You state on the website that as many seals are killed today as during the 1950s and 1960s, when significant overhunting pushed seals down the road to extinction. And yet the harp seal population has grown significantly, from under two million in the early seventies to over 5.8 million in 2004.
Moreover, DFO says the multi-annual total allowable catch is established based on scientific surveys designed to ensure that the harp seal population does not fall below 70% of the maximum observed population.
It would seem, therefore, that increases in annual harvests have led to a stabilization in population and not a reduction. So do you agree or disagree with the population estimates released by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat at DFO?