Cape sport fishing gutted by seals

By Doug Fraser
dfraser@capecodonline.com
December 17, 2012 2:00 AM

PROVINCETOWN — Rich Wood knows the names and faces of the people from New Jersey, New York and Connecticut who used to come here in the fall to surfcast for giant striped bass with the magnificent white dunes as a backdrop and a wild frothy ocean before them.

They don't come anymore to the beaches along the back side of the Outer Cape, Wood said, because it's too hard to catch anything with the number of seals feeding there.

"Business has changed dramatically," said Wood, who recently had to close one of his two tackle shops. "You can't beat July and August, but, traditionally, mid-September to mid-October would be big, my

No. 2 season. But people stopped coming."

"My business is really down," he said.

Fishermen and business owners blame the resurgence of the gray seal population on the Cape and Islands over the past decade — 5,611 in 1999 compared with an estimated 15,756 in 2011 — for killing off a traditional fall fishery that brought in money in the off-season and helped the Cape gain a measure of fame in the recreational fishing world for catching big bass.

"I have heard the same things," said Owen Nichols, director of marine fisheries research at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.

Nichols is researching the interaction among seals, fishermen and their prey. He is also a member of the newly formed Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium, based at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, which brings scientists, fishery managers and fishermen together to tackle some of these problems.

"It's very difficult to quantify without direct observation of how much seals are capturing or the more complicated issue of them driving fish offshore," Nichols said. "Fishermen at this point are the best source of the information we do have; however, we need more quantitative evidence."

Nichols said a public forum on seals is in the works for March.

Before he bought Nelson's Bait & Tackle in Provincetown eight years ago, Wood was one of those fall fishermen. He traveled from Connecticut and stayed for two weeks at the end of September into the beginning of October, at the iconic Days' Cottages along Route 6A in North Truro. Now, when he drives by, he can't help but take a wistful glance at the cottages.

"I look over at those little Monopoly cottages and see the cars and see if they have any rod racks on them," Wood recalled. "Normally, there'd be one in front of every little cottage. Now? Nothing."

"I never thought I'd see the day," said Tony Stetzko of Orleans, who once held the International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record with a 73-pound striper caught on Nauset Beach in Orleans in 1981. He used to go by boat to relatively isolated beaches on Monomoy Island off Chatham to get away from the fall crowds. This fall, he said he pretty much had Nauset Beach to himself.

"It's all done. Everybody knows it now," said Stetzko, who said his fishing guide business has suffered from the decline.

"The Outer Beach doesn't do it anymore in the fall," said Lee Boisvert, owner of Riverview Bait and Tackle in South Yarmouth. Boisvert said his beach surfcasting business is way down with most people opting to go on boats or fish the Cape Cod Canal where the seals haven't yet had a big impact.

"I've pretty much stopped fishing the back shore due to the presence of seals," said longtime fisherman Lou MacKeil, vice president in charge of environmental affairs for the Cape Cod Salties sportfishing club. "Trying to get a striped bass in among those seals is impossible. That's why no one is fishing out there in the fall."

The abundance of seals is just one of many possible reasons given for a 74 percent drop in the recreational landing of striped bass between 2006 and 2011. In recent years, bad weather and environmental conditions have led to poor survival rates for larval and juvenile bass in the Chesapeake Bay, where many of our fish originate. Mycobacteriosis, an opportunistic, widespread and potentially fatal bacterial disease, may also be affecting Chesapeake populations.

Still, scientists and fishery managers say the striped bass population is robust, with the females 148 percent over what is considered a healthy threshold. On Cape, some wonder if warming inshore water temperatures may be too high for bass. There are also fewer small fish inshore, possibly driving the bass offshore beyond the reach of a rod cast from the beach.

"We've had tons of sand eels, but not close to shore," Wood said. The 100 or so vessels visible off beaches in the summer commercial season are catching bass that no longer come inshore, Stetzko said, because seals have eaten the smaller fish.

Stetzko made a clapping sound over the phone, mimicking the sound of small flounder known as sand dabs that would wash ashore at night.

"They'd be everywhere, and you'd hear them flapping at your feet," he said. He thinks the seals have gobbled them up.

