Tag Archives: seal population
DFO says seals not having a significant impact on lobster bait stock
With mackerel and herring fisheries, key sources of bait for lobster fishermen, shut down this spring, some lobster fishermen are casting the blame on growing seal populations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. P.E.I. lobster fisherman Charlie McGeoghegan suggested targeting the fishery is the wrong approach. “The seals have caused this problem and DFO has ignored it for over 25 years, because we’ve been telling them the whole time that their population is exploding and we know what they eat, based on science. They open them up and we know that they eat herring and mackerel and lots of it.” >click to read< 10:23
Opinion: If EDF wants to do something about improving cod stocks it needs to address the other factors
The fact is if the Environmental Defense Fund wants to improve cod stock it needs a more holistic approach to cod conservation, taking into account all the factors affecting cod. Not approaching the situation in this manner is just plain wrong. There are a number of other factors that the EDF needs to address if they want to bring back cod stocks. The first is the gigantic seal population that has a dramatic impact on fish populations, including cod. EDF needs to confront the marine mammal conservation community if it wants to conserve cod. more, by Fisherman Theodore Ligenza >click to read< 07:51
LETTER: Standing up for our fishery
A famous Newfoundland and Labrador politician was once asked about the impact of seals on the fish stocks off our coast. He replied using the wit many good Newfoundland orators are known for and said something to the effect of well, they don’t eat Kentucky Fried Chicken. He was absolutely right then and the same holds true today as we see thousands of tons of fish consumed daily off our shores by these cute-looking mammals with voracious appetites for cod, crab and other lucrative species; the same fish our harvesters and processors depend on,,, by Paul Lane >click to read< 07:21
LETTER: Seals to blame
I would like to add my voice to those that disclaim the recent information provided by DFO’s (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) Dr. G. Stenson (In “The cull question: Part I”, published in the Jan. 16 edition of The Central Voice). Seals have destroyed our fisheries in Atlantic Canada and particularly that in Newfoundland and Labrador. The poor condition of harp seals in terms of age, previously measured body mass and survivability of pups, is a direct result of the seal population reaching a threshold capacity level. They are finding it more difficult to find fish (all species) to eat. Thus the recent influx in fresh water river systems — this is not their natural habitat and they are there to consume any fresh water species that might be available (salmon, trout, eels, etc.). We have had a cod moratorium for 26 years,,, Bob Hardy >click to read<
Turtleboy says, Time To Start Killing Sharks And Seals At Cape Cod Because We Take What We Want, When We Want
So Cape Cod has officially been taken over by seals, which means the shoreline has officially been taken over by the sharks. The seal population at Cape Cod has exploded because hippies don’t want us to kill them anymore. This of course brings in sharks because seals are obviously the most delicious animals in the sea, and now Orleans has turned into the Golden Corral. Our solution is simple – start killing seals, and if the sharks don’t go away, they can die too. Of course you get a lot of this: click here to read the story 15:38
Cape Cod seals return in masses on video: Great whites and fishermen woes follow
Before 1972 you were lucky to see a single seal in the waters or on the beaches of the Cape. Then when the Marine Mammal Protection Act went into effect, the hunting abruptly stopped and they were able to grow in number and that brings it up to the masses of seals being spotted today! They inhabited the beaches in masses until they were almost hunted to extinction along the Cape’s waters decades ago. Now that they are a protected species, their numbers are up, too far up for some folks who live and work on the Cape and surrounding areas. The fishermen who utilize these waters for their livelihood say that the seals are eating all the fish. The seals do eat a lot of fish. An 800-pound male seal “could consume up to six percent of his body weight each day. That’s 50 pounds of fish, including valuable species like cod and flounder.” With the seal population numbering in the thousands, you don’t have to do the math to see these summer residents are competition for the fishermen. Video, read the story here 10:56
Cape Cod Fishermen say seals are devastating fishing – “Make it a commercial venture.”
The rebounding seal population won’t get a gold seal of approval from local fishermen.The population of gray seals around Nantucket Sound is rising 20 percent a year (according to Betty Lentell of the Woods Hole Oceanogr
aphic Institute) to an estimated 15,000 but that’s the wrong direction as far as some fishermen are concerned. “Just the day before yesterday I came around Monomoy Point and counted no less than 4,000 seals hauled out on the beach,” fisherman Bill Amaru said. “They were 15 to 20 deep in one section more than a quarter mile long.” continuedSenator calls for an end to ‘seal slaughter’
OTTAWA – A rogue Liberal senator and a Canadian animal rights group called for the end of the commercial “seal slaughter” Tuesday. Sen. Mac Harb and Humane Society International/Canada said the 2010 commercial seal hunt must be cancelled because an “ecological disaster” is threatening the future of the seal population. continue reading
