Fisheries Committee on Nov. 9th, 2006

[Robert Courtney]

If you're talking about just meat, you would yield 100 to 200 pounds.

[Peter Stoddard]

From a 500-pound seal?

[Robert Courtney]

Yes. The biggest part of the weight is the skin and the blubber, the fat. When you get down to the carcass on an 800-pound animal, you're only talking probably 300 pounds, 400 pounds.

[Peter Stoddard]

And then you've got to remove the bones.

[Robert Courtney]

Yes.

[Bill Matthews, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Where I'm going with this is that it seems to me your grey seal allocation is really an artificial one, because as Robert said, you can't access the seals. So we're setting a grey seal allocation that's not going to be taken, and it's obvious that everyone knows that before it's allocated.

If you could harvest what you're allocated, do you have markets for it, or is that the problem? Ideally, we would all want to harvest seals and use the full animal, if possible, because if not, that's what causes some problems. If you were to harvest every seal you're allocated this year, would you be able to market the product?

[Robert Courtney]

You say it would be a problem, but here we are in the harp seal harvest where we don't use the full animals. What would be any different with the grey seal harvest?

This meat thing is new to me. If the market is there for the meat, then it can be harvested. Some problems have to be overcome with access to the place, but it can be done, and there are people to do it, but a lot of things have to be taken care of before it is.

[Peter Stoddard]

In answer to your question, I would say no at this point, because it's new. It's an experimental market, but we do have the potential for 450 metric tons per year, which represents 10 to 20 containers.

[Bill Matthews, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Monsieur Blais.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Thank you. My question is for Peter Stoddard.

You said that seals—I assume you mean grey seals—eat two tonnes of food per year. What is that figure based on? Is it based on personal information or scientific data? What information are you using to arrive at that number?

[Peter Stoddard]

That data was DFO science. Mr. Hammill mentioned earlier, a tonne and a half, but it's unclear whether that's actual fish flesh or if it's only the belly content. If it's only the belly content, that gets multiplied by five, because your belly content's only 20% of the fish. So maybe five times that amount of fish is being destroyed. We're not sure, because the science doesn't differentiate, whether it's actual flesh or belly content.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

I am not sure I understand. Can you clarify your response?

[Peter Stoddard]

In the pictures that were circulated, the whole fish wasn't eaten. They have every opportunity to eat the whole fish, but they go for the belly content, which only represents 20% of the overall weight of the fish. DFO science doesn't differentiate. We can't get an answer as to whether it's 1.5 metric tons of belly content or 1.5 metric tons of fish.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Mr. Hammill, do you have a comment there?

[Dr. Mike Hammill]

It's 1.5 tonnes consumed, actually eaten. So if there's fish that's left over but not eaten, that's not taken into account.

[Peter Stoddard]

So it could be multiplied by five.

[Raynald Blais, Bloc, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Mr. Kamp.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for appearing and giving us some good information that we'll have to wrestle with.

I was part of the standing committee trip to Newfoundland a little more than a year ago, and I think the same holds true for this trip. I don't think I've yet found a fisherman who doesn't believe that the increasing seal population is affecting groundfish stocks. We ran into some scientists who aren't convinced about that, but so far I haven't run into a fisherman. I'm from British Columbia, so our experience there is probably the same as on the other coasts, and that's that often the fishermen are right. In the end, we often find that out.

I have one question, I think, for Mr. Hammill.

Apart from maybe the legal problems and other issues about sealing on Sable Island, are there any biological reasons why you, as a biologist, wouldn't hunt for seals on Sable Island?

[Dr. Mike Hammill]

No. It all depends on how everything's done, of course. If we're talking about a well-managed hunt, then as far as seal hunting goes, it should be fine.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

It's not because it's highly sensitive environmentally and hunting there would upset that?

[Dr. Mike Hammill]

There are things like dune damage that would have to be considered. Running all over with ATVs, or something like that, would have to be considered. Presumably if this is an option, there would be a hunt management plan. That's what's usually prepared. This would be outlined, it would be examined, and then problems would be identified and the hunters, or whoever, would be expected to mitigate.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gerald Keddy]

Mr. Manning, I'm sure you have a question. A final question to Mr. Manning.