The salmon aquaculture industry in the northeastern United States has grown substantially in the last decade, as have regional populations of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus). The industry claims that losses caused by seals attacking the salmon pens are substantial and that the frequency of attacks has increased in recent years. Seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and the actions that salmon growers can take to protect their pens from seals are limited to nonlethal deterrence measures.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) established a task force to examine the issues and problems associated with pinniped-aquaculture interactions in the Gulf of Maine. The task force reported that the extent of predator impacts on salmon aquaculture resources in the Gulf of Maine remains unquantified. Data collected by the task force suggested that predator nets, if used properly, are an effective means of controlling pinniped predation. While this issue is currently dormant, it represents a significant point in the politics and science of pinniped-fisheries interactions in the United States.

To learn more about this issue and read the comments that The HSUS submitted to NMFS in response to its recommendations, download the PDF.

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