VOA慢速英语--民众呼吁减少美国东北部海豹数量

Calls to Reduce Seal Population in US Northeast

In the Northeastern United States, some Americans are debating what to do about an animal that almost died off – the grey seal. The grey seal population has grown so much in recent years that critics are calling for a reduction in numbers.

Nick Muto has fished the Atlantic Ocean up and down the New England coast. Nothing makes him angrier than the sight of a seal.

Muto is among a growing group of fishermen, beach goers and local officials who are quick to blame many problems on the growing seal population.

"The fish have been driven out of there by seals," Muto said about traditional fishing areas. He added that the seals "have eaten fish out of our nets. They have been caught in our nets. They are everywhere."

The debate over seals became stronger after the death in July of a swimmer. The swimmer was killed by a great white shark near Harpswell, Maine. Seals are often eaten by sharks, and some experts believe Julie Dimperio Holowach may have been mistaken for a seal.

There could be as many as 50,000 grey seals in New England waters. The animals were once rare because of aggressive hunting.

But experts believe there is not enough science to make an effective decision about whether the current population is too large. They say there is little reason for culling¹, or killing², the animals.

Experts also say there is a lack of clear evidence that seals are destroying fisheries or are totally to blame for shark attacks. Warming waters and other issues could also play a part. The Gulf³ of Maine, which goes from Cape⁴ Cod⁵ to Nova Scotia, Canada, has been heating up faster than most of the world's oceans.

David Johnston of Duke University has done estimates of the grey seal population.

"We get into this question of how many grey seals there are. The next question is how many seals should there be, which is kind of where people are going to go next with that, which is a very challenging thing," Johnston told the Associated Press.

The debate over grey seal numbers has led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁶ Administration to present ideas for how to deal with the population. The ideas include using physical barriers to keep seals away from fishing equipment.

But Johnston and Stephanie Wood, a seal biologist with the University of Massachusetts Boston, said the public should view seals as a conservation success story, rather than a problem to be solved.

Conservation is a term that means the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources.

Kristina Cammen is a marine⁷ mammal scientist with the University of Maine. She noted⁸ that reducing the number of seals is more complex than just opening up a hunt.

Learning to live with the growing seal population makes far more sense, Cammen said, even if it leads to more shark sightings in coastal⁹ waters. "A healthy ecosystem¹⁰ has sharks, seals and humans and they all have a place in that ecosystem."

But critics say large seal numbers hurt public safety and the environment. They warn that there will be more shark attacks if action is not taken. Tourism, too, will decrease, they say.

"Doing nothing is not acceptable¹¹ to me and not acceptable to other residents of Cape Cod," said Ron Beaty, a local leader in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts. Beaty said he sees seals as the "core problem."

"The quality of life here and our ability to make a living and our economy will go down the toilet," he said. "I have respect for wildlife and respect for those that believe seals and sharks need to come back. But we have a right to survive and exist as well."

Words in This Story

fishery -- n. a part of the ocean where fish and other sea creatures are caught

challenging – adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable

marine – adj. of or relating to the sea or the plants and animals that live in the sea

ecosystem – n. everything that exists in a particular environment

tourism – n. the business of visiting places for pleasure

resident – n. someone who lives in a particular place

core – adj. of central importance

go down the toilet – expression to lose something or waste something

1 culling   

n.选择，大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选，剔除( cull的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mathematicians turned to culling periodic solutions. 数学家们转而去挑选周期解。 来自辞典例句
• It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. 我们花了一个星期的时间找到你们，把偏见和憎恨剔除出去。 来自演讲部分

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

5 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

6 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

10 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

11 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。