Hungry seal hits bonanza at fish hatchery
Hungry seal hits bonanza at fish hatchery
By Roy Greene, Globe Staff
Looking for a stellar seafood place on the Cape, with locally raised fare and no wait? A brazen young harbor seal found just that today after she sneaked into a state fish hatchery in Sandwich and dined on an all-you-can-eat trout buffet before being nabbed and returned to the sea.
A hatchery worker discovered the female seal around 9 a.m., proudly gnawing her latest catch of the day, according to members of a team from theCape Cod Stranding Network, which was called in to corral the seal. It was unclear how long the seal had been in the hatchery or how many fish she had consumed.
Misty Niemeyer, a team member, estimated the enterprising seal had to waddle nearly 2 miles over land to reach the hatchery, traversing a stretch of the Sandwich Boardwalk, taking a tunnel that goes under Route 6A, and then slip-sliding across a mini-golf course before arriving at seafood nirvana.
The team netted the seal, put it in a crate, and released it off West Dennis.
The snacking seal was first reported by The Cape Cod Times.
Niemeyer said that it was the first time that staff members at the Cape Cod Stranding Network recalled such a scenario, though she noted it had a positive side.
"It's a good sign that she was healthy,'' she said. "A lot of the seals we see are on the beach are not in such good shape.''
http://www.boston.com/news/local/bre...ealcapecod.jpg
(Steve Heaslip/Cape Cod Times)
The seal's head was covered to keep it calm while it was tagged.
