Return of the seals

For decades, fishermen have been pointing fingers at seals accusing them of "stealing " the fish their livelihoods are based on. However, Ian Michler reports on a South African study that suggests not. In a 10 year study by Johan Huisamen, the ecological coordinator for CapeNature, findings on the diet analysis of seals in Plettenberg Bay, suggest  that these mamamals have not been a major competitor to the local fishing industry. Despite this evidence, the fishing industry continues to lay the blame for collapsing fish stocks on seals rather than on its own unsustainable practices. More of this article available in the latest issue of Africa Geographic in the ORI Library.