The Newfoundland and Labrador Groundfish Industry Development Council is calling for more to be done about the impact of seals on Newfoundland and Labrador’s cod stocks.

Last week, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans released its stock assessment labeling the stock as stable but still in the critical zone.

Council Chair Jim Baird says he’s not surprised by the results but does challenge DFO’s stance on seals.

The department argues that seals do not play a significant factor in cod stock status, but has committed to ongoing research on the issue.

Baird believes it’s important to look at the impact that predation by seals has on the stock, noting that a resumption of the commercial seal hunt would help the situation.

He says a DFO report from the early 2010s states that seals consume between 150,000 to 300,000 tonnes of cod annually, compared to the 10,000 tonnes harvested by the fishery last year. Baird argues that reducing the seal population by 20 per cent would save 30,000 to 40,000 metric tonnes—about three or four times what the fishery accounts for.

He says he doesn’t think drastic actions need to be taken, but a reimplementation of a seal hunt with work by the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to approved markets would be a big help.

Baird asks how the province can let the seal population continue on with 8- or 9-million animals and be satisfied with the stability of the cod stock at a lower level.

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