Question Period Note: Seal Predation Science

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists are actively involved in research to better understand the role of pinnipeds in marine ecosystems, including the potential impacts of seals on commercial fish stocks.
• Many factors may contribute to declines or lack of recovery in fish stocks, including changes in sea temperature, oxygen levels, ice cover, changes in species distribution and abundance within ecosystems, which combined, could potentially have an impact on the health of fish stocks.
• DFO works with Indigenous groups, industry, and academia for three seal science projects in eastern Canada and one sea lion project in western Canada. The projects will examine seal and sea lion diets, abundance, and distribution to help us better understand the role these species play in our aquatic ecosystems.

BACKGROUND

• Currently, DFO manages commercial harvests for grey, hooded, and harp seals in the Atlantic region; there are currently no commercial fisheries for seals or sea lions in the Pacific region.
• There is concern from the fishing industry on both the east and west coast regarding the potential impacts of seal and sea lion predation on commercially valuable fish stocks. There are currently active DFO research projects in Maritimes, Quebec, Newfoundland and Pacific region to look at diet of key seal and/or sea lion species.
• The Department uses the best available scientific information to make appropriate seal related management decisions with the goal of sustaining healthy and productive aquatic ecosystems.
• The department hosted a Seal Summit in fall 2023 to engage scientists, the commercial fishing industry, Indigenous groups, provincial and territorial representatives, and stakeholders on market development solutions.
• In 2023, over $643,900 in funding to Indigenous groups, industry, and academia for three seal science projects in eastern Canada and one sea lion project in western Canada was announced. These four projects are the result of the open call for proposals the Department launched during the Seal Summit last fall.
• A Seal Summit Summary Report was produced which highlights the importance of stability, quality, supply, price, and development for export markets, as well as the need to focus on Canadian markets. It notes that messaging should focus on sustainability, full utilization of the animal, humane harvesting, Canadian products, and the benefits of seal Omega-3 that are not found in other oil supplements.
• The Department is working with harvesters to facilitate participation in the seal harvest provided that conservation and humane harvest principles are upheld.
 

If pressed on species-specific impacts
• My department has demonstrated the negative impacts of grey seal predation on the recovery of some commercial fish stocks in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• However, other research has largely found that seal predation is a less important factor in the recovery of fish stocks than environmental change in Newfoundland.
• In British Columbia, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is working with partners and conducting scientific research to evaluate the impact of seal and sea lion predation on fish stocks, including Pacific salmon.