The late American journalist Henry Louis Mencken once wrote “Every complex problem has a simple solution that doesn’t work.”
Here in Atlantic Canada, we have a problem — a seal problem to be specific. There are simply too many of the hungry, voracious mammalian predators plying our waters.
Are the millions of hungry harp and grey seals rolling around in the waves of our shores having a negative impact on fish stocks — notably cod? That is the tangly, persistent question, but what is the real answer?
The Navigator Magazine has tackled this debate head on many times. In this same space in November 2021, the managing editor wrote, “In this often-times heated debate, the battle lines, as with many other arguments involving the fishery, are drawn between fishermen and scientists and/or conservationists. Harvesters have categorially stated that they have witnessed seal brazenly devouring everything from cod to snow crab to capelin. And they have the half-digested evidence to prove it. Fishermen have long been asking the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to do something about the ever-increasing populations of seals off our shores. They note that seals are now present in regions of Atlantic Canada that traditionally were never home to the large mammals and they want something done about it.”
Should the seals be culled in order to protect the valuable groundfish stocks?
Over the past few years, DFO marine mammal scientists maintain that the ocean’s changing ecosystem and the changing climate is more to blame for struggling fish stocks than seals.
Other conservation groups state that determining whether to kill one animal to preserve another is less straightforward and is a grim solution to a grim problem.
In recent weeks, the cull debate has once again gained traction among many fisheries stakeholders after yet another seal study was released to the public.
A Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University study examined the diets of North Atlantic harp seals to assess the impact they have on fisheries populations in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The researchers found that harp seals consume a higher biomass of shared target species than are caught by fisheries and that they have a more significant role than fisheries do on the stalled recovery of groundfish stocks.
“With around 4.4 million individuals, North Atlantic harp seals are the second-largest seal population in the world. The animals’ diet shares many of the same species targeted by fisheries, including Atlantic cod and capelin. Harp seals also consume other groundfish, such as Greenland halibut and American plaice,” the study said.
The researchers’ analysis revealed that from 2018–20, harp seals’ consumption rates were 24 times higher than fisheries catch rates for Atlantic cod, Greenland halibut and American plaice. While comparison of harp seal diets across research methods showed consistency over time, the frequency of primary prey in their diet fluctuated over time.
“Harp seals are often referred to as indicator species, meaning their diets indicate changes in the ecosystems they prey in. This data provides insight not only into the impact that harp seals have on fisheries, but can also signify when ecosystems and fish populations are shifting. Our study shows that harp seals are a major component of cod mortality that should be accounted for in future stock assessments,” the study concluded.
One very interested group was very quick to respond to the new study.
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) said it welcomed new research from The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, confirming what Newfoundland and Labrador fish harvesters have been saying for decades: harp seals are having a major impact on groundfish recovery in our waters.
“For years, harvesters have been calling on DFO to acknowledge the obvious — that seal predation is a major barrier to rebuilding fish stocks,” said FFAW-Unifor Secretary-Treasurer Jamie Baker. “This study validates what’s been seen on the water and reinforces the need for seal population management.”
“Science is finally catching up to what harvesters have been witnessing for years,” said Baker. “If DFO wouldn’t listen to harvesters before, maybe they’ll listen now. Action must be taken to incorporate seal predation into stock assessments — it’s a critical step toward accurate science and responsible ecosystem management.”
The union noted that it is also important that government continue to support the marketing of seal products that are sustainable, healthy and responsible.
“A consistent harvest of seals, combined with increased demand and better market access would certainly help drive effective management of the population as well as create new opportunities in rural and coastal communities,” Baker added.
So, here we are again. Yet another seal population study — this time stating that seals are actually a problem for the commercial fishery.
For decades, studies and reports on the seal hunt have yielded conflicting conclusions regarding animal welfare, population impact, and sustainability. Some reports by conservation and animal welfare groups stated that a seal hunt involves inhumane practices, citing a failure to properly stun or kill seals and a lack of enforcement, while others, including government reports and some studies, assert that the hunt is conducted humanely under strict regulations.
Population studies also differ, with some indicating potential population declines due to high harvests and others suggesting increased pup production.
Therein lies the problem.
The solution to this growing seal problem appears so simple in theory, but without proper leadership and the intestinal fortitude of government, we are bound to ride this ethical roller coaster for many years to come.
