Seals in Pieterburen

In Pieterburen Lenie 't Hart set up a Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre. Seals in the Wadden Sea that are sick or otherwise in trouble are brought there to recover from their sickness or injuries. There has been some debate lately if saving the seals that are sick doesn't mean us humans are weakening the population because normally the weaker seals would die and the remaining population would be stronger.

Only a few years ago, there weren't that many seals left in the Wadden Sea so without intervention the whole population would probably be gone now. However, recently the population has grown considerably and lots of people now feel we should no longer mess with nature. Against this, Lenie 't Hart and her people are arguing that it's because of human activities (pollution, fishing) that seals are not healthy enough to survive on their own.

I don't know who is right in this debate, but I do know that the centre is a great place to visit especially with children. And since Lenie 't Hart is also actively involved in fighting pollution I do think her centre should be able to continue its work. An example can be found at the centre where you can see a huge pile of old fishing nets. These nets were left in the sea by fisherman but are now retrieved by the same fishermen instead of being thrown overboard when they get caught in their active nets. I forgot to write down how many old broken nets have been retrieved, but back in 2003 it was already 450 tons. Seals often get caught in old fishing nets and their injuries look horrible...