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By Daniel Curtin
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Members of the community came out early on Tuesday night, June 19, to see Bob Michelson’s presentation, “Grey Seals & White Sharks of Cape Cod.” The event, hosted at the Walpole Library, had about two dozen fascinated individuals admiring pictures of grey seals taken by Michelson, a wildlife photographer.
Michelson talked about the process of having to apply for a federal permit for commercial photography from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and another permit to go to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge with seal researchers.
During Michelson’s talk, he went into detail about the history of grey seals on the Cape, and their biology.
“Were looking at about 700 grey seals hauled out inside of Chatham Harbor. Females are six feet long and weigh 450 to 500 pounds. Males are eight feet long and weigh up to 900 pounds,” he said. “These are big animals. They are the largest member of the seal family we have in the North Atlantic. About 30 years ago, we had maybe a dozen of them show up every year, so no great white sharks,” Michelson said.
Massachusetts used to have a bounty on seal pelts that was eventually repealed. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 protects all marine mammals within the waters of the United States. This has resulted in the numbers of grey seals on the Cape rising in recent years.
Michelson also stressed a point of safety: if you see a seal in the water while swimming, it’s time to get out, because it is not safe - if there are seals in the vicinity, great whites sharks are not far behind.
The point was not lost on young William Cugua, who attended the presentation with his mother. “The grey seal - that’s the shark’s most favorite meal,” said William. “So the [sharks] are coming up here to feed on their favorite food.”
“Hopefully [Michelson] comes back again,” said William’s delighted mother, Katrina. “[It was] definitely informative - even for a pregnant mother and her two kids. It was very interesting, so I’m glad we came.”
For Michelson, the ability to share his work was a reward in itself.
“This is a passion. This is a labor of love,” he said.
“I like to teach people and show people things that they’re most likely never going to see.”
