"Kayakers discover 12 shot grey seals" (Chronicle Herald, July 8) might
mislead readers about the legalities of killing seals in Nova Scotia.

According to DFO spokesman, Jerry Conway, "it has to be done humanely." But
under Canada's Marine Mammal Regulations, the list of prohibitions against
inhumane methods of killing seals applies only to seal hunters who hold
"commercial" or "personal use" licenses (usually for harp seals). The regulations
include mandatory training for sealers, the use of only approved weapons, landing
and reporting of all seals killed, and that seals be killed quickly. One
stipulation is that sealers "confirm that the seal is dead before proceeding to
strike another seal." However, none of these rules apply to grey seals because
they are being hunted with the lesser-known, unregulated, "nuisance seal"
licenses. Beyond a quasi-requirement that he "make a reasonable effort to
retrieve" dead seals (which routinely fails), the nuisance seal hunter is exempt from
rules that apply to other seal hunters. The effect is a no-holds-barred
assault on "nuisance" seals - literally. While most seals are shot, a few fishermen
kill them by setting baited leg-hold traps on bottom. Is this humane?

Mr. Conway stated "they are permitted to kill grey seals only." Harbour
seals live here too, a smaller seal that is in serious decline. But "nuisance
seal" hunters have not been directed to spare the vanishing harbour seal. It can
be difficult to distinguish between harbour seals and grey seals, because an
adult harbour seal can easily be mistaken for a juvenile grey seal. In any case,
either species might be muzzle-caught and drowned by the leg-hold traps.

The recent "explosive" growth of the grey seal herd is not pathological:
this is to be expected in an animal population that was hunted to near
extinction. Natural small-fish predators are essential for health maintenance in a
fish-producing system. Contrary to "common sense" or not, this is absolutely true,
and these elements are being lost.

We now witness an unprecedented absence of big fish, that long shared this
crucial role with seals. Small-fish predators are now disproportionately seals
instead of large fish, as compared to decades ago, but overall, numbers of
small-fish predators have greatly declined along with the general numbers of fish.
If the seals were removed, would big fish reappear? No, there is not a chance.

DFO has neglected to inform fishermen that the starved condition of fish
(including recently, lobsters) disproves the idea that fish growth is being
restricted by seal predation. There are no big cod or other fish simply because food
is too scarce today for fish to grow to larger sizes. An "unbalanced" ocean
with "too many seals," if it did exist, would produce particularly well-fed
fish due to lower competition for food. The secret to the puzzle is this: DFO
prefers to continue to allow seals to be used as scapegoats because the whole
truth about what is now wrong with fisheries and fisheries science is just too
awkward and depressing to be admitted.