So long and thanks for all the fish
One of my little pleasures in life has to be the television series Thalassa, out of France. Week after week, they take the time to check out the relationship that mankind has with the sea. So many little differences, so much common ground.
This evening, one segment took the time to examine efforts in Greece and Turkey to protect a marine species that may soon disappear. The Mediterranean Monk seal, Monachus monachus, has had the misfortune to live near that other species, Homo sapiens. Competition for food and territory has led this mammal to the point of extinction. Government agencies try to maintain their numbers, but government agencies are not particularly competent, now are they?
In many of the villages, local entrepreneurs try to lure tourists with the usual boat tours and stuffed souvenirs, while their neighbours curse the beast that tears a fishing net into shreds of inutility. Protected parklands attract the curious humans and force the cautious seals to move elsewhere. Here’s a link to one region in Turkey; Foca.
Let’s draw a disturbing parallel. Not so much from the protected status, but in the Maritime provinces, populations of seals continue to increase. All the same conflicts exist, with seals helping to diminish fish stocks and damage nets and traps. So far, there have been no designated sanctuaries (although there is a segment of the population that would welcome such effort).
I’m got a small collection of photos around here somewhere, documenting the fact that seals are hungry. Seals in downtown Charlottetown. Seals in fields. Seals on park beaches, with incredulous tourists surprised to see just how many teeth there are in that muzzle. Obviously I have no trite answer to the problem, but it was neat to see that Maritime problems aren’t limited to eastern Canada.
