Question Period Note: Atlantic Seal Science Task Team

• Earlier this year, we launched the Atlantic Seal Science Task Team to help generate recommendations on seal science priorities and how we can increase opportunities for collaboration with members of the fishing industry.
• Members of the Task Team include fish harvesters and other stakeholders with a range of expertise and fisheries experience.
• The Task Team has begun reviewing the state of scientific knowledge on Atlantic seals, particularly as it relates to seal predation on commercial fish stocks in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
• The Atlantic Seal Science Task Team is a direct response to the concerns raised by commercial fish harvesters in Eastern Canada about the impact seal predation is having on fish stocks.

• The sustainable management of Canadian fisheries is important to fish harvesters whose livelihoods are supported by the ocean. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) ensures that the best available science is considered when making management decisions regarding seals.
• In Atlantic Canada, all seal populations are believed to be healthy and abundant. Two species (harp and grey seals) are hunted commercially and have therefore been the focus of DFO’s seal research program over the last number of decades.
• While there is evidence that grey seals are impacting commercial groundfish stocks in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (4T stock only), there is very limited evidence that harp seals are impacting commercial fish stocks.
• However, DFO has heard concerns from fish harvesters related to seal predation on commercial fish stocks. To address these concerns, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced in August 2019 the establishment of an Atlantic Seal Science Task Team.
• The Task Team is composed of members from the fishing industry and other stakeholders who will provide input on DFO's Atlantic seal science program, particularly as it relates to seal predation on commercial fish stocks, and discuss opportunities for collaboration. The Department will consider the outcomes of the Task Team in the context of its scientific monitoring and research activities related to Atlantic seals.
• The specific objectives of the Task Team are to:
o Provide input on DFO's Atlantic seal science program priorities;
o Provide input on how to increase the involvement of the fishing industry in seal science projects; and
o Provide advice on how DFO could better communicate its scientific findings to the fishing industry and stakeholders.
• The Task Team is focused only on science activities and programs related to Atlantic seals. The Task Team is distinct from DFO's existing Atlantic Seal Advisory Committee (ASAC) which already provides stakeholders and Indigenous partners with the opportunity to make recommendations to DFO on seal management issues, including licensing policy, management measures, quota allocations, as well as conservation and compliance issues.
• The Task Team is co-chaired by DFO and Glenn Blackwood, vice-president of the Memorial University Fisheries and Marine Institute. The composition of the Task Team was announced March 5, 20020:
o Bill Taylor, Atlantic Salmon Federation
o Laura Ramsey, PEI Fishermen's Association
o Ginny Boudreau, Guysborough County Inshore Fishermen's Association
o Jamie Snook, Torngat Joint Fisheries Board
o Kris Vascotto, Atlantic Groundfish Council
o Robert Hardy, Seafood Consultant
o Jocelyn Thériault, Regroupement des pêcheurs professionnels des Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• The Task Team held their first meeting on April 23, 2020 and information sessions on the state of seal science were held over the Summer.

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