Seals are cute and fun to watch. They're also a nuisance on Cape Cod, where tens of thousands of them are eating fish that might otherwise be caught by Cape fishermen and drawing great white sharks that are occasionally attacking swimmers at Cape beaches.
A man was seriously injured by a great white shark August 15 in Truro, and another man was killed by a great white on September 15 in Wellfleet. These attacks, while sad, aren't surprising. In fact, given the explosion of seals and sharks in recent years, it's remarkable it has taken this long. More such attacks are likely next year.
Allowing enough seal hunting to reduce the draw of great white sharks to Cape Cod isn't likely because animal rights activists and environmentalists put such emphasis on the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, federal officials said this week.
That federal law outlaws hunting of seals. The explosion of seals in recent years on Cape Cod has drawn large numbers of great white sharks who eat them – and who on occasion attack swimmers.
