The first-ever Seal Summit concluded at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s yesterday.

The two-day conference was attended by anyone with a stake in the industry including MPs, senators, Indigenous leaders, unions and environmentalists.

Media and the public were barred from the discussions and debates which were, by all accounts, cordial except for a couple of dustups.

Federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, who acted as host and spokesperson for the summit, was asked what there was to fear from media being present.

Murray insists it wasn’t about fear, but rather giving people a safe place to express feelings and ideas on what’s been a contentious subject. She says she wanted them to feel like they could do that without the risk that their comments would be made public.

Goals for the industry continue to be finding new markets for new seal products, and loosening the juggernaut in the EU and China.