"As soon as dusk came, you could go hole to hole until you found the bait fish and if you knew what you were doing you'd find (bass)," Stetzko said. "Those are the bass that used to come onto the shore at night, but the fish know if they come in, they will be harassed by those seals — and those were big fish."

MacKeil and Boisvert said the seals are spreading into Nantucket Sound and are now a relatively common sight at many of the Cape's rivers.

"Every day, every month, every year, there are more and more," Stetzko said. "It's just devastating what has happened to surf fishermen along Cape Cod."





Copyright © Cape Cod Media Group, a division of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Well, at least the problem is getting attention, but I doubt anything will be done.

Someone will argue that seal watching brings 10 times the money into the cape cod economy. Let's face it. Surf casters are a bunch of cheap skates. :)

The way to address the seal problem is to connect therm to sharks and to connect them to defeating the commercial fishing stocks.
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It's good to see tackle shop owners finally realize that denying the severity of the problem isn't going to help them in the long run.

I was just about to post a link to this very article.

My first encounter with the problem was in the early 90's. Launched from stage harbor in an old tin boat I had at the time, ran through out to the old break (that's not there anymore so I'm told) with a bunch of live herring.

54064

we where getting picked clean, at first thought it was blues til noticed all those little bald heads with the beady eyes staring at us. Never thought it would come to this,,, nor there would be and end to live lining herring.

if I wasn't sad enough already,,, Gup

Yah, but seal tastes like chicken.

Yah, but seal tastes like chicken.
If they opened the cull again, I know a lot of fishing friend that'd be getting seal gloves and jackets for christmas next year.

The harbor seals at the WH Aquarium eat 10-15 lbs of fish per day. The grey seals are much larger and obviously eat a lot more.
It doesn't take much of a scientist to figure 10,000 grey seals are eating 50-100,000 lbs of fish a day. That translates into 2-4 million lbs of fish per year. That is a lot and it is not very likely they are making do on sand eels and sand dabs.

"I have heard the same things," said Owen Nichols, director of marine fisheries research

"It's very difficult to quantify without direct observation of how much seals are capturing or the more complicated issue of them driving fish offshore," Nichols said. "Fishermen at this point are the best source of the information we do have; however, we need more quantitative evidence."


Translation: Fisherman can't be believed and only truly unbiased researchers will be able to determine the truth. So George, your common sense math, my getting sealed over 200 times and fishermen fleeing the cape are mere anecdotes and without more objective empirical evidence are biased and baseless. We are just irrationally anti-seal.

Yah, but seal tastes like chicken.
It actually tastes like pot roast. I've eaten it before.
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But maybe something will happen to the seals the way it did to the Gypsy Moths. I remember when they were so thick they covered every surface. One day we woke up and they were ALL dead. Seems there was some kind of Gypsy Moth virus once the population gets too large and it kills all of them. Maybe all the seals will get sick and die.:smash::smash::smash:

. Maybe all the seals will get sick and die.:smash::smash::smash:

Hmmmmm,, got me thinking about my wife's pot roast and leaving it out on monomoy.

Burn this email, Gup
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Im no biologist, but could part of the reason be the the shark population is also down? Well that, and people dont hunt seals anymore.

Mass and the Cape does not "traditionally" harbor a high Great White population. Though it might help.....and it might change given the availability of seal meat?? Does seem to be more GW over the past few seasons.

My wife has a bunch of friends out there in the camp grounds. So I still get a sticker every year. People I used to love to see, but aren't there any more stinks! Dangles, Slipnot, Bassmaster, Bassballface, Ballsbassface, to name a few. I think the seals have depleated the strand of fish that would feed inshore. So, I got a kayak. Worked great for about 5 years. I got chased by a JAWS this Summer about a mile out. I hate SEALS!!!

My wife has a bunch of friends out there in the camp grounds. So I still get a sticker every year. People I used to love to see, but aren't there any more stinks! Dangles, Slipnot, Bassmaster, Bassballface, Ballsbassface, to name a few. I think the seals have depleated the strand of fish that would feed inshore. So, I got a kayak. Worked great for about 5 years. I got chased by a JAWS this Summer about a mile out. I hate SEALS!!!

