I was surprised to learn seal poo from the area showed that salmon were only about 5% of a seal's diet. Would have figured it much higher than that. If a group of animals whose diet is comprised only 5% of salmon can actually account for 50% or more of juvenile salmon mortality in their range, it would seem to suggest there are a lot more seals than the ecosystem can feed.

It also stands to reason that the effect would be increased as you travel further south in the Sound, to where fish from the extreme South Sound hardly have a chance at making the ocean at all.

I'm never quick to blame predators for our mismanagement of the resource, but in this case, it does seem like a reduction in numbers is justifiable, if not necessary.