Seals congregate in large numbers around the schools of alewives. They have either already pupped - or will soon - and very much need the calories to feed their new and delicate young families. Watching them fish is comical, with plenty of lounging, rolling, and chasing being interspersed with the hard work of eating.
The migration and fishing frenzy will continue for a few weeks, progressing from south to north up the coast. As the alewives migrate, the fish tend to become smaller - and so the hunters need more of them to fill their needs. Once they disperse into the calmer lakes and ponds, the fishing becomes more challenging for the birds and mammals, but the food sources shift to the resident fish within the lakes until the alewives return to the ocean - continuing to feed the bounty of life there. And the circle continues until they return next spring.......