My favorite was the year that I was following Bassmaster off the beach with Jess and all of her friends and we got stuck by the old man and his svengali trying to drive the Astro van out on the ORV.

I really miss going out there too and miss the people too, wish I lived closer and had more money. sealed too many times for me to go broke staying out there weekends. no sticker since 2007 :(

I really miss going out there too and miss the people too, wish I lived closer and had more money. (

My sentiments exactly Bruce....loved the back beaches...my best memories of fishing, and a great time in my life.

me too. My family used to get the ORV sticker every year. spent a lot of awesome time out on those beaches when I was in younger through high school. Beach closures due to plovers and erosion made it unworthy of the costs :( now with the seals killing the fishing? forget about it.

Whats the name of that deli on the way to the beach... Ron's or something? Awesome sandwiches... "the southern comfort" with lettuce tomato and bbq sauce... you guys air down, I'll go get the grub!

The outer cape was always my favorite place to fish. Not just the fishing, but the whole atmosphere - the dunes, seeing nothing but sand and water in either direction as far as the eye could see - but I didn't go once this year and I don't think I went last year either. Had a seal take what would have been my personal best from me. I just got back the head and backbone after it finished eating what it pleased. I miss the fishery down there, and I hope we can get it back one of these days. I'll say that the cape is losing out on my tourist dollars because of this seal prfoblem. Hopefully now that its hitting the local economy something will be done about it, but I don't see anything happening with all the enviro-nazis in charge of the beaches.

Someone needs to train seals to eat plovers guaranteed they will wipe out the seals in two years
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i also miss seeing some of the crew that use to fish the outer cape beachs.if i didn't have a kayak i wouldn't buy the 4x4 sticker.as much as i do miss some of the old crew,i have to say there is nothing like having almost 70 miles of beach to fish with 2 or 3 other people.

Are the fish available from the beach and if so....anywhere close to how it was 6+ years ago?? Lonely beach with no fish = boring!

I have posted my love for The Back before. The years I spent out there are some of my greatest memories. The guys were the best. The fishing was world class and the good times never seemed like they would end. I could even live with the bird closures (we would sneak by them sometimes and make a commando raid on Peaked Hill when they closed the beach at the Mission Bell.) Once the seals showed up in full force (2003 was my last year), I never went back. It wasn't the same anymore.:crying:

There are fish our there. I still spend a lot of time there. It is work to find them. But generally they show up on certain stretches of beach. That being said I do focus more time at the canal. I get the sand pass every year and love being out there. I brought my daughter there at two months and felt privileged to share a spot with her, that is in my estimation one of the most beautiful unspoiled locations on the planet.
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Larry,''loose lips sinks ships''.in the last 5 years i haven't had the need to drive more than 10 miles from my trailer to catch fish at night.some areas that use to be productive are waste lands while other areas are quite productive.if your sole purpose is to catch bigger fish than the outer cape is a waste of time.i would rather cast into the night by myself and a good freind or 2 than stand shoulder to shoulder with the masses.to each there own

My point is and always has been....unless you live there and can put in untold hours to find the productive spots....it ain't worth the trip! I miss bumping into folks like yourself John!:uhuh:

"I have heard the same things," said Owen Nichols, director of marine fisheries research

"It's very difficult to quantify without direct observation of how much seals are capturing or the more complicated issue of them driving fish offshore," Nichols said. "Fishermen at this point are the best source of the information we do have; however, we need more quantitative evidence."


Translation: Fisherman can't be believed and only truly unbiased researchers will be able to determine the truth. So George, your common sense math, my getting sealed over 200 times and fishermen fleeing the cape are mere anecdotes and without more objective empirical evidence are biased and baseless. We are just irrationally anti-seal.


Another translation: I NEED research MONEY to keep my government funded job.

Seal Abatement Coalition - SEAL ABATEMENT COALITION (http://www.Sealabatement.com)
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I would love a custom pair of seal skin waders

And maybe a sealskin catsuit for my wife:love:

And maybe a sealskin catsuit for my wife:love:
Best. Idea. Ever.

