Surfcasters, especially on the Cape know how detrimental seals can be to fishing. Any angler who’s spent enough time fishing the beaches of Chatham, Nantucket and Race Point has had an encounter with a gray seal that has decided he’d like to take a few bites out of your hooked striper. One of the striper-stealing pinnipeds was even caught on tape. But relative to the salmon-swiping sea lions in Oregon, we’ve got it pretty easy.
Out on the left coast the sea lions will do a lot more than steal your catch of the day. They’ll drag you over the side, smack you around and steal your net. Check out the news story HERE.
Anglers should feel lucky to fish waters with marine mammals, even if they fight us for fish. It’s a sign the oceans are not as bad as they could be, and better than they will be if we don’t fight for everything: stripers, bait, rivers, etc. It would be a sad day if we woke up to find only certain predators. Fighting for seals, birds, and sharks means fighting for recreational and food species. It’s all part of the same system. You can’t be a true angler and not be a true conservationist.