In the 1900s, New England's harbor and gray seals were hunted to the brink of extinction due to bounty policies put in place to reduce their population. Although the bounty was dropped in 1962, seals continued to be hunted because of their perceived threat to the fishing industry. In 1972, seals became a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Since then, both harbor and gray seal populations have increased dramatically. This graph shows the harbor seal population in the gulf of Maine from 1970 to 2015. What were some of the limiting factors that caused the seals to reach their carrying capacity? Select ALL that apply. The graph shows the harbor seals gaining population from 1970 to 2000, and maintaining about the same population from 2000 to 2015
1. Competition for food resources
2. Disease outbreaks
3. Predation by natural predators
4. Limited suitable habitat
5. Human disturbances and interactions