Maine Looking At Composting To Manage This Summer’s Seal Deaths

This may seem a grim way to deal with the more than 600 seals that have died off the coast this year, but state officials are looking at this as an environmentally acceptable way to dispose of all the carcasses. The mass die-offs were caused by an outbreak of distemper, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has approached several towns in southern Maine about creating the special compost bins to process the seals. Ogunquit, Wells, Kennebunkport, and Yarmouth have all agreed to get on board with the program and begin construction of their bins, as reported by the Associated Press.

Let's face it...something has to be done with them, and just burying them in the ground doesn't seem nearly as useful as being able to process them into healthy compost. Towns always have landscaping projects, or need to replant city gardens or whatnot, and this is a great way to make a terrible situation a bit better for all involved.

Of course we'd all rather have the seals swimming about, thrilled with their lives, but Mother Nature has her own agenda. But at least this way, we can give the seals back to nature, and let it take it's course. And hope that next summer, it won't be an issue.