Salmon Fishing on Bodega Bay
Hey There! First EVER blog post, so be kind.....
March 3, 2021 - 4:20ish pm
I witnessed something I hadn't in the 35 years I've lived in California. I've actually never seen seals eat before; they're just usually lounging on the piers, rocks and beaches along the coast. At first I didn't see what the seal was doing and it wasn't until I looked with my long lens that I realized it was eating a fish. It was exciting to see something new and I was able to watch for quite some time as the sun was going down....
It wasn't until I was able to look closely at my pictures that I discovered that the seal was actually "peeling" the skin off of the salmon before eating. How smart!! It would grasp the end of the skin with their teeth, then slap the fish against the water to peel it! Very excited to witness this! Trusty seagulls always ready to clean up any scraps....
So I did a little reading. It seems that protected seals and sea lions are eating salmon at an increasing rate, threatening another protected species; the orca. A study found killer whales consumed the most salmon in terms of weight while harbor seals ate the greatest numbers of salmon, mostly juvenile fish. Let's hope the population of sharks that eat seals, great white sharks and other larger sharks, increase in their numbers also.
Since I love sushi, I'm not pointing any fingers....
