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FACTS ABOUT SEALS 2006-2010
- 2006 - 2010 SEAL MANAGEMENT MEASURES
- KEY MANAGEMENT MEASURES
- SEAL POPULATIONS
- HUMANE HARVESTING
- ENFORCEMENT / MONITORING
- ECONOMIC BENEFITS
- OBJECTIVES-BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT (OBFM) APPROACH
2006 - 2010 SEAL MANAGEMENT MEASURES
The Canadian seal hunt is a sustainable, economically viable activity based on sound 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 an ecosystem-based management approach. Many ecosystem components are considered when establishing total allowable catch levels for seals. 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 valuable 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.
KEY MANAGEMENT MEASURES
Fisheries and Oceans Canada introduced a five-year management plan with a one-year total allowable catch, veterinary studies and continued work with veterinary experts on harvesting methods. The Objectives-Based Fisheries Management and Precautionary Approach were introduced in the 2003-2005 Seal Management Plan and will continue to be used in managing the harp seal population. It demonstrates Canada's commitment to conservation and sustainability in the harp seal hunt.
Harp Seals:
- A one-year total allowable catch of 325,000 harp seals for 2006, with an additional allowance of 10,000 seals for new Aboriginal initiative, the personal use and Arctic hunts.
- The hunting of harp seal pups (whitecoats) was banned in 1987 and continues to be prohibited.
Hooded and Grey Seals:
- The annual total allowable catch for hooded seals remains at 10,000 animals. As in previous years, the hunt will remain closed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
- A total allowable catch of 2,100 grey seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and 8,300 on the Scotian Shelf. The hunting of grey seals will continue to be prohibited on Sable Island.
- The hunting of hooded seal pups (bluebacks) is prohibited.
Other Management Measures for 2006:
- In order to help reduce the competitive nature of the hunt, the Department is implementing a sharing arrangement for the Gulf of St. Lawrence allocation. This quota will be divided among the various participating regions. This sharing arrangement is for 2006 only, and industry groups will meet over the next year to come to an agreement on a division of allocations for future years.
SEAL POPULATIONS
Harp Seals:
- There are three populations of this abundant species, of which the Northwest Atlantic stock off Canada 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 size is now 5.82 million seals.
Hooded Seals:
- Hooded seals are the second most important commercial seal species in Atlantic Canada. There are two stocks of hooded seal: one in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the other off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. The Gulf of St. Lawrence herd is very small and no hunting of this stock is permitted.
- A 1990 survey estimated a population of approximately 440,000 animals. A new survey was conducted in 2005 and results are expected later in 2006.
Grey Seals:
- There are two grey seal herds, with the main breeding grounds being in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and on Sable Island. There is no hunting permitted in Sable Island
- In 2004, the grey seal population was estimated to be about 250,000 animals.
HUMANE HARVESTING
- 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 hunt any other wild or domesticated animal.
- An independent veterinarians' report published in 2002 in the
Canadian Veterinary Journal found that the
large majority of seals taken during the hunt (98%) are killed 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. The working group made
recommendations based on improving the humaneness of the hunt and DFO is
working towards adopting these recommendations through further
consultation with the IVWG and with industry. This would require
amendments to the Marine Mammal Regulations.
- Before sealers can qualify for a professional licence, they must
obtain an assistant sealing licence and work under the supervision of a
professional sealer for two years. DFO works closely with the sealing
industry to help develop and provide information sessions on methods of
hunting, handling and processing to ensure high standards for Canadian
seal products.
- Regulations stipulate that sealers can only dispatch seals in a manner designed to do so quickly. Seals may only be killed by the use of high-powered rifles, shotguns firing slugs, clubs and hakapiks. Further requirements pertaining to the size, weight, muzzle velocity and gauge of weapon are specified in the regulations.
ENFORCEMENT / MONITORING
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada (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 2005, DFO Fishery Officers spent approximately 12,600 hours
monitoring and enforcing the hunt. In the last five years, 144 charges
were laid and convictions were upheld in 66 of those cases.
- For the 2006 seal hunt, in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, 11 DFO
Fishery Officers are available for assignment. These officers will be
augmented as necessary with support from RCMP officers, for a total
enforcement presence of 22 officers. This ensures a very high ratio of
enforcement capability per active sealing vessel; approximately double the
capability of other fisheries in the area.
- In the Newfoundland and Labrador region (the "Front") DFO has
approximately 117 officers to draw from. Throughout the sealing season,
most of these officers are likely to have involvement in some aspect of
the seal hunt. Obviously those posted in detachments with active seal
fisheries will be more likely to be involved in a greater extent than
those in detachments removed from active sealing areas.
- The peak hunt occurs after the whelping period in early April. During
this period, DFO will send additional Fishery Officers to sea on ice
breakers in the area of the hunt and increase aerial surveillance,
observer deployment and dockside checks. DFO Fishery Officers can be
quickly deployed to high activity areas if the need arises.
- At-sea observers are randomly deployed to sealing vessels to verify landings data, monitor the hunt and report violations, and 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.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS:
- Seals are a valuable natural resource that, when harvested sustainably,
provides valuable income to many Canadian sealers and their families. In
2005, The average price per pelt received by sealers
was approximately $52, an 18% increase over the 2004 average value.
- The 2005 seal hunt was one of the most profitable in memory.
Given extremely favourable market conditions, the
landed value of the harp seal hunt exceeded $16.5 million. In
Newfoundland, harp seals ranked 5th in total landed value among all
species harvested in 2004, after snow crab, shrimp, lobster, and cod.
- Some sealers have stated that their income from sealing can represent
from 25-35 per cent of their total annual income. The top homeports for
sealers have unemployment rates that are in excess of 30 per cent higher
than the national average.
- Estimates from DFO and the province of Newfoundland find that between
5,000 and 6,000 individuals derive some income from sealing. This is
approximately 1% of the total provincial population, and 2% of the labour
force. This is, in fact, a substantial number of individuals.
- All seal pelts undergo some processing within Canada, creating
employment opportunities in plants. Pre-tanning procedures may include
soaking, drying and shaving. 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, once extracted, is marketed in capsule form, which is rich
in Omega-3 acids. 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.
OBJECTIVES-BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT (OBFM) APPROACH
- In 2003, DFO adopted an Objectives-Based Fisheries Management (OBFM)
approach. 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 (5.82 million).
- 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.
