U.S. seal populations have rebounded — and so have their conflicts with humans

A Year pinch nan Seals
Alix Morris
Algonquin Books, $30

“Hello there!” “Hey, you!” “Get outta there!” These are only a fewer of nan phrases that brought visitors flocking to Boston’s New England Aquarium to spot its chattiest resident: Hoover nan harbor seal. Before joining nan aquarium successful 1971, Hoover was nether nan attraction of Maine fisherman George Swallow and his wife, Alice. The mates kept nan orphaned seal successful their backyard pond aft discovering that nan pup’s mother had been fatally changeable by different fisherman.

George, good alert of Hoover’s talents, informed aquarium unit that Hoover could mimic quality speech. They, naturally, were skeptical, and Hoover seemed quiet capable erstwhile he arrived. But things changed successful 1978, erstwhile unit members witnessed Hoover saying his ain sanction successful George’s gruff, New England accent. That azygous utterance soon turned into a afloat repertoire of shouts and belly laughs that entertained crowds until Hoover’s decease successful 1985.

Hoover is 1 of galore characters populating nan pages of Alix Morris’ caller book, A Year pinch nan Seals. Season by season, nan subject writer hits nan roadworthy to various parts of nan United States and Canada to itch her curiosity regarding nan betterment of these creatures, which were erstwhile endangered successful North America. Morris’ book isn’t your emblematic conservation read, though. Instead of detailing nan plight of type astatine risk, it examines what happens erstwhile conservation efforts succeed.

By nan mid-20th century, nan United States’ 2 resident seal species, nan grey and nan harbor, were hunted to nan brink of extinction because they were considered nonstop competitors of nan sportfishing industry. Since nan enactment of nan Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, their numbers person bounced back. But “as seal populations person rebounded,” Morris writes, “so excessively person conflicts pinch humans — peculiarly fishermen.” Easing specified tensions is nary easy task. The 253-page book looks chiefly to New England for answers, pinch occasional excursions to nan Pacific Northwest and Nova Scotia.

Along New England’s coasts, rising achromatic shark populations are rattling communities, contempt nan rarity of attacks connected humans. Federal protections for nan sharks, established successful nan 1990s, are down nan boom. But seals, a cardinal prey for achromatic sharks, person overmuch of nan blame. Despite national bans connected sidesplitting seals, disappointment locals telephone for culls to thief “close nan restaurant.”

Sometimes, it’s “the group who emotion and want to thief nan seals nan astir who extremity up doing nan astir harm,” Morris notes. Her clip watching unit astatine Marine Mammals of Maine, a rehabilitation center, acts arsenic a motif passim nan narrative. In 1 harrowing outing, Morris tags on during a rescue telephone for an abandoned seal pup. When nan squad arrives connected nan scene, nan caller is taking a selfie pinch nan oversea animal nether his arm. Such seal handling is considered harassment and is forbidden nether nan Marine Mammal Protection Act, pinch violators taxable to hefty fees and up to a twelvemonth of situation time. A week later, Morris learns that nan pup died, astir apt succumbing to dehydration and malnutrition from abandonment. The accent from nan harassment astir apt didn’t help.

Morris meanders seamlessly betwixt nan 2 worlds of seal advocates and their critics. Much of nan book leans connected really wildlife conflicts person their roots successful our society’s economical and group disparities. Those “who declare to beryllium quality purists, advocating for full protections for wildlife, are often those pinch nan slightest magnitude to lose,” Morris writes. More importantly, she demonstrates really nan 2 opposing sides travel together: “Perhaps nan loudest anti-seal voices person been those of fishermen, but fishermen are besides nan ones calling nan Marine Mammals of Maine hotline to study stranded seals successful each season.”