Originally Posted by
nirofo
Like I said earlier, and someone else mentioned in a previous post, the 2 main reasons you're seeing more seals around the coast is because.
1) They are slowly coming back to the numbers they were at before
disease decimated them, it's doubtfull they'll ever reach previous
numbers for many reasons.
2) Massive overfishing has seriously decimated fish stocks in the areas
where the seals used to feed, the only areas they can reliably find
enough fish to survive on is close inshore where the trawlers don't
normally fish. I said normally because they're not officially allowed
to fish close inshore, but that doesn't seem to stop them does it.
Predatory animals are by their own nature self regulating, that is if they are left alone they will find their own natural population levels based on available habitat and the amount of prey in that habitat, seals don't destroy fish stocks, man does. If the status quo is altered through mans, (the fishermens) interference, then the predator, in this case the seals, will need to make adjustments in order to re-establish it's territory and food supply to maintain it's own survival. Of course you could wipe out the seals, that might prolong the overfishing by fishermen for a short while, but then eventually, (not too long) the fish stocks will also be wiped out! You would then be left with a situation where you had neither seals nor fish, happy world isn't it.
Incidentally, if the market wasn't so flooded with crabs and lobsters you might get a better price, but then if you got a better price you'd want to catch more crabs and lobsters, funny world isn't it.
nirofo.