Facts about Seals - 2007

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• 2007 SEAL MANAGEMENT MEASURES
• KEY MANAGEMENT MEASURES
• SEAL POPULATIONS
• HUMANE HARVESTING
• ENFORCEMENT / MONITORING
• ECONOMIC BENEFITS
• MANAGEMENT

2007 SEAL MANAGEMENT MEASURES

The Canadian seal hunt is a sustainable, economically viable activity based on strong conservation principles. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the federal department responsible for managing the seal hunt, introduced a five-year management plan in 2006.

The Government of Canada is committed to taking a precautionary management approach. Quotas are set at levels that ensure the health and abundance of seal herds.

Seals are a valuable natural resource that, when harvested sustainably, provides income to thousands of Canadian sealers and their families. Sealing and fishing are time-honoured traditions that allow people to provide for their families through use of the marine environment and hard work.

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KEY MANAGEMENT MEASURES

In 2006, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) introduced a five-year management plan (2006 -2010). The total allowable catch will be set on an annual basis to allow for adjustments to changing environmental conditions and changes in harvest levels in Arctic Canada and Greenland. As in the previous (2003-2005) management plan, Objective-Based Fisheries Management and the Precautionary Approach are being applied to the management of harp seals from 2006-2010. This demonstrates Canada's commitment to conservation and sustainability in the harp seal hunt.

Harp Seals:

• A one-year total allowable catch (TAC) of 270,000 harp seals has been set for 2007. This includes 2,000 seals for the personal use hunt, 4,860 for Aboriginal initiatives and a carry forward of 19,000 seals for Newfoundland and Labrador Front fleets.
• The hunting of harp seal pups (whitecoats) has been prohibited since 1987.

Hooded and Grey Seals:

• The annual TAC for hooded seals has been set at 8,200 for 2007 for the Newfoundland and Labrador Front. As in previous years, the hunt will remain closed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• The TAC for grey seals for 2007 is 2,000 seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and 7,000 seals on the Scotian Shelf.
• The hunting of hooded seal pups (bluebacks) has been prohibited since 1987.

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT NEW MANAGEMENT MEASURES FOR 2007

• Starting this year, fleets that overrun their annual quota will see their allocations reduced by the same number of seals in their overrun on a one for one basis the following year. This measure aims to minimize the impact of overruns on the seal population in any given year by ensuring that it is balanced out by a reduction in quota the following year.
  
• DFO is implementing additional management measures for 2007 to decrease the likelihood of quota overruns. These include: shorter and more controlled opening periods (possibly half-days for some fleets); coordinated regional management and monitoring plans; monitoring at dockside; mandatory hail-outs on departure for some fleets; and daily hails of catches for all sealing vessels, among other measures.
  
• In order to help reduce the competitive nature of the hunt, DFO established one-year regional shares in 2006 for the Gulf of St. Lawrence allocation. This quota was divided among the various participating regions. A review of the sharing formula was undertaken in advance of the 2007 season; however, no consensus was reached between fleets. After the 2007 hunt, DFO will appoint an independent reviewer to reassess regional shares. In the interim, the existing sharing arrangement will remain in place for the 2007 hunt.
  
• A carry forward option, which will be reviewed annually, means fleets can carry forward into the next season up to 10 percent of their allocation if not fully utilized, provided there are no compelling conservation concerns.
  

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SEAL POPULATIONS

Harp Seals:

• Globally, there are three populations of this abundant species, of which the Northwest Atlantic stock, which is found off Canada and western Greenland, is the largest.
• The Atlantic harp seal population is healthy and plentiful. nearly triple what it was in the 1970s. Based on a 2004 survey, the estimated total population was 5.82 million seals. The current estimate of harp seals is approximately 5.5 million animals.

Hooded Seals:

• Hooded seals are the second most important commercial seal species in Atlantic Canada. There are two populations of hooded seals, one in the northeast and one in the northwest Atlantic. The northwest Atlantic population pups in the Davis Strait (between Canada and Greenland), in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the northeast coast of Newfoundland.
• A 2005 survey estimated a total population between 547,000 - 603,000 animals.

Grey Seals:

• There are two grey seal herds in Atlantic Canada, with the main breeding areas being in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and on Sable Island. There is no hunting permitted on Sable Island.
• In 2004, the grey seal population was estimated to be about 260,000 animals. A new population survey was conducted in 2006 and findings can be expected later this year.

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HUMANE HARVESTING

• The killing of any animals, whether they are domesticated or wild, is not pleasant to watch. Society makes use of many different animals for food and clothing. In this sense, the harvesting of seals is not fundamentally different from the exploitation of livestock.
  
