Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the Atlantic seal research program was announced by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans on April 24, 2003. The objective of this program was to expand current research activities to assess the impact of seals on fish stocks. A research program to address this objective was designed in the spring of 2003 and the research activities began in the summer of 2003.
In response to (b), scientists from the Quebec, Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador regions designed a research program containing three major components: (1) seal distribution and diet; (2) seal populations assessment; and (3) development of seal management tools. The field portion of the program is now nearly completed.
In response to (c), seven scientists, two biologists and five technicians from the Quebec, Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador regions have been involved in this project. In addition, about 30 invited scientists and students were involved in this study.
In response to (d), partnerships were developed to address various components of the study. The three large surveys, harp, hooded and grey seal populations, used logistical support from Canadian Coast Guard. Scientists from other research organizations in Norway, Denmark, and the United Kingdom cooperated in various components of the study. Some of the work was done in partnership with Memorial, Laval and Dalhousie universities. Some work was conducted by fishermen and sealers. A contract was also developed with ARGOS to obtain the information from the satellite transmitters that were used in the seal distribution study.
In response to (e), the Atlantic seal research program had a budget of $6 million. The project was initially planned for two years, fiscal years 2003-04 and 2004-05. However, it was extended for an additional year to allow the completion of the analyses of the data obtained and to produce a thorough report of the program's major findings. For fiscal year 2003-04, the budget was $3,125M, for fiscal year 2004-05, the budget was $2,548M , and for fiscal year 2005-06, the budget is $327.5K. The project will be completed at the end of fiscal year 2005-06.
In response to (f), the results of the Atlantic seal research program will be used to provide advice for seal management and for ecosystem based management, especially as it relates to the management of groundfish in the Atlantic. It is too early to evaluate which policies or practices have changed, but the programs are relevant to a number of DFO strategies or recommendations to come in the future, such as cod recovery, the seal hunt, et cetera