Is the seal hunt sustainable in the long run?
(Wikipedia creative commons photos of baby seal and plate of seal ribs) According to David Barry of the Seals and Sealing Network, a pro-hunt advocacy group, the robust seal population is evidence that the precautionary approach is effective. Barry is critical of efforts that aim to stop the hunt on the basis of conservation. “Of course we need to conserve the species, but arguing against its use is not the way to do so, especially when the very people who now hunt seals for use also rely heavily on the seals’ prey, for example crab, capelin, codfish, etc, to earn their living.” Russell Leaper, a scientist from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, isn’t sure the current approach is sustainable in the long-term. According to research by Leaper and his colleagues, the management approach used for the commercial harp seal hunt cannot be considered precautionary. “The effects of harvest and environmental impacts will not be observable for at least 5-7 years (i.e
Russell Leaper, a scientist from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, isn’t sure the current approach is sustainable in the long-term. According to research by Leaper and his colleagues, the management approach used for the commercial harp seal hunt cannot be considered precautionary. “The effects of harvest and environmental impacts will not be observable for at least 5-7 years (i.e. less time than the current management regime has been in place). There are too many examples of justifying continued high levels of exploitation because everything seemed fine but ending with disastrous consequences.” Leaper suggests that in order to make the hunt more sustainable, the management approach should be properly tested and catches reduced until more research is completed. But there may be another reason to be concerned about the seal population. “There are those who think that the abundant seal population is part of why there hasn’t been a return of cod,” says Dr. C
