Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. The good.... The bad....The future.

Historically, grey seals and Great White Sharks inhabited Cape Cod waters hundreds of years ago. The gray and harbor seal populations were all but decimated in New England by the 1960's. The idea of a Great White Shark patrolling the waters of Cape Cod was conjured up from reading Peter Benchley's Jaws or seeing the film Jaws, in 1975. Today, seal sightings are normal and beach closings due to Great Whites snacking on a seal close to shore are common.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SpalFC8Ur4&authuser=0

courtesy photo Claudia Linsley 

 

Any given day at The National Seashore you will see seals. Back in 2016 while vacationing with my family, we packed the car and headed out to The National Seashore in search of waves. The haze was burning off and the swells were increasing out on Marconi Beach. There was the customary sight of seals, in a row about 1/2 mile wide, floating and basking in the daylight just 20 or so yards off the beach. I grabbed my boogie board and headed out, keeping an eye out for seals. I caught a full wave to ride and jumped up on my board. Thirty seconds into my ride a large, dark grey shadow swam underneath me. Shock and awe. I rode the wave out with fear pounding my heart and exhilaration racing through my veins. I just had a close encounter with a really large grey seal in about 5 -6 feet of water. I exited the water. Quickly.

Clearly, the Marine Mammal Protection Act achieved incredible success with the resurgence of the grey and harbor seal population of Cape Cod.  With the success, the Great White Shark presence is consistent as well.  On any given day from late spring through fall, you can see a spotter plane in the sky or research vessels tracking Great Whites all along the National Sea Shore. Great White excitement can also lead to hysteria so it  is an important to educate the public on their importance to the ecosystem.  A healthy balance of phytoplankton to the apex-predators is crucial for the balance in the ecosystem of the Atlantic.  It is a race for scientists on developing the best technology and procedures to keep the public safe.

Monomoy Island Excursions, Trip Advisor

While some groups have advocated culling the seal population "There is very little evidence that culling seals will increase fishery yields or provide positive effects on the local ecosystem."  At the same time, Curt Nickisch reported the seals are popular with tourists and seal-watching boats are a booming industry.  Other scientists and environmental groups argue that even if culling of the Cape Cod population was to be attempted, there is significant reason to believe the Nova Scotia colony would repopulate the Cape Cod one. The surge in this seal population has also disrupted local businesses in the fishing industry, who've complained that the seals are eating their fish as they're hauling it in, resulting in less profit.

 Truro,  Head of the Meadow- courtesy photo: Chase Linsley

     The return of Great Whites to the Cape Cod region was a boom in the tourism economy. Every store seems to capitalized on the Great Whites image: from t-shirts to key chains. From dawn to dusk, hourly seal watch tours leave Chatham Harbor to take tourists to Monomoy Island.  Anxious at the prospect of seeing a Great White, tourists tepidly looked over the boat sides half wishing and half dreading the sight of a fin cutting through the dark water. Up until the recent fatal shark attack in August, the return of the Great Whites had been a tourism success. Will this now be it's downfall to the local tourism economy?

 Now, the co-existance is in a sensitive balance.

Approaching the end of a five year study, local and world renown marine scientist, Greg Skomal of the Atlantic Great White Shark Conservancy has been working with a team of researchers, tagging and collecting data Great Whites on the Outer Cape in order to track their migratory patterns. An important purpose that grew because of need for human safety from this study, is the Sharktivity App. This app for android or iPhone users can provide the public with realtime knowledge if a tagged Great White has been identified in the area. The public can check tagged sharks locations throughout the Cape. Human safety on the Cape will rely on a combination of awareness, technology and science advancement. 

Two thing are for sure. The grey seals are successfully repopulated and thriving and the Great White Sharks are Cape Cod residents.