Secret Squirrel Comments On Fish Stocks And The Seal Hunt.

Whilst happily munching of Fish 'n Chips,Secret Squirrel realized that there are those who do not approve of the seal hunts.Squirrel has heavily pondered this issue as well, and has decided to comment on that issue as it directly affects
Squirrel's munching of fish 'n chips of any particular variety of fish that makes his fish n' chips, and also, notes that the seals,sadly, affect and impact heavily, on the fish stocks of mankind, in short Squirrel is all for you as well having any particular type of fish you choose to eat. Unfortunately, there is one thing between you and doing so......the seals you see.Yes, the seals. Ponder this, each seal,eats,what Canada est. of a population (locally to Canada) of 6 million seals, eat aprox. 35 pounds of fish per seal per day and that equals about 77 billion pounds of fish.Further it is widely known that seals eat between 6%-8% of their body weight in fish per day.How much fish will 10,000 seals eat in a day? Well, if those 10,000 seals weigh 500 pounds each, they would consume 350,000 lbs. of fish per day or 2.45 million pounds of fish per week.Both grey and common seals eat a variety of prey - fish, shellfish, squid and octopus,and assorteds including cod, herring, flounder, sculpin, salmon, mackerel, sandeel, shrimp and whelk.They are opportunistic feeders,while they have preferences, they will and do eat whatever is available.And eat they have, they eat so much they have adversely impacted the fish stocks,of Canada, and other regions and nations of the world as well. Canada has great problems within it's fisheries, a shortage of the commodity of fish.
Particularly any NewFoundlander can tell you this, and explain things to you. One recalls their hardship, still continuing of the sad necessity of the shutting down,basically, of the fisheries of Newfoundland,due to the exceptionally low fish stocks."A sustainable fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador is vital to our economy and to those who make their living from the sea,"said Minister Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador."Our government recognises the importance of this key industry in Newfoundland and Labrador and we are committed to maintaining a strong connection with those communities for which the fishery is so important."
The industry collapsed entirely by 1993 six cod populations had collapsed, forcing a belated moratorium on fishing. Spawning biomass had decreased by at least 75% in all stocks, by 90% in three of the six stocks, and by 99% in the case of 'northern' cod, previously the largest cod fishery in the world.The waters now appear to be dominated by crab and shrimp rather than fish. After a 10 year moratorium on fishing the cod had still not returned.The devestating collapse of the cod stocks off the east coast of Newfoundland forced the Canadian government to take drastic measures and close the fishery. Over 40,000 people lost there jobs. The communities are still struggling to recover. The marine ecosystem is still in a state of collapse.

The collapse of this vital and important fishery sounded a warning bell to governments around the world who were shocked that a relatively sophisticated, scientifically-based fisheries management program. A major way to rebuild fish stocks are to actually increase sealing.The principal groundfish species of Atlantic Canada are cod, small flatfishes (plaice and flounder), redfish, haddock, pollock, turbot, halibut and silver hake. Of these, haddock on the Scotian Shelf, northern cod and northern Gulf cod are in need of rebuilding,these are fish seals consume.In 1996, Tobin announced a massive federal subsidy, literally paying fishermen per pound of seal they killed. Hunt numbers exceeded 240,000 seals that year, and have remained high since. The following year in a controversial move, Fred Mifflin (Brian Tobin's successor as Fisheries Minister) announced the reopening of cod fisheries off Newfoundland's south coast and in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence.Sealing must continue, and must increase, as the seal population decreases, fish stocks replenish, increase,re establish themsleves such that Canada and it's fisherman can once again enjoy a livelihood in the tradiational fisheries, and we, the people, are free to eat the cod and other fish the seals would have massively consumed.

One must look at the issues at hand in a sane manner, perhaps a cold manner, but a logical one. Mankind comes before seals our food supply comes before seals we come before seals.One must remeber as an added bonus the seals give fur for warm clothing,regardless, and also that seal meat can also be a viable food stock as well and shuld also be taken in to account.These are the added pluses of the seal hunt. Mankind wins all round and about, and, of course, seals loose, but asthe
french say, C'est la vie, and the emphasiss is on vie, life, the life of mankind.

