Question Period Note: Seals Summit in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador - November 8-9, 2022

SeaI Summit in St. John’s, NewfoundIand and Labrador - November 8-9, 2022

• The Government is committed to diversifying markets for sustainably harvested seal products to create economic opportunities for rural, remote, Indigenous, and coastal communities.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada hosted a Seal Summit from November 8-9, 2022, in St. John’s, NewfoundIand and Labrador.
• The Seal Summit deepened our understanding of the opportunities and challenges related to seals. Concluding the Summit, the Government launched an open call for project proposals intended to increase our understanding of seals in the ocean and freshwater ecosystem.

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) launched the Atlantic Seal Science Task Team to better understand the role of pinnipeds in marine ecosystems, including the potential impacts of seals on commercial fish stocks.
• On May 11, 2022, the Task Team submitted a report to DFO which provided recommendations regarding seal science priorities, opportunities to increase fishing industry involvement in science projects, and ways to better communicate with stakeholders.
• On May 12, 2022, the Government announced that DFO would host a Seal Summit in the fall, in response to one of the nine recommendations presented in the report.
• The Summit took place November 8-9, 2022, in St. John’s, NewfoundIand and Labrador.
• The Summit facilitated further discussion and collaboration among Indigenous groups, the commercial fishing industry, academia, and provincial and territorial representatives with a focus on market development solutions and product innovation related to seal products in Atlantic Canada.
• The event also provided an opportunity for engaging discussions on seal science and fisheries management. Concluding the Summit, Minister Murray announced that Fisheries and Oceans Canada has launched an open call for project proposals to increase our understanding of ocean and freshwater environments, including the role of seals in the ecosystem

If pressed
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada requires fisheries management decisions and the harvesting of seals to be sustainable, humane and based on the best available science.