Feeling a little guilty after reading some of these post and realizing what I took for granted all these years. Now that I've entered the ranks of part time retirement I'm making sure my army of grandkids doesn't do the same.

So what's wrong with me buying a spinning rod for my latest 2 month old grandson? women!.... Gup

Montauk is next in line for this nonsense!

Larry,''loose lips sinks ships''.in the last 5 years i haven't had the need to drive more than 10 miles from my trailer to catch fish at night.some areas that use to be productive are waste lands while other areas are quite productive.if your sole purpose is to catch bigger fish than the outer cape is a waste of time.i would rather cast into the night by myself and a good freind or 2 than stand shoulder to shoulder with the masses.to each there ownJohn,I just got off the phone after talking with T.C for over an hour.He told me about Mikey posting this and your input so I'll toss my .02 into the fray.We didn't see each other at all this year because I was totally fed up with the entire place.I had no desire to drive from Orleans to those "quiet" places to fish.Even at night.The traffic,arrogant people,rediculous rules,closeures,etc,etc.I thought I'd be buried on the Cape.27+years living and working there[and Nantucket some summers].The seals were the final "nail".I adapted to the lies from the Seashore about the birds and driving on the beach.I walked Monomoy[north and south Is.] for miles with a flyrod it was heaven on the flats.Nauset was great.Especially when the birds closed parts of the beach[lazy people couldn't drive] it gave up some great fish,peace and quiet too.most of the seals stayed south in Chatham near the southway[closed now5yrs].When that closed up the seals moved north in huge numbers.That really did in Nauset then it moved bigtime north.The seals were in ptwn but not in the masses.Now all of the area is effected heavily.Staying in the dune shacks on Peaked Hill was a refuge but now that's changing and not for the better.The entire Cape experience for me atleast has been destroyed.Finally said "that's it....I'm gettin the f*** out of here".Took a weekend the 1st of August and drove up to Maine.Two days of house looking bought a place in Rangeley.Never fished rivers,streams,etc. for brook trout,browns,l.locked salmon.Fished the beaches from Neponset to Nantucket for over 50 yrs.I needed the change thank you seals.


Owen Nichols.....A group of 15 fisherman[comm&rec.] met with him and a Ms Sette[center for coastal studies,ptwn] at the Nauset R&G club a couple of years ago at their request to possibly formulate a study program with vollenteers from the rec. and comm. fishers.We tossed around different ideas and how a study could be created.Some of the folks were from a big fishing club on the cape and it was suggested that ctr for coastal studies come to a meeting and further the prosess of setting up a study.Most of the group at the R&G club made it known that there were too many seals and it was definately effecting the fishing already.Of course the next issue was the "funding" for the study.......................HMMMMMMM.Well...I waited over a month to "hear" from Mr. Nichols.3 calls and 2 e-mails................................crickets!!!!! NOTHING is going to happen for a looooong time.At 62 yrs young that's it....I'm gone.Anybody want to buy a house in Orleans????

OH!!! Proffessor. 19" of snow on the ground and 6-12" tomorrow.Snowshoeing through the woods in the morning for a couple of hours.Then down into the flytying/rod mancave to work on a 5wt. flyrod and tie some drys,streamers,and nymphs.Heaven..........

Nuff said !
My ashes were going to be put into the waters there.
No F'n way now ! :(
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There is no question that the seals are impacting fishing. I feel that there will be no action until the coliform levels force public health to close beaches to swimming. When that happens and all those tourists dollars go to area's that have swimming then and only then will action be taken. Sad but true!

