HISTORY
The MMPA took effect in 1972, over 40 years ago. It was about 25 years later on Nantucket when sharp-eyed observers of that island’s coastal ecosystem began to notice two things.
First, they were seeing explosive growth in the seal population – mainly gray seals, but harbor seals as well. Seals were being spotted more frequently all around the island in large and growing numbers.
Second, these Islanders, including charter fishing captains, property owners and beachgoers, began noticing changes in the marine ecosystem. A lack of forage fish in inshore waters seemed to be the cause of sharp declines in the game fish species – like striped bass – that drive so much of the recreational fishing industry. Shellfish harvesters also noticed the loss and disruption of local mussel and clam beds. And lastly, there were the filthy conditions in and around the seal haul-out locations.
For any animal to reach 500-600 pounds, as do many of these gray seals, they have to eat a lot. It’s a simple fact. And when there is a concentration of thousands of these animals in close proximity, that area gets fouled with their feces and urine. The tides wash away some of it – but certainly not all.
Against the backdrop of these observations, conversations started to spring up in and around Nantucket’s docks, marinas, beaches and coffee shops. Concerned citizens started to share the empirical evidence they were seeing about seals, and asking questions. Questions like: “How can the clearly exploding gray seal population be brought under control humanely? Are these problems actually being caused by seals and if so, how can we prove direct linkage or causality? And the big question: “What can we do about it?”
In 2006, when these concerns, and the questions and conversations about them became loud and frequent enough, a group of people on Nantucket formed the Seal Abatement Coalition, which eventually evolved in to the Seal Action Committee.
More recently, evident seal overpopulation around Buzzard’s Bay and the Elizabeth Islands brought forth similar concerns among South Coast charter fishing captains, day-boat commercial fishermen, and other professional mariners.
At the same time, the seal-driven influx of dangerous great white sharks all along Nauset from Monomoy to Provincetown, including several shark attacks on humans, began to put a damper on summer rentals and the tourist economy so vital to those Cape Cod communities. Elected officials, surfers and others from Wellfleet, Eastham and other Outer Cape Cod communities started getting involved.
It didn’t take long for these three constituencies – Cape, Islands and South Coast – to realize that we shared the same problem and, thus, have a common goal. That is, to take the critical first step toward more balanced and effective ecosystem management with amending the MMPA with a delisting provision.
That’s how we joined forces and created CEA.
First, they were seeing explosive growth in the seal population – mainly gray seals, but harbor seals as well. Seals were being spotted more frequently all around the island in large and growing numbers.
Second, these Islanders, including charter fishing captains, property owners and beachgoers, began noticing changes in the marine ecosystem. A lack of forage fish in inshore waters seemed to be the cause of sharp declines in the game fish species – like striped bass – that drive so much of the recreational fishing industry. Shellfish harvesters also noticed the loss and disruption of local mussel and clam beds. And lastly, there were the filthy conditions in and around the seal haul-out locations.
For any animal to reach 500-600 pounds, as do many of these gray seals, they have to eat a lot. It’s a simple fact. And when there is a concentration of thousands of these animals in close proximity, that area gets fouled with their feces and urine. The tides wash away some of it – but certainly not all.
Against the backdrop of these observations, conversations started to spring up in and around Nantucket’s docks, marinas, beaches and coffee shops. Concerned citizens started to share the empirical evidence they were seeing about seals, and asking questions. Questions like: “How can the clearly exploding gray seal population be brought under control humanely? Are these problems actually being caused by seals and if so, how can we prove direct linkage or causality? And the big question: “What can we do about it?”
In 2006, when these concerns, and the questions and conversations about them became loud and frequent enough, a group of people on Nantucket formed the Seal Abatement Coalition, which eventually evolved in to the Seal Action Committee.
More recently, evident seal overpopulation around Buzzard’s Bay and the Elizabeth Islands brought forth similar concerns among South Coast charter fishing captains, day-boat commercial fishermen, and other professional mariners.
At the same time, the seal-driven influx of dangerous great white sharks all along Nauset from Monomoy to Provincetown, including several shark attacks on humans, began to put a damper on summer rentals and the tourist economy so vital to those Cape Cod communities. Elected officials, surfers and others from Wellfleet, Eastham and other Outer Cape Cod communities started getting involved.
It didn’t take long for these three constituencies – Cape, Islands and South Coast – to realize that we shared the same problem and, thus, have a common goal. That is, to take the critical first step toward more balanced and effective ecosystem management with amending the MMPA with a delisting provision.
That’s how we joined forces and created CEA.