Senator Fabian Manning is calling on Ottawa to advance talks on marketing seal products across the country.

Manning, Chair for the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, says the growing seal population, which is reported to top eight million, is having a direct and devastating effect on the local cod and shellfish fisheries.

He says the province is dependent on the fishing industry, and that the increases in seals numbers is affecting the livelihoods of those who make a living from the sea.

Manning notes that kangaroo meat is available in stores in Ontario, but not seal meat.

He says that changing the mindset about seal products could be a game-changer for NL’s sealing industry.

He says they will concentrate on marketing seal products within Canada, noting that broadening the sale possibilities across the country can save the sealing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.