Too Many Seals

[2na]

Guys, you may have notice people such as Karl, Slipnot, Rappin' Mikey (among others) and myself decrying seals, and we're not joking - they are a serious threat. If you're seeing them it's only a matter of time until they start taking your fish, and they'll take any size - I've had a 25# snatched from me, know of guys losing larger, even a tuna in the 20# class that a guy had released. If you are seeing the big grey seals (aka horsehead seal) the males weigh in at 4-600+ pounds. There is no pressure on the seal population from predation, so it is exploding. They are eating machines, and after they have eaten all of the easy targets such as skate, fluke, sand dab, etc., they are going to learn to watch you for a bent rod. Bass are easier targets for them than blues because the bass on your line will just wallow out there, while a blue will zig and zag, and the blues even though they are hooked, when they see that seal coming the hook in the mouth becomes a secondary concern to them - you can tell when a seal is after your blue because the blue will act just like a herring with a bass after it.

If you guys are seeing them for the first time, I would estimate your window to be 3-5 years. Sightings will go from being a novelty, to a common occurrence, to nuisance once other food sources become depleted. First it was Nauset, then the rest of the back, then the islands and it would be logical to assume that adjoining areas are next. It is a sad state of affairs.

[Rappin Mikey]

I had one take a fish well into 30# range 3 feet in front of me last year.

[Blitzseeker]

You will not catch a bass big enough that they won't eat it off your line....simple as that.

I agree with the timeline stated above.....on the back beach they were a novelty item for a while. Around 2002 a guy I fish with had a seal grab a fish from the end of his line and we all laughed at what we thought was the story of a lifetime.

We're not laughing now......

[RoyL]

They drive me nuts...last year I lost to Beachmasters fishing in the dark on Chatham...even at night they still do the same thing. There is no winning.

[Swimmer]

I have seen the big behemoths off the beach at Wasque tossing around bass and albies like they were basketballs. Coming up underneath them and snouting them into the air and catching them.

Imagine the PETA protests that would occur if a bill/law was introduced to cull the herd to preserve the rec/comm fishing seasons.

Imagine the skyrocketing rifle/shotguns sales that would occur. I can hear it now. Couple of dudes in thier pickups, parked on a dirt road next to some cranberry bog at the end of deer season talking about when seal season opens, and getting real excited.

[STREETFIGHT]

i watched 3 of the fish eating bastages get "re-introduced" to the wild in charlestown sunday morning- they got a free ride down from New Jersey...

[OLD GOAT]

The Canadians have noticed that the seals rip out and eat the bellies of cod fish. I was wondering if it is the same for bass and other fish. The fish scientists never seam to find any large bones as i understand it. Maybe the seals just want the livers.