seals wtf...

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by l.i.fish.in.vt

i think it is a combination of many things.the seals have wiped out the ground fish,so why would big bass venture close to the beach. you have a good amount of large bait in the NY,NJ area so the majority of large are not coming north.i think the inshore water quality has changed. whether it has to do with the amount of chorine run off or fertilzer something is changing the water

Seals definately have an impact... but seals don't explain the widespread lack of groundfish where the seals don't even exist. I hear people tying the lack of fluke and winters to seals? We don't even friggin have a seal population here in long island sound and we still don't have flatfish to speak of. If humans weren't involved, the population of seals could be 10 times greater and there would be a thriving balanced ecosystem. The seals play a part in the current situation on the cape, but we caused it.

[john hollenberg]

I think a way to approach this from another angle would be to publicize that the Cape beaches are becoming unsafe from seal fecal contamination. How about an article Flap?

[pops]

chum slick to attract sharks to the colony did I just say that lets get chumming

[stiff tip]

flap....you silver tonge devil.....smooos me

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

if you just do a little math, 6000 seals eating 50lbs of fish a day thats 30,000lbs of fish. if they started with tasty treats like juvinile fluke, flounder and sundabs that weigh six ozs or less thats a lot of fish each day.one of the last fish that i took home to eat had worms in the belly meat just like cod have,if i am not mistaken this is from seal crap.

[Karl F]

John, You are right about the parasites, they are showing up in the bass that have been taken from the beaches.. them seal poop capsules, are more than likely, the culprit, as is the case with the codfish.
When the flat fish #'s first started thinning, years ago, even in the late eighties, we (locals) knew there was a connection to the seals.. several started wintering over way up in Pleasant bay, and were observed nosing the flats out of the mud in the ponds up that way.
As the easier pickings dwindled, and the seals numbers increased, they started targeting the bigger fish.

[Jenn]

I also like it when a seal beaches itself and a ranger has to stand there and baby sit so people wont try to touch it......



Oh and Flaptail you can leave the Flamingos at home...mother natures music is far better (waves).

[Karl F]

Great White , Chowing seals on the inside, So. Beach, Chatham today.. confirmed by my co-workers brother who works at Outermost Marine.. heard from several others.. harbor master is in the area, ... wonder if it will make the paper ....
But.. Great News!

[Adamfishes]

Makes me really sad that I was born in 80. Atleast I have lived through techno music and hydroponic inventions. But seriously I love fishing so much is it ever going to be anywhere close to the way it was in the 70s? Is it possible?

[tattoobob]

Originally Posted by Adamfishes

Makes me really sad that I was born in 80. Atleast I have lived through techno music and hydroponic inventions. But seriously I love fishing so much is it ever going to be anywhere close to the way it was in the 70s? Is it possible?

Alot of things may change but with all the 14 to 24 inch fish around in 10 yrs. it is going to be unflippinbelievable, the back beaches my still suck but everywhere else is going to be smoking

[Adamfishes]

http://www.livescience.com/animalwor...ass_seals.html