• The Government of Canada makes every effort to ensure the seal hunt is conducted in a safe and humane manner. The seal hunt is closely monitored and tightly regulated.
  
• Seal hunting methods have been studied and approved by the Royal Commission on Seals and Sealing. The Commission found that the methods used in hunting seals compare favourably to those used to kill domesticated animals and are more humane than other hunts of wildlife.
  
• A report published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal in September 2002 concluded that virtually all seals are taken in an acceptably humane manner.
  
• An Independent Veterinarians' Working Group (IVWG) on the Canadian Harp Seal Hunt was formed in 2005 to review the Canadian seal hunt and contribute to the promotion of animal welfare. While current methods are deemed humane, the working group made recommendations to improve upon humane hunting practices and DFO is working to adopting these recommendations.
  

• Sealers in the Southern and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, where about 25% of the hunt occurs, use both rifles and hakapiks while sealers on the ice floes on the Front (in the waters north and east of Newfoundland), where 75% of the hunt occurs, primarily use rifles.

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ENFORCEMENT / MONITORING

• DFO Fishery Officers monitor the seal hunt in numerous ways to ensure sealers comply with Canada's Marine Mammal Regulations. They conduct surveillance of the hunt by means of aerial patrols, vessel patrols, dockside inspections of vessels at landing sites and inspections at buying and processing facilities.
  

• In the last five years, 180 charges have been laid as a result of enforcement during the seal hunt.
  

• Infractions are taken seriously and those who violate the Marine Mammal Regulations are prosecuted. Sealers who fail to observe humane hunting practices, licence conditions, and catch requirements are penalized. The consequences of such illegal actions could include heavy court-imposed fines and the forfeiting of catches, fishing gear, vessels and licences.
  

• The majority of hunting occurs in late March - early April which is well after the whelping period. During this period, DFO sends additional Fishery Officers to sea on icebreakers in the area of the hunt and increases aerial surveillance, observer deployment and dockside checks. DFO Fishery Officers can be quickly deployed to high activity areas if the need arises.
  
• Certified Fishery Observers are deployed to sealing vessels to verify landings data, monitor the hunt and report violations, and to ensure no whitecoats or bluebacks are hunted, and that hunting does not take place in whelping patches. In-port inspections are also conducted by dockside monitors on a regular basis to validate landings data and ensure quota compliance.

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ECONOMIC BENEFITS:

• While markets for seal pelts are subject to significant variation from one year to the next, the 2006 seal hunt was one of the most profitable in memory. Given extremely favourable market conditions, the landed value of the harp seal hunt was $33 million. The average price per pelt received by sealers was $97, an increase of 77% over the 2005 average value of $55.
  

• Some sealers have stated that their income from sealing can represent from 25-35 per cent of their total annual income. This income is critical for the areas where sealing occurs as the top homeports for sealers have unemployment rates that are in excess of 30 per cent higher than the national average.
  

• Although sealing may seem to be a minor industry within the larger economy, many locally-important industries share this characteristic. For example, crop production and forestry each account for less than 1% of Canadian Gross Domestic Product, but their local economic importance is undisputable.
  

• All seal pelts undergo some processing within Canada, creating employment opportunities in plants. Between six and eight facilities have participated in seal processing in recent years, four of which are in Newfoundland and the remainder in Quebec.
  

• Seal oil which is rich in Omega-3 acids is marketed in capsule form. The fatty acids are known to be helpful in preventing and treating hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and many other health problems.
  

• The Government of Canada encourages the fullest possible commercial use of seals with the emphasis on leather, oil, handicrafts, and in recent years, meat for human and animal consumption.

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MANAGEMENT

• In 2003, DFO adopted an Objectives-Based Fisheries Management (OBFM) approach which incorporates the Precautionary Approach to management.
  

• The Precautionary Approach is an approach that attempts to define management objectives, establishes limits for conservation and identifies specific management actions if these limits are reached. A key component is that reference points and specific management actions are established to aid decision makers in managing the resource.
  

• OBFM uses reference points and control rules to establish management measures for a fishery. Reference points are pre-established population levels that trigger specific management actions when they are reached. Control rules are specific, pre-established actions that are triggered at certain reference points. Control rules include measures such as lower TACs, changes to season length and area closures. Reference points are set at 70%, 50% and 30%, of the maximum observed size of the herd (5.8 million).
  

• DFO is currently planning an international workshop to examine the effects of harp and grey seal predation on fish populations as the role of seals in the recovery of fish stocks is unknown.