Another North Atlantic summer season is upon us and we find ourselves with yet another government-generated report about seals and the state, or lack thereof, of the sealing industry.
It would be interesting to know if there is a dark, musty storage room, somewhere in the greater Ottawa area, where the countless sealing reports of the past have been stuffed into filing cabinets and long forgotten. These reports all claimed to have the solutions to resurrect this controversial industry that many harvesters in Atlantic Canada once depended on for an all-important secondary income. But, after release, these documents seem to disappear from view faster than a school of fish in front of a herd of harp seals.
The latest report to add to this proverbial collection of sealing solutions has come to us courtesy of Canada’s Upper Chamber — none other than the Senate — the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans to be more precise.
In October 2022, the Committee undertook a study on Canada’s seal populations and their effects on Canada’s fisheries. Over the course of more than a year, the committee sought testimony and information about the following topics and issues:
- Canada’s seal populations, their effects on fisheries and the ecosystems they inhabit, their diets, and their distribution.
- Canada’s seal harvest and seal products industry.
- The cultural and economic importance of seals to remote, coastal and Indigenous communities in Canada.
The committee’s report, entitled Sealing the Future: A Call to Action, presented this information and attempted, among other things, to answer the following age-old questions:
- How does Canada determine research priorities and funding allocations for research related to seals?
- How have Canada’s seal populations been managed by the federal government thus far and what are the most appropriate and effective ways of managing seal populations going forward?
- Do seals have an effect on Canada’s fisheries?
So, what conclusions did our well-meaning senators agree upon to answer these fundamental questions that have long plagued the sealing industry?
“Data and research on Canadian seal populations are lacking and much of what exists is outdated. Additional science and research capacity is needed to help us understand ocean ecosystems, the roles species play within those ecosystems and how climate change may impact them in the future. As such, a national seal science strategy could help guide this science and research and make it available to the public. Scientific priorities should be set regionally, in collaboration with various stakeholders, and this work must incorporate the best available science, Indigenous knowledge, and the use of innovative, cost-effective technologies and scientific methods. In order to reach this goal, it will be essential for federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments to work together and with other stakeholders, such as with academics and seal and fish harvesters.”
This, of course, is a well thought out conclusion, but one that has not been included in countless other reports and recommendations.
The committee went on to state that “the cultural and economic significance of Canada’s seal harvest for remote, coastal and Indigenous communities cannot be overstated. In certain regions, seal harvesting is one of the only industries in which community members can participate. As such, moratoriums on seal product imports have disproportionately impacted these remote, coastal and Indigenous communities. Misinformation and disinformation have played an important role in the implementation of these bans, the shaping of public opinion and the marked decline of the seal products industry over the past two decades. The revitalization of the seal products industry could help strengthen local economies and sustain families. For this revitalization to take place, the development and implementation of a comprehensive and effective anti-misinformation/anti-disinformation campaign must be undertaken by the Government of Canada without delay. Indigenous communities, provincial and territorial governments, commercial seal harvesters, and other stakeholders must be included in the development and delivery of this campaign.”
Again, a good point, but the committee is once again stating the obvious.
“Finally, a strong and sustained federal political commitment must be made and sustained to ensure that measures taken persist and the seal harvest and seal products industry are once again vibrant and positively contributing to the economies of remote, coastal, and Indigenous communities.”
While we are sure the senators meant well, they are ultimately dumping the responsibility for seals and the sealing industry right back in the lap of the federal government and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) — the same as the plethora of experts, scholars and pundits that came before them.
Perhaps we are being a tad harsh on this Senate standing committee. The group did make some relevant and somewhat strong recommendations to the federal government:
- Urgently develop and implement an effective and sustainable seal population management strategy, as soon as is practicable or no later six months from the date of tabling of this report.
- Rapidly develop and implement a more robust and state-of-the-art marine and fisheries research capacity, by using both currently available and up-to-date modern research methods and emerging technologies, and by acquiring and establishing additional ocean-specific research infrastructure, such as dedicated research vessels.
- Urgently review and amend the Income Tax Act and all other related acts, as needed, to ensure that registered Canadian charities and non-profit organizations that produce or promote misinformation and/or disinformation about the seal harvest or seal products industry have their tax-exempt status revoked.
- Create and disseminate an effective anti-misinformation/anti-disinformation campaign related to the Canadian seal harvest and seal products industry. Work on this campaign must begin immediately and it is essential that it be a whole-of-government initiative, led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
You also have to give credit to the senators for actually giving DFO deadlines for carrying out some of their recommendations. Six months in bureaucratic time is nothing short of a blink.
So, ultimately, was there anything to be gained from this taxpayer-funded exercise of having senators discuss seals from sea to sea to sea? Or will the recommendations garner a few headlines and then seep into oblivion? One can only hope some good will come from it. But one thing is certain, if the topics of seal impact and the sealing industry cease to be discussed, then they will be gone forever and then where will we be?
