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Harp seals and Cod
Questions and Answers

SNIP Answers to questions posed by those who've done no research
and would like to pretend Canada is 'scapegoating' the seal

Impact of Seal Predation on Cod

The 2001 Report of the Eminent Panel on Seal Management concluded that seals consume large amounts of fish throughout Atlantic
Canada, but there is much less evidence that this predation is having a major impact on the recovery of most commercial fish stocks.

The findings of the report were not conclusive and many uncertainties were acknowledged in providing realistic predictions. The
Panel acknowledged that gaining an understanding of the real impact of seals on the recovery of cod is extremely complex and
requires an in-depth understanding of the marine ecosystem as well as additional research. Findings highlighted in the report
include:

The consumption of cod, and some other commercial species, by seals in Divisions 2J3KL and 4RS3Pn is so large that a reduction in
seal predation could reasonably be expected to have a substantial effect on the size of these stocks. However, the extent of this
reduction would have to be large in order for an impact to be observed.

There is not a simple, straight-line relationship between seal predation and the state of fish populations. The interaction between
seals, groundfish and other species is complex and variable. For instance, seals eat cod, but seals also eat other fish that prey on
cod. Moreover, other factors such as environmental changes and fishing levels must be considered in trying to determine why cod
stocks have not yet recovered.

The harp seal population has grown to the highest level recorded. Coupled with the fact that the annual TAC has rarely been taken in
full, the panel expects a gradual increase in seal numbers if the current management approach is maintained.

The current scientific knowledge is insufficient to determine the impact of a seal cull on cod fisheries in the short, medium or
long term. Science and resource managers question the value of a cull in a fishery driven by economic market conditions. More
importantly, there is no way of knowing how other predators and prey might respond to a decrease in the seal population.

Current estimates of cod consumption by seals vary greatly from less than one per cent to more than 20 per cent of diet, depending
on the type of seal researched, the time of year and location of the studies. The panel concluded that more comprehensive research
needs to be done to more accurately estimate the amount of cod that seals are consuming.