They absolutey do not care.Public health is the least of their concerns.
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Geeeeeeees!
front page of my Sunday paper! :yak5:

Muskeget Island: Largest gray seal breeding colony in US | CapeCodOnline.com (http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130120/NEWS/301200322/-1/NEWS01)

Gup

I guess every fourth grade dropout knows the seal are destroying the environment but the scientists that work with salaries or grant money need to study --just a little bit longer- after all we must be sure that the fourth grade dropouts are correct and that we get a few more grants.

sealsurge083012 (http://www.ack.net/sealsurge083012.html)

old news really

the last meeting I attended the spin was not to worry, the seals will INCREASE tourons to the area, to come see the cute pups frolic on the sand.. from where?...raised observation decks... the whole thing is a friggin joke..

saltfly, you got it right.. good for you.. (wish I could pull up roots and go as well.. too many people & rules here now, and less freedom to do what we once did) ... drive by your old place everyday... you.. (or the RE agent) left the front light on :)...any bites on it yet?.. spring's comin'..and folks from away will get the fever.. it will go quick...maybe a seal/bird lover will get it!

sealsurge083012 (http://www.ack.net/sealsurge083012.html)

old news really

the last meeting I attended the spin was not to worry, the seals will INCREASE tourons to the area, to come see the cute pups frolic on the sand.. from where?...raised observation decks... the whole thing is a friggin joke..

saltfly, you got it right.. good for you.. (wish I could pull up roots and go as well.. too many people & rules here now, and less freedom to do what we once did) ... drive by your old place everyday... you.. (or the RE agent) left the front light on :)...any bites on it yet?.. spring's comin'..and folks from away will get the fever.. it will go quick...maybe a seal/bird lover will get it!Hi Karl.The "little lady"s daughter is the listing agent who lives about a mile away so she goes by and changes the lights periodically.There are quite afew showings but no offers yet.Thanks for keeping an eye on the old place.

I'm looking out my floor to ceiling glass window at the snowmobilers heading to the lake.we'll be heading out around noon to snowshoe through the woods looking for antler sheds in the cedar and balsm groves next to my house.We've[she] found one set so far.Oh...its -4 with a 20 n/w wind and sunny.Not a MOONBAT in sight!!!

:) sounds like Heaven!

Karl,the grass is always greenier on the otherside.still no place on the eastcoast where i'd rather be than Truro.the only reason i am still in VT is because of the skiing.

Karl,the grass is always greenier on the otherside.still no place on the eastcoast where i'd rather be than Truro.the only reason i am still in VT is because of the skiing.John I agree..................I'd move back to Truro in a minute but the prices are out of my league by a large margin.That IS the only town left with peace and quiet.When I had to sell my place in Truro in 05 and move to Orleans it just ruined everything[for me].

Bob,even renting a campersite is getting expensive in Truro,with the tax rate in my area, its getting to the point were i am wondering where i can afford to live. never going to retire since i have always been self employed,other than the tackle shop.Well enjoy this cold spell.skied this morning a balmy -4 at the top,

no arguement John.. Truro is the ONLY place left on the cape, that even resembles what my definition of it is.. downside is the dough.. it is a rich mans town now... they will drive/buy out the natives out over time.. it is also over regulated, like the rest of the cape. too many downsides here. I'm stuck for a while tho.. :( camp while you can.. I have read that there is a time coming soon when that ends up there.

property taxes in Orleans.. (and the rest of the cape, for that matter) will soon explode.. triple to quadruple in short order.. there is no way around it...again.. caused by too many regulations..local, state, and federal..

Bob,even renting a campersite is getting expensive in Truro,with the tax rate in my area, its getting to the point were i am wondering where i can afford to live. never going to retire since i have always been self employed,other than the tackle shop.Well enjoy this cold spell.skied this morning a balmy -4 at the top,Good morning John;Ya it was -8 and sweeper snow at 7 a.m. walking the beagle around the loop.27 deer,4 yoties,2 turkeys,1 red fox seen as we walked.No antler sheds yesterday.we'll head out[snowshoes] around 11 to look for sheds.Then back around 2-3 to tie salmon streamers in the window and watch the sun go down.

Big snowmobile weekend up here on Rangeley Lake.SNODEO weekend brings in many hundreds of snowmobilers to town for races,stunts[pros],fireworks,fires on the lakes,ice fishing derby on Haley pond[in town].

Tonys computer is in Steves hand as of Saturday.He got a virus he couldn't shake.Steve is going to fix it so he can retrieve photos and videos too.I guess he hasn't been able to for a while.

Hi John-- I'll up this weejkend.. If my back holds out Ill shoot ya a line, and maybe we can do a few runs?