There are negative impacts of grey seal predation on fish populations, particularly Atlantic cod. Over the last 30 years, the grey seal population off the coast of Atlantic Canada has grown rapidly - from 30,000 in the 1970s to over 350,000 today and it continues to grow.Scientific research suggests that grey seal predation could account for much of the high natural mortality of cod in the
southern Gulf of St Lawrence. At current rates of natural mortality, stock growth is not likely unless productivity increases well above levels observed in the past decade.

A Zonal Advisory Process (ZAP) on the impacts of grey seals on fish populations in eastern Canada concluded October 8, 2010. Science advice from the ZAP will inform DFO on the extent to which management decisions regarding grey seal population control are likely to achieve measurable increases in cod productivity and biomass. The current harp seal harvest is conducted as an economically sustainable activity. It can make an important contribution to the annual income of people living in rural coastal communities where other economic opportunities are limited, which may reduce outmigration to large urban centres. The loss of
economic opportunities would have an important impact on people in these small communities.The seal harvest provides direct employment for over six thousand people per year on a part-time basis. Some sealers have stated that their income from sealing can represent a significant amount of their total annual income.

There are also many secondary economic benefits derived from the seal industry. Seals have been harvested for food, fuel, clothing and other products for hundreds of years. Seal products consist of leather, oil, handicrafts, and meat for human and
animal consumption as well as seal oil capsules rich in Omega-3. New product development such as for specialized seal food products and research into the use of harp seal heart valves in human heart surgery is ongoing.Estimates from DFO and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador find that between 5,000 and 6,000 individuals derive some income from sealing. This is approximately 1 per cent of the total provincial population, and 2 per cent of the labour force. This is a substantial number of individuals in the context of small rural communities.

The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) regulates the seal hunt in Canada. It sets quotas (total allowable catch-TAC), monitors the hunt, studies the seal population, works with the Canadian Sealing Association to train sealers on new regulations, and promotes sealing through its website and spokespeople.
The DFO set kill quotas of 270,000 seals in 2007, 275,000 in 2008, 280,000 in 2009, and 330,000 in 2010. The actual kills in recent years have been less than the quotas: 82,800 in 2007, 217,800 in 2008, 72,400 in 2009, and 67,000 in 2010. In 2007, Norway claimed that 29,000 harp seals were killed in its seal hunt, and Russia and Greenland claimed that 5,476 and 90,000 seals were killed in 2007, respectively.
The hunt remains highly controversial, attracting significant media coverage and protests each year.Numerous celebrities have opposed the commercial seal hunt. Rex Murphy has reported celebrities have been used by antihunt activists since the mid-20th century; Yvette Mimieux and Loretta Swit were recruited to attract the attention of international gossip magazines.Other celebrities who have aligned themselves against the hunt include Richard Dean Anderson, Kim Basinger, Juliette Binoche, Sir Paul McCartney, Heather Mills, Pamela Anderson, Martin Sheen, Pierce Brosnan, Morrissey, Paris Hilton, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Rutger Hauer,Brigitte Bardot, Ed Begley, Jr., Farley Mowat, Linda Blair, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.Yes, seals are cute, they clap their flippers together,bark, and get tossed fish at Marinelands, and in circus',but they are voracious breeders, and voracious eaters,consumers, of fish stock.Jacques Cousteau, renowned worldwide as a pioneer of marine conservation, criticized the seal hunt protests,and wisely and sanely supported the hunting of seals.

Sealing also in itself is an intergral part of Canada's trade and economy. Canada's biggest market for seal pelts is Norway.  Canada sold pelts to eleven countries in 2004. The next largest were Germany, Greenland, and China/Hong Kong.In recent years, China has become a market for seal fur. Other importers were Finland, Denmark, France, Greece, South Korea, and Russia. Asia remains the principal market for seal meat exports.One of Canada's market access priorities for 2002 was to "continue to press Korean authorities to obtain the necessary approvals for the sale of seal meat for human consumption in Korea." Canadian and Korean officials agreed in 2003 on specific Korean import requirements for seal meat.For 2004, only Taiwan and South Korea purchased seal meat from Canada.Canadian seal product exports reached C$18 million in 2006. Of this, C$5.4 million went to the EU.

Other nations hunt seals,the more the merrier,for every seal killed, there's 35 pounds of fish that is available for mankind,each day, and there's 35 pounds of fish per day more to breed yet more fish, and increase the sadly depleted fish stocks.Other nations with seal hunts are  Norway, Namibia, Russia, Greenland(Denmark), Sweden,also Japan(Japanese economy is boosted by seal hunting giving leather, oil, meat, gelatin, and fertilizer.

Between 1995 and 2005, an average 160,000 seals have been reported landed every year in Greenland. This makes Greenland the second largest sealing range state in the world, after Canada. Five species of seal are found and traditionally hunted in Greenlandic waters: the ringed, harp, hooded, bearded and harbour seals2. Regarding harp seals, between 65,000 and 90,000 animals are landed every year and for every seal landed, another is estimated to be struck and lost at sea1, bringing the total kill of Greenland’s harp seals to some 130,000 – 180,000 animals per year. Greenland has a total population of about 56,000 people of whom 88% are Inuit or mixed Danish and Inuit. Traditionally, sealing contributed to the subsistence of the people and has been an important part of the cultural identity.Harp and ringed seals are the main hunted species (98% of the reported catch for all seals in 20051). Previously, the ringed seal was the main species for subsistence (food and income) but the subsidies from the fur industry made it more attractive to hunt harp seals as hunters are offered a better price for harp skins.
According to the authorities, sealing still provides basic food supply to most Greenlandic communities, both for human consumption and feed for sled dogs.

annual catch of seals in Greenland:
Years Harp  Ringed Hooded Seal
1995 63,263 79,105 7,179
1996 74,676 89,938 9,891
1997 69,567 80,207 7,492
1998 82,217 78,747 6,335
1999 50,017 83,343 7,455
2000 99,801 80,293 5,844

2001 86,763 78,432 6,503
2002 67,725 82,491 4,806
2003 67,607 80,645 6,336
2004 72,169 77,374 5,853
2005 90,351 89,773 4,096

Seals can be hunted year round by any Greenlandic citizen with a licence. Hunting licences are either “commercial” or “recreational”. Hunters with a commercial licence are “full-time” hunters2,5, while hunters with a recreational licence are
“free time” or “part-time” hunters. The majority (66%) of commercial hunters claim they have no additional occupation besides fishing and hunting while 24% state that they have additional occupation(s).The hunting of seals in Greenland is monitored each year by observers from NAMMCO, the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission, who inspect the hunting from vessels or from land.

The NAMMCO Committee on Hunting Methods provides advice on hunting and NAMMCO has implemented a Joint Control Scheme
for the Hunting of Marine Mammals which includes international observation of sealing to monitor whether legislation is respected in the four member countries (Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Greenland, which currently holds the
chairmanship).The organisation notably defends the “rights and needs of coastal communities to make a sustainable living from what the sea can provide”. Seal hunting, or sealing, is most necessary to all nations, and in the best interests of all nations.

In fact sealing quotas should in fact be raised from their present levels to replenish the sadly dwindling and reduced fish stocks so necessary to nations,to mankind. We must put aside the fact that seals are cute, that they are circu performers, that they are marineland performers, rather they are in fact rodents, sea rodents, rodents who have a voracious appetite for fish, who have contributed heavily to the depletion of fish stocks in the world.There must be sense and sensibility,sealing is in the best interests of mankind,and must not only be condoned, encouraged, continued, but also increased,for the good of our fish stocks.