The perpetual protection provided by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has helped to push the gray seal population in Massachusetts to numbers unseen in our lifetime.
Have gray seals reached the point of overpopulation? CEA members can’t say, nor can anyone else, for that matter.
Why not? It’s because measuring the populations of seals and other marine mammals lies with regulators and scientists, but that’s not happening with gray seals. However, the MMPA’s lack of a delisting provision prevents them from doing that job.
Due to the MMPA’s endless and complete protection, doing basically anything with gray seals is out of bounds for regulators and researchers.
Although CEA does have members that hail from the scientific community, including a retired Massachusetts DMF fisheries scientist, most of CEA members aren’t regulators or scientists. We are, however, keen and long-time observers of our shorelines and inshore waters. We’re beach-goers, commercial and charter fishermen, surfers, hikers, bird watchers, and property owners. And some of us are elected officials.
Simply put, our observations and collective common sense tells us that the local gray seal population is now at a problematic level - with no end to the growth in sight.
This real-world assessment based on up-close, first-hand observations is what unites CEA and steers our activities.
We’re unified by our interest in and focus on:
All CEA wants is the opportunity for scientists and regulators to step back into the picture and be given the incentive to study our local gray seal population. To do that, they need a delisting provision to be part of the MMPA.
It’s a reasonable request, and one that would open a path for the regulators to produce a scientific assessment of the issue. If that assessment validates CEA’s belief that the exploding gray seal population is a problem, then the appropriate parties can begin taking subsequent steps to address the problem.
Why not? It’s because measuring the populations of seals and other marine mammals lies with regulators and scientists, but that’s not happening with gray seals. However, the MMPA’s lack of a delisting provision prevents them from doing that job.
Due to the MMPA’s endless and complete protection, doing basically anything with gray seals is out of bounds for regulators and researchers.
Although CEA does have members that hail from the scientific community, including a retired Massachusetts DMF fisheries scientist, most of CEA members aren’t regulators or scientists. We are, however, keen and long-time observers of our shorelines and inshore waters. We’re beach-goers, commercial and charter fishermen, surfers, hikers, bird watchers, and property owners. And some of us are elected officials.
Simply put, our observations and collective common sense tells us that the local gray seal population is now at a problematic level - with no end to the growth in sight.
This real-world assessment based on up-close, first-hand observations is what unites CEA and steers our activities.
We’re unified by our interest in and focus on:
- Public health and safety at our beaches and on our inshore waters,
- The economic vitality of our seaside communities, and
- A balanced, ecosystem-based approach.
All CEA wants is the opportunity for scientists and regulators to step back into the picture and be given the incentive to study our local gray seal population. To do that, they need a delisting provision to be part of the MMPA.
It’s a reasonable request, and one that would open a path for the regulators to produce a scientific assessment of the issue. If that assessment validates CEA’s belief that the exploding gray seal population is a problem, then the appropriate parties can begin taking subsequent steps to address the problem.