Pinniped Lecture Series Seals and Society: Our Complex Relationship with Seals in the NW Atlantic

Now more than ever, there is a need to understand the role seals play in our ecosystem and to understand their role as sentinel species. Through collaborative research and engagement, much is being learned across the region.

Dr. Andrea “Dre” Bogomolni, Chair and co-founder of the Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium, and the museum’s Associate Curator of Science and Research, Robert Rocha, discuss surrounding recent findings. Dr. Bogolmoni shares insights into how we study seals, what we are learning about their place in the greater ecosystem, and what seals are telling us about our complex relationship with the natural world.

Between 1880-1962, gray and harbor seals were targeted in legal seal bounty hunts across Maine and Massachusetts due to a perceived competition with commercial fisheries. Since then, the return of seals to historical grounds along the New England coast has been a conservation success story, but conflict has re-emerged and so has the spread of misinformation.

Dr. Andrea “Dre” Bogomolni is a community scientist, naturalist, artist, biologist, and conservationist with a passion for the ocean. Working with a range of collaborators including scientists, fishermen, and artists, she aims to understand not just seals, but our human relationship with the natural world, and to identify ways we can help preserve, protect, and to sustainably use the limited resources nature provides. Dr. Bogomolni has an interdisciplinary skill-set including scientific research, education, and outreach. Her Bachelor’s degrees are in studio art and wildlife, and fisheries and conservation biology from UC Davis. She holds a Master’s degree in marine biology from Boston University and a Doctorate in pathobiology and veterinary science, as well as a certificate in public health from UCONN. Dr. Bogomolni was a postdoctoral fellow and guest investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She has taught marine mammal science and conservation courses at several institutions, and started the seal research program at the Shoals Marine Lab a decade ago. She is also the Chair and co-founder of the Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium. Through all her work, Dr. Bogomolni hopes to amplify the voices of those who can provide the knowledge needed to mitigate human impacts as we manage ocean ecosystems.