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, species distribution and abundance, which combined, could potentially have an impact on the health of fish stocks.

• Currently, DFO manages commercial harvests for grey, hooded, and harp seals in the Atlantic region; there are currently no 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 is also investing in a new research program on the West Coast and is working with partners on the potential impacts of seals and sea lions on fish populations.
• Scientific evidence to date suggests that grey seals are having an impact on the recovery of cod and other groundfish in the Southern Gulf of St Lawrence. Conversely, scientific evidence to date does not demonstrate that harp seals are driving the population status of commercially valuable fish stock off the coast of Newfoundland, such as northern cod. The impact of Pacific seals or sea lions on commercially important fish stocks on the west coast of Canada has not been evaluated and is currently unknown. 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 last fall to engage scientists, the commercial fishing industry, Indigenous groups, provincial and territorial representatives, and stakeholders on market development solutions.
• 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.