HELCOM Workshop on Seal-Fisheries Interactions Copenhagen, Denmark, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

HELCOM Workshop on Seal-Fisheries Interactions Copenhagen, Denmark, 27 June 2019

Seal and fisheries interaction : right questions to ask and difficult choices to be made

Th The c con

• nflict between s

seals ls an and fisher eries es i is old and w world-wide

Photo by M. Daniluk

Some conclusions from the BSAC – more questions than answers

• The BSAC can’t agree on a concerted way forward, views are diverse
• We need an ecosystem approach to solve the problem between seals

and fisheries

• What is a Good Environmental Status with respect to an acceptable level
• f seals?
• Currently very hard for fisheries to co-exist with seals in some areas
• How and in what way should seals be managed?
• Is there enough funding to monitor the seal population?
• Difficult choices that should be based on science: Member States and EU

bodies must act

We We need eed to ask the r right ques estion

• ns - what is it

that managers really want to achieve?

Discussions must be separated to find the right questions to ask to the right people:

• The fishery problem
• The biodiversity problem
• The ecosystem problem

Fis ishery ry

• A very real and difficult problem
• A technical issue
• An economic issue of lost fish, extra work and

damaged gears

• Partly a socio-psychological issue and not natural

science issue

Biod

• diversi

sity ty

• Seal population status unevenly distributed
• Grey seal is the issue, what about other seals?
• Migration patterns and consumption
• Behavioral changes and health of seals
• Are seals in good status or not?

Ec Ecosys ystem

• Predation – natural mortality
• Spreading of parasites (also M)
• Driver on fish stocks, other species or not?
• Other impacts on the marine ecosystem drives a change

in seal behavior?

• Other ecosystem impacts/changes that may mask

effects?

What s should H HELCOM a address?

• Seal status and reference levels
• Risks to the species in current situation
• Changed recommendations on supporting seals?
• Effects on ecosystem or because of changed ecosystem?:
• Consumption is a marine mammal “people” question (diet, when, what , where)
• Impact on fish is a ”fish people” question (drivers of stock dynamics)
• Questions related to changed feeding patterns, other species changes etc??

Reminder: consumption is not the same as impact

UN UNEP Protocol f l for

• r th

the s sci cien entific ific evalu luatio ion of

• f p

proposals ls to cull marin ine mamma mals

Was first considered in 1992 due to intensified debate on interactions. The SAC was given two tasks:

• compile a list of historical and current culling programmes and situations in

which proposals have been made for culls for the intended benefit of fisheries resources, and

• draw up guidelines for the scientific evaluation of culling proposals,

including a specification of the information which is needed to evaluate a cull proposal.

UN UNEP Prot

• toc
• col f

for t the s scien enti tific e evaluati tion

• n o
• f p

prop

• pos
• sals

to cull marin ine mamma mals

Basic information needed:

• the marine mammal population, range and migration
• the target fish species, the fisheries involved
• the geographical area of concern

Cull objectives:

• Biological (to increase abundance of a stock)
• Operational (realized catch rates by certain fisheries)
• Economic (improve profitability of a fishery)

UN UNEP Prot

• toc
• col f

for t the s scien enti tific e evaluati tion

• n o
• f p

prop

• pos
• sals

to cull marin ine mamma mals

Culling programme

• envisaged duration
• annual numbers to be killed or details of other measures, e.g. bounties
• measures to estimate the numbers killed
• target population size or other reduction/control targets, if any
• provisions for monitoring marine mammal population
• provisions, for monitoring the effects of the cull.

Costs of a cull can be substantial. Who will pay if not proven to work?

Thank you

• u and let

et us us sta tart finding the r right ht questions and answer ers