Out of curiosity, did the reports that you saw happen to say what species of seal or sea lion they were? I would also be interested to know the circumstances of the attacks. Were the folks swimming and enjoying the water when they were struck by a "shark" style attack, or were the seals on the beach and someone thought it would be a good idea to try and pet the "cute fuzzy seal".
I am not sure I subscribe to the thought that they will develop a taste for humans, but I do believe that certain species are relatively veracious predators and will do whatever they need to to get a meal when their population numbers reaches a certain point and their primary food source cannot sustain them. This could put swimmers, surfers, and fisherman in their sights in certain circumstances. Which I guess is kind of the same thing.
I am not sure what it will take to control the populations, and I certainly hope that no one has to die. I am not sure how they would do it but I would like to see them managed using hunting draw tags, rather than a mass killing or relocation that doesn't seem to work. I would buy a tag if they were available. I will eat anything once.
opcorn: