Canada's fisheries minister announces summit in Newfoundland to follow up on Atlantic report on seal science & More News Here

The morning after the Atlantic Seal Science Task Team last report was revealed, Bob Hardy was frying onions in his kitchen in Brigus, Newfoundland.

They could be the aspect ingredient for a particular meal of seal burgers to be served up for a midday enterprise lunch on May 12 with a few provincial authorities bureaucrats.

He hoped if the civil servants weren’t already converts to the considered seal meat as common fare in native eating places, they is likely to be after tasting the burgers.

Hardy is a seafood guide. He was additionally a member of the duty group that, after spending the previous two years finding out Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) science experiences about seals and what they eat, got here to the conclusion the information on seal diets had giant gaps and was outdated.

“There’s been no recent sample of seal stomachs from the offshore,” stated Hardy, “and for the inshore sampling, every year they choose the same fishermen, in the same communities, in the same month.”

Hardy says the abdomen samples are gathered from the close to shore in December and January, close to St. Anthony and Baie Verte.

Based on these samples, scientists have decided seals aren’t consuming capelin or cod.

The downside, stated Hardy, is “you’re not going to find capelin or cod off St. Anthony or Baie Verte.”

Glen Blackwood, former vice-president of the Marine Institute, chaired the duty group.

He instructed SaltWire Network the duty group has really useful a significant seal food plan research, sampling seal stomachs over the course of a 12 months and over a broader geographic vary.

You received’t discover proof for those who don’t look in the proper locations, he instructed, utilizing black bears for example to show his level.

“If you take a look at black bears’ stomachs or feeding in the spring, you are unlikely to discover many berries, however in the autumn you’ll. It’s a seasonal factor.

“We the see the same thing in the ocean, where seals show up in a certain area at a certain time.”

Hardy stated the images and movies of seal stomachs despatched in by fish harvesters in the previous few years are proof that seals eat cod and capelin.

The job group suggests a significant seal food plan research would supply strong info to confirm and quantify it.

However, don’t anticipate DFO to follow that suggestion instantly.

While Hardy was prepping seal meat and frying onions in Brigus, 620 kilometres away in Corner Brook Joyce Murray was telling a small crowd on the Barry Group fish plant wharf a few seal summit that can happen in St. John’s this fall.

 

Canada’s minister for Fisheries and Oceans had to do battle with the sound of screeching seagulls to be heard, however her speech was quick and to the purpose.

The summit, Murray stated, will carry collectively science, fish harvesters, teachers, Indigenous teams, authorities departments and non-government organizations to focus on administration of the seal herds in Atlantic Canada.

“That is just one next step,” she stated, including DFO is “committed to maintaining existing markets for seal products and developing new markets.”

The minister later instructed SaltWire she accepts the duty group’s suggestion that extra science is required.

However, there’s a downside, she stated.

“We’re still building back the science in government after 10 years of the (Harper) government that didn’t really believe in science on the basis of their decision-making and the cuts to science.”

There could also be alternatives, nevertheless, to discover funding from different applications, Murray acknowledged, by means of private-public partnerships with cash from businesses just like the Ocean Super Cluster or the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) or the Atlantic Fisheries Fund.

She additionally appears to like the thought of citizen science, with fish harvesters sharing their information and knowledge with DFO scientists.

“We believe there should be a collaboration with industry on doing this,” stated Blackwood. “They’re there on the water every day (and) they have the ability to collect samples. They’re doing observations and we need to build that into future science and future management.”

How that may work in a proper method, although, stays to be seen.

Undoubtedly, it’s one of many subjects that might be tackled at this fall’s seal summit.

Murray drew applause from the small crowd when she stated, “We know seals eat fish.”

Then she added, “Let me say that once more: seals eat fish.”

How a lot they eat is open to debate.

Canadian research counsel a seal eats about 3.5 kilograms of fish a day, stated Hardy, whereas fisheries managers in Norway estimate the animals devour about 9 kilos a day.

Blackwood added, “The biggest challenge we had was reconciling the numbers. Most people agree a seal consumes about a ton of food a year.”

With harp seals alone at a inhabitants of seven.3 million animals, he stated, “that amounts to 7.6 million metric tonnes of consumption.”

You received’t discover the phrases “cull” or “hunt” in the duty group report, nevertheless.

They did counsel, nevertheless, administration of the seal inhabitants has a powerful hyperlink to advertising and marketing of seal merchandise.

That’s why the group threw in a handful of suggestions, suggesting Canada ought to do extra to help improvement of latest markets for seal merchandise, and work by means of Global Affairs and International Trade to open new markets and cut back commerce restrictions.

One of the challenges with seals is that there aren’t any clear administration aims.

There used to be 1.5 million seals in Atlantic Canada, stated Blackwood, then 5 million.

“Now we’ve got 7.6 million and … in the absence of a market, the population just keeps growing.”

Hardy says there’s a potential marketplace for seal meat and oil in Asia, however one of many issues standing in the best way is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Hardy explains it’s unlawful to export meat from Canada with out certification by the CFIA, however the company doesn’t have a certification system in place for seal meat.

Hardy might need been ready to serve up a tasty seal burger for his lunch visitors close to St. John’s, however it’s not possible for him or anybody else to package deal a seal burger on the market in China.

“If China was a customer,” he stated, “they could take our whole seal quota, easily.”

Japan additionally has curiosity in seal merchandise, he stated, significantly for seal oil and powders for pharmaceutical purposes.

Murray makes no guarantees on pushing for CFIA certification for seal merchandise.

She did say, nevertheless, work on that entrance would possibly start with the seal summit.

“I think the summit is going to shed a light on a range of things that we can do to remove barriers and to open doors,” she stated.

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