Grey Matters – Part II

by Karen Burke

The renewed grey seal population, thriving due to conservation efforts, now poses dilemmas for fishermen and conservationists both.. Photo: Bar Harbor Whale Watch Co.

Grey seal stocks are making a recovery, as noted in Part One of this series which appeared in the August 2005 issue of the Fishermen’s Voice. Population studies conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in the Maritimes and University of Maine, Orono, Biologist Jim Gilbert, show growth rates of 12 to 14 percent since the 1990s, with the 2004 rate slowing to 7 percent (likely due to population density and competition for food).

Fishermen report an increase in sightings; gear loss and cod worm among fish stocks and would like to see more attention by the Canadian government to the matter.

Maritime lobstermen say they are especially susceptible to gear and consequent harvest disruptions particularly due to the numbers of foraging seals off Sable Island and SW Nova Scotia. There is little doubt that many Novi fishermen see grey seals as competitors in a fragile economic and marine environment. The DFO reports significant complaints from SW Novi fishermen concerning the spread of cod worm into flatfish species such as haddock. Salmon farmers identify grey seal activity around aquaculture cages and attributable gear loss.

Mad Men or Media Madness?
Meanwhile, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society wages stunning media campaigns with photos of bloody harp seals on white ice floes in the St. Lawrence Bay. Opposing all seal hunting, the Society founded by Paul Watson, is bringing the public’s attention to (legal) seal hunting in Canada. The visual images, printed in newspapers and on the internet, seem meant to create a visceral negative reaction to the hunt. Executive Director Watson is passionate in his belief that no seal should be killed. We need “a healthy seal population for a healthy fish population. A decline in the seal population (will) increase the predatory fish (population),” according to Watson.

Fishermen want the public to have an understanding of the losses they face now that the grey seal is once again apparently thriving.

Predators
Besides man, grey seals now have few natural predators, among them great white and Greenland sharks. Consequently, the current comeback after being hunted to near extinction in the last century is monitored with interest by biologists, fishermen and environmentalists. At the DFO in Bedford, Nova Scotia, scientists are studying the role of the grey seal in marine ecosystems. Predators (such as seals and cod) are studied in relation to the dynamics of the prey population and structure of the marine community. Don Bowen, of the DFO notes that the “remaining top predator has effects - usually unanticipated far reaching effects - not only on prey populations but plant populations” that serve important function in maintaining ecosystems.

“Humans do impact the environment and systems are dynamic yet not pristine,” Bowen commented. “Hopefully by understanding how these marine environments operate [humans] will be in a better position to assess the consequences...and balance human use.”

Linking the science to management of the grey seal population and future harvest is a goal of the DFO.

In the US, the Marine Mammal Protection Act Protection Act prohibits the killing of seals. It’s also hard to come by complaints from fishermen regarding the interference with the fishery by grey seals. In contrast, our Canadian neighbors are more vocal and perhaps more affected by the increasing population. With numbers of 350,000 grey seals in the Sable Island area alone, the effect of the seals is worrisome to fishermen.

A Managed Harvest Minimal Markets
Canada is now testing a limited grey seal harvest which, according to officials at DFO, allows 492 seals to be hunted for commercial purposes. The licenses originate from Cape Breton. Hunting is conducted by trained and licensed harvesters. Only “a few hundred” grey seals were hunted this past season. Nuisance licenses are available for gill netters and hook and line fishermen for shooting of seals that interfere with nets. In the future, some groups would like to see limits of up to 10,000 grey seals harvested annually.

The current legal harvest occurs in rookeries adjacent to the coast and supported by the Grey Seal Resource and Development Society is a commercial failure thus far. Harp seal pelts are more desirable for the softer coat and light color. Grey seal coats go for about $40 Canadian. There is some effort by the Nova Scotia Department of Fish and Aquaculture to develop seal meat markets in Iceland and Asia, as well as product development for pet and mink feed.

With fish stocks in decline, the DFO is assessing the grey seal as a resource and putting more energy in trying to establish a seal hunt.

Various entities are seeking funding to develop markets with officials placing emphasis on a sustainable harvest. Acting Director of Resource Management, Chris Annand, states that the DFO will “continue to support the grey seal harvest and market. This is a sustainable and renewable Resource,” he emphasized.

Structuring a harvest, with quotas and training for hunters, the DFO views the hunt as performed in a humane manner. Management and science at the DFO hope to work together to define a future for grey seals.

The question remains: Can a managed harvest both conserve the grey seal population and support man’s economic needs?