Rate of growth in Atlantic Canada's grey seal population is slowing, says DFO report & More News Here

The grey seal population in Atlantic Canada continues to develop and is now estimated at 366,000, based on the 2021 inventory evaluation launched Thursday by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

But DFO says the population is rising at a a lot slower fee than in earlier years and for the primary time in 60 years it is believed pup manufacturing has decreased on Sable Island.

The large Sable Island colony produces 80 per cent of Canadian grey seal pups.

“Based on the results of just one survey, it is difficult to interpret the change in the trajectory of pup production on Sable Island. A single low pup production estimate could also be the result of a year with a low birth rate,” DFO stated in its newest inventory evaluation.

It additionally estimated the Scotian Shelf population at 310,700 with the overwhelming majority from the Sable Island colony.

DFO says 76,600 pups had been born yearly on Sable Island, or 78 per cent of the Scotian Shelf whole. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, pup manufacturing was estimated at 16,900.

New modelling technique

Scientists used a brand new mannequin to estimate the population in the newest report. It transformed pup manufacturing numbers from aerial surveys to whole population by combining reproductive and survival charges with the small quantity harvested by people.

Applying the brand new modelling to its 2016 estimate produced a sharply decrease consequence.

DFO’s 2016 evaluation stated the population was 424,000, however that is been decreased to 339,000.

“This is the second assessment that has resulted in a significant downward revision in the previous estimate of grey seal abundance,” DFO stated in its report.

It attributes the adjustments to a slowing enhance in pup manufacturing and its new technique of counting.

Need for extra frequent surveys

“The new model provides a significant downward revision in estimated juvenile survival and indicates that the dynamics of the grey seal population are changing relatively rapidly in a manner that is not well understood,” the report says.

The population is presently surveyed each 5 years.

The evaluation says extra frequent surveys would assist scientists higher perceive what is taking place with grey seals.

Aerial reconnaissance surveys flown alongside the south and east coasts of Newfoundland and the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick coasts didn’t detect any new breeding colonies.

In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, new, small colonies had been detected on the south shore of Anticosti Island and two small islets close to the Magdalen Islands.

I’ve tried to provide all types of information to all of you latest news today 2022 via this web site and you will like all this information very a lot as a result of all of the information we all the time give in this information is all the time there. It is on trending subject and regardless of the newest information was

it was all the time our effort to succeed in you that you simply hold getting the newest information and also you all the time hold getting the knowledge of information via us totally free and likewise inform you folks. Give that no matter info associated to different varieties of information shall be

made obtainable to all of you so that you’re all the time related with the information, keep forward in the matter and hold getting today news every type of information totally free until at the moment so to get the information by getting it. Always take two steps ahead