It shouldn't be confused. There is a recreational food fishery. Personal use licences are referred to with DFO. I think there are 6,000 animals or 8,000 animals that are taken for personal use. That's six animals per licence. I think the limit is 8,000 or 6,000 animals. However, with these animals, the pelts are not allowed to be sold. Processors are not allowed to buy them. They can only utilize the meat for their personal use.
I think when people refer to recreational, they are mainly referring to people who are not fishermen, who do other trades, and over the years, when licences were more readily available, they would have had a professional sealer licence. Personally, I had a sealing licence probably 25 years ago. I didn't keep it, but I could have. I would be considered a professional sealer. However, I would not participate in any other fisheries other than the sealing industry.
There's a separation between recreation or personal use, I suppose, and fishermen or sealers who do other things for their main source of livelihood.