Seal Sightings

People come from miles away to see the seals off the shores of Cape Cod, but the animals are creating some challenges for local fishermen. Increasing seal populations led to the creation of a new effort to improve our understanding of the ecological role of seals in North Atlantic waters. “This encompasses all issues: how they live, where they go, what they eat, their health and illnesses, and interactions with the world—including us—around them,” says WHOI researcher Andrea Bogomolni. The new Marine Animal Identification Network also provides info on tagged animals and a database of sightings.

(Photo by Jim Canavan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)