Killer whales munch seals, save salmon

SEATTLE, Washington (Reuters) --Endangered Seattle salmon are breathing more easily after a traveling troupe of killer whales took a big bite out of the area's harbor seal population during a two-month feeding binge, wildlife experts say.

Distraught seals huddling on shore in Hood Canal near Bremerton, Washington, are safe to go back in the water, though perhaps half of their friends will not be there, having been chomped down by 13 whales, which have finally left town.

"At the end of last week the seals were up on the bank quivering," said Steve Jeffries, a marine mammal biologist at the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. "This was a perfect place to be a killer whale, probably a bad spot if you happened to be a harbor seal."

The killer whales, or orcas, were likely drawn by the ample supply of some 1,500 Hood Canal seals, growing as large as 250 pounds (114 kg) on a steady diet of 200 salmon a day.

The seals added to the strain on local salmon runs already depleted by pollution, habitat loss, fishing and hydroelectric dams interrupting their lengthy river migrations.

The visiting transient whales, which can grow to as large as 10 tons, have thinned out the herd, giving salmon a better chance to get past the voracious seals when they leave the ocean and head back upstream to spawn in the fall.

"It will probably benefit salmon runs in the short term and in the long run we expect the seal population to recover. This is probably just a natural cycle," Jeffries said, adding that the seal population in surrounding waters is about 30,000, up from 7,000 or so 30 years ago.

The striking black-and-white orcas are a cousin of the popular resident orcas, which eat salmon in the waters off the Pacific Coast from Washington to Alaska. They too have declined in numbers in recent years.

Transient orcas eat mammals like gray whale calves and California sea lions and even some birds. The visitors will likely head north next, except for one orca that typically migrates southward to California, Jeffries said.

"From everything we can tell, they were just in there doing their normal, transient foraging behavior," he added.

Maybe the folks at the NE Aquarium will put killer whales raised in captivity with seals and see if they get along :) ...

Killer whales on the bakeside of the cape? It would make wading a little hairier. My father keeps joking that one of these nights a killer whale is going to slide up on the beach and grab me like we've seen them do to seals in the nature shows. But sure would be nice to have something thin out the seals, especially at Chatham and Nauset Inlets. Wether it be Mr. Whale, Mr. Shark, or Mr. Winchester.:nailem:

Don't forget the mouth of the Merrimack. I'd be up for live-lining a couple seals.

BAD BAD PEOPLE, Seals are our firends they are so cute and cuddly we can't hurt them or let the horrible wales and sharks eat them either.......................................






NOT!!!

But if all the seals in Mass waters are gone - what's Slip going to catch ? :bo:

I like livelining duxbury beach piping plovers for my early spring seals around brant rock. :D

I love piping plover. Tastes just like Bald Eagle.

A new species of surf fish
:rocketem: :ss:

i never have encountered a live seal. what should i do when confronting a seal? i don't see them in cape cod like buzzard bay or falmouth. damn, i miss falmouth.

Notaro...

..stay away from this type of Dolphin...:)

http://nuttypics.com/site/silly/images/20.jpg

Originally posted by Notaro
i never have encountered a live seal. what should i do when confronting a seal? i don't see them in cape cod like buzzard bay or falmouth. damn, i miss falmouth.

When encountering a seal, first remain calm, U dont want to startle it. Next thing U wanna do is make eye contact with it, let it know that you're the boss. When he looks directly at you, start flapping your arms like a giant bird, that will send him running for the water:btu:. Remember, U heard it here first!

seals an kayacs:nailem: :devil:

very funny, man. are they dangerous? it depends on what kind of seals we are facing.

Seals have nasty teeth like dogs. How you think they chomp down stripers? If you encounter one, stay away. They are Federally protected. Even poking one with a stick could end you up in the federal clink. You wouldn't want to go to jail for ten years with a bunch of killers for poking seal.

