Fishermen and seals: Choppy waters off Nantucket

A group of gray seals hangs out on a sand spit in Nantucket Sound.

Surfcaster Ken Kassan — a.k.a. Big Kenny Tin Squid — comes up empty on a day when he said seals were hurting the fishing off Nantucket.

A gray seal pops out of the water while taking a swim in Nantucket Sound.

Tom Mleczko of Captain Tom’s Charters says he has to travel farther to find fish because of the gray seals. “I don’t hate seals,” he said. “I hate the large number of seals.”

Access to Great Point on Nantucket — a noted fishing spot — was closed to vehicles to protect nesting and staging birds. When they can get there, fishermen complain that seals grab their fish off the lines.

A gray seal basks on a sand spit in Nantucket Sound near Muskeget Island. Figures compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicate that the seal population in this area is exploding.

Dozens of gray seals beach themselves in Nantucket Sound. Seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, but some fishermen believe their numbers are getting out of control.

A group of gray seals swims off Muskeget Island. Fishermen say the seals are shrewd and brazen enough to steal fish right off their lines as they are being reeled in.

A seal perches on a rock near Wellfleet Harbor.

Some fishermen believe that there has to be a better way for them to coexist with seals.