Report of Gulf of Maine aquaculture-pinniped interaction task force

The salmon aquaculture industry in the northeastern United States has grown substantially in the last decade, and SO have regional populations of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus). The seals are known to occasionally attack the pens in which the cultured salmon are held. Industry proponents have claimed the losses caused by the seals are substantial and the frequency of attacks has increased in recent years.