...reading some of his posts, you NEVER know what he's poked....:laughs: :laughs:

Omg Bloo!:D You too funny:laughs:

:laughs:


If you encounter one, stay away. They are Federally protected. Even poking one with a stick could end you up in the federal clink. You wouldn't want to go to jail for ten years with a bunch of killers for poking seal. In Maine there are signs all over stating that is illegal to bother or kill a seal unless it is in the process of attacking a human being - then you are allowed to shoot it. Seals club adult humans...

I just snorted frickin' water up my nose L-ing, MAO... now I have boogers on my sleeve. Not nice.

bloocrab, you are funny, man
:laughs:

lmao, Bloo U make Me pee Me pants
Hey Wee Wee can I transplant rebar to Your head?:happy:

When encountering a seal

1.Ask it if it would like a ride to say Vermont [no seal law there]
2. Then club it in the head
3. skin it
4.free reel sock or hat

what happens when you are in the water with the seal? then what do u do?? what cha goinga do?????

Originally posted by BM
lmao, Bloo U make Me pee Me pants
Hey Wee Wee can I transplant rebar to Your head?:happy:

Take a number and get in line bubba. :D :smash:

SEALS fly in these

of course a real S.E.A.L would kick your ass if you poked it or bothered him

they wont bother You, when there out in front they push Bass into Holes, thats all Ya get out of Me.
Slip can fight seals real good

Dave-

I dunno...did I tell you about the time I was chased out of the water by a 300 lber at Nauset last June?

Scared the crap out of me.:eek:

punch it in the head

Nah, more like shoot it in the head.:smash:

serve an alcohol to a seal and it might pass out or get riled up.

The first kind off seal is most dangerous IN the water, and is somewhat noisy.
the second S.E.A.L is most dangerous BOTH in the water and on land, and don't make much noise till there's a round in the air.:smash: :smash: :smash: then it's a little late.:laughs: :laughs:

fish_n_dive, so are you saying that i was a little stupid to serve an alcoholic berverage to a seal? seal? they tend to populate around the monomoy island's south beach and boston harbor, right? i wanna see them.

where the hell is PETA when you need them???

out shooting up seals to make them happy
sorry

out shooting up seals to make them happy


LMAO!!!!

was at the beach one day (and a seal was sunning for HOURS)we are talking like 8 hours!!!! people all over the thing!.....ranger rick came out and stayed there the whole time......no crappin

This is a pic from Aug. 2002 The seals are there all the time now. It use to be they were only around in the winter and fall but thy now live here year round.

Sorry that pic is from Chatam. The cut thur from Stage harbor.
Macojoe

that channel is only about 30' wide, with the d... seal watch boats an kayaks an summer people at a dead stop watching the d.. things, half the time u can't get through. full speed ahead don't slow down they move,,,u should see the durty looks ya get. I cuss at em as I'm flyin by. summer time is great here on the cape. ever watch a seal eat a bass?

I wish I had pictures of me getting spooled by a seal after it grabbed one of my lures on the Housy a few years back. :mad:

I heard a statistic that those !@#$ big seals like you see at Nauset or Monomoy can eat up to EIGHTY POUNDS of fish a day. :mad:

-WW:wall: :bsod: :rocketem: :liquify: :yak:

I know someone who goes livlineing for them in the spring before the bass show, says its a rush , course he gets spooled on the first one. :)

serve an alcohol to a seal and it might pass out or get riled up. You DID - like past tense - server alcohol to a seal? Is that what you are saying?

I agree Cape just barrale thur them they will move. I have people yell at me give me the finger. I just get closer to them the next time. Bring on the seals I am hungry!!

john, i was joking. no, i wld never do that. i heard that seals can rip your body part off bad.

The seal population at Chatham is ridicolous. There were at least 2000 seals last summer, increasing every year. I've had a seal cut a striper off while reeling it in.

Good N You - welcome to S-B....

You should see the inlet Just B4 it actually , they are all over the place

time for the mad bomber:devil:

okay, guys, where are seals located?