Tag Archives: Bruce Smith
The facts about pinnipeds
Recent studies estimate the harbour seal population to be 80,000 in Lower Mainland waters. Harbour seals eat 10-18 pounds of food each day. At an average of 15 pounds, they consume 1.2 million pounds a day, or 438 million pounds a year. Add to that: thousands of California sea lions who migrate to the area annually to prey on our salmon runs and who weigh two to three times as much as a harbour seal and likely eat 30-60 pounds a day. Add to that: pinnipeds prefer the guts of fish, often leaving the edible carcass. Add to that: their reproductive rate is in excess of 12 per cent annually. These facts then beg the following questions: Bruce Smith, Halfmoon Bay>click to read<13:48
