of Maine to Virginia).

Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel at 978-281-9175 or jennifer.goebel@noaa.gov

Endangered Hawaiian monk seal population rises to 1,400

January 25, 2017 — HONOLULU — The population of Hawaiian monk seals — one of the world’s most critically endangered marine mammals — has been increasing 3 percent a year for the past three years, federal wildlife officials said Tuesday.

There are now about 1,400 of the seals in the wild, said Charles Littnan, lead scientist of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“This is phenomenal, hopeful news for the population,” Littnan told reporters. “Yet we have a long way to go to recovery.”

The population has experienced increases in the past, including the mid-2000s, but Littnan characterized those as minor blips.

Hawaiian monk seals declined in numbers for years, most recently as juveniles struggled to compete for food with large fish and sharks in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a mostly uninhabited stretch of tiny atolls that includes Midway.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Virginian-Pilot

Strange visitor from the South (a manatee) is spotted off Cape Cod

August 30, 2016 — To the thousands upon thousands of seals that populate isolated beaches, and the frenzy of great white sharks that have frightened swimmers, now add another creature of the sea: an oddly graceful, roughly 8-foot-long manatee that has probably arrived from Florida to join the throngs of tourists enjoying the warm waters off Cape Cod.

Since mid-August, wildlife experts have documented at least a half-dozen sightings of the transient manatee they believe slowly swam up the East Coast to feed on local vegetation.

He or she still appears intent on taking in popular spots along the Cape, like any vacationer. The issue it faces is one of time: When the water temperatures drop, its chances of survival do, too.

Bill Pouliot and his son, Brayden, saw the wayward manatee while fishing on Bridge Street in Chatham Sunday. When the buoyant gray object came into view, they couldn’t believe its size.

“It was gi-normous,” said the elder Pouliot, mashing together the words “giant” and “enormous” to best describe the girth of the unexpected guest.

At first, both father and son thought the rotund animal spotted foraging on sea grass was a seal that wandered off from its beachy haunts.

But as they further examined the marine creature lazily floating nearby, they concluded it was something else entirely.

“It was just sort of going down to the bottom to eat, and then coming back up, perhaps sunbathing,” Pouliot said.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

Study predicts alarming krill drop by end of the century

August 30, 2016 — Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) habitat is undergoing a continuous deterioration process, which could lead to a reduction of up to 80 per cent by the end of the century.

Given the key role that this small crustacean plays in the marine food chain, its decline would cause other problems for species that depend on it as a food source, such as whales, penguins, seals, squid and fish, among other marine organisms.

This dark forecast comes from a study performed at Yale University by Andrea Piñones, a researcher at the Research Centre for High Latitude Marine Ecosystem Dynamics (IDEAL) and the Advanced Study Centre in Arid Zones (CEAZA), along with Alexey Fedorov, a researcher at Yale University.

Piñoness explains that the krill population has already fallen between 80 and 90 per cent since 1970, a situation that has generated a broad scientific debate on the causes of this decline.

In this regard, many believe that this is related to the changes in the environment, particularly with warming Antarctic waters.

To carry out the study, whose results were published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the researchers combined climate simulations — based on the projections of the international panel of climate change –, with a krill growth model. Thus, they determined that with an increase in water temperature and sea ice melting, its habitat could reduce up to 80 per cent by 2100.

Read the full story at FiS United States

Cutback mulled for herring catch

June 23, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Federal regulators are considering a slight cut to commercial fishermen’s catch limit for Atlantic herring, a fish that is important both to the industry and the ocean’s food web.

The small fish gather in schools that can number in the millions, and are a critical food source for bigger fish, seals and whales. They also are important to humans as food and bait.

The National Marine Fisheries Service might reduce the herring catch limit by about 3 percent to slightly less than 105,000 metric tons. The limit was a little less than 108,000 metric tons for the 2013 to 2015 period; any new limit would apply to the years 2016 to 2018.

The proposal is up for public comment until July 21.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald

Scientists turn to drones to count growing seal colonies

March 7, 2016 — On a remote island off of Nantucket, scientists are using a tool most commonly associated with war and surveillance to get a look at fuzzy baby seals.

Researchers who want to get a handle on the growth of New England’s gray seal population have been using drones as part of an effort to photograph the animals, which gather in huge numbers on remote islands.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used a pair of unmanned aircraft on Muskeget Island off of Massachusetts to take pictures of seal pups in January. The island is the biggest gray seal breeding colony in the country.

The pictures will help scientists find how many gray seals there are in Northeastern waters, said Kimberly Murray, the coordinator of the seal research program at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

“We need to know how many seals there are before we can know what’s going on, and how to manage them. Or, I should say, manage us,” Murray said.

Read the full story at Gloucester Daily Times