Tag Archives: grey seal population

DFO stock assessment – Halibut and Haddock flourishing, cod struggling

April 28, 2018   Canada, Marine Science

Wild food fish populations off Atlantic Canada continue to confound scientists, with some species flourishing and others floundering. The latest examples are halibut and cod. The big flatfish is flourishing off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, according to the latest stock assessment released by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. However, another new DFO report shows cod stocks off southern Nova Scotia remain in dire shape.,,,Yellow flounder is another species that is struggling. >click to read< 14:56

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Federal government protects overabundant grey seal population over fish stocks

March 24, 2017   Canada

MONCTON, NB – Fish harvesters attending the Gulf Groundfish Advisory Committee this week in Moncton are expressing their frustrations and disbelief over the federal government’s refusal to protect groundfish stocks by controlling the grey seal population. Many species of groundfish will be unable to adequately recover without proper management of the grey seal population. The effect of grey seals on fish populations has been confirmed by scientists, yet the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has not taken adequate action to address this problem. An increased harvest of grey seals would aid in allowing groundfish species to rebound, thereby creating new economic opportunities for thousands of families in Eastern Canada. continue reading the press release here 09:08

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Quebec rejects proposed cull of Brion Island grey seals, to dismay of local biologist

January 4, 2017   Canada

A biologist from the Magdalen Islands is angry the Quebec government has rejected a plan to slaughter 1,200 grey seals on Brion Island, a nature reserve in the archipelago, for scientific research. The grey seal population in the area has ballooned from 400 in 1999 to 10,000 today.  The proposal from Dr. Pierre-Yves Daoust, a wildlife veterinarian and pathologist at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI, hinged on getting the approval of Quebec’s fisheries and environment ministries. It was rejected last month. Biologist Sébastien Cyr said the proposed cull had the unanimous support of people in the Magdalen Islands. “All the fishermen’s associations had supported the project, the environmental groups as well, the municipality’s residents … There was a consensus in the community for the project,” Cyr said. Read the story here 09:02

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