Sea lions eating all the Orca's food

Islandgirl

Islandgirl

Well-Known Member
A friend of mine was down by South Hornby, Flora and Norris rock on the week. They estimated there were over 3000 sea lions. Based on the fact they need 4 to 6% of their body weight in food daily, a conservative estimate is they are eating 135,000 pounds of fish daily. That would consist of herring, salmon, cod and hake. DFO suggests that cutting the sport fisher down to one Chinook a day is going to make a difference. I give my head a shake.:mad:
 
They were there when I was a kid in the late 80s and early 90s, though not sure in those numbers.

I don’t remember them causing problems for fishermen back then.
 
They only cause problems for fishermen who want to catch fish, because they’re eating them all!

It might not have been a problem then, because they hadn’t eaten them all yet, but as time has passed... you know the rest.
 
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Hasn't a cull been approved?
The moratorium on seal hunting in the 70's combined with the increase in salmon because they were not hunted caused a population explosion. They will eat until there is nothing left and then move on to the next trough and up rivers.

The FF's have been around almost to the day of declining returns even though the company hack working for the government showed this virus has been around since day one, he just called it something else and ignored (paid off) the danger.

45,000 pinnipeds need to be culled and an industry set up. Seal goods to China would be a home run, guess we just have to wait until a political party supporter sets up to do this and then it will happen.
 
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or humpback whales look at how much their numbers have increase in the pacific northwest since whaling was banned, My god if there was anyone to blame for the lack of krill and baitfish look no further into how much they eat.
 
A "cull" is a very bad thing. Selective science-based harvest of truly problem seals makes sense because only a small number of them have become smolt predator experts. Especially concerning are those that are now going up into rivers to eat smolts and returning adults that are sitting ducks. That is a problem!
 
searun said:
Selective science-based harvest of truly problem seals makes sense because only a small number of them have become smolt predator experts. Especially concerning are those that are now going up into rivers to eat smolts and returning adults that are sitting ducks. That is a problem!
Click to expand...

While I agree with you regarding a "cull", I find it interesting that you (and others) chose a position directly counter to that of Dr. Carl Walters regarding just where the smolt predation is occurring, and where the harvest efforts should be focused. In his latest presentation to DFO (and yes, I was there) he noted that Seasonal mortality rate of juvenile chinook and coho data conclusively indicate said mortality is NOT concentrated at river mouths by "problem seals". The accompanying graphs well show that the spikes of increased predation occur well after the smolts have entered the marine system. They are being targeted on hard in areas well removed from their rivers of origin:

upload_2019-2-18_11-28-58.png

He further noted that the predators move to where the juvenile salmon concentrate (as can be expected) and there is a direct correlation between seal presence / concentrations over the season with those of juvenile salmon:

Predation Risk from haul out data:

upload_2019-2-18_11-32-9.png

June juvenile destinies:

upload_2019-2-18_11-33-13.png

So while there are some problem seals in certain areas, they simply are not the only, nor even the largest predation problem occurring.
Accordingly, any harvest that occurs will have to take this into context.

I have previously requested that those without all the information in front of them PLEASE keep the speculation down to a dull roar. I am working on a presentation of sorts to try and clarify some of the science involved. Bear with me, it is not a simple task, and it is not the only thing on my plate of late...

Cheers,
Nog
 
http://www.marinemammal.org/wp-content/pdfs/Allegue_2018.pdf

This research is pretty conclusive - river estuaries and haul out locations. No one has completed research to my knowledge on what predation is taking place in rivers, however lots of observational evidence that there has been a shift in the past decade to these animals travelling up into rivers. The Puntledge River example is the only in-river program to control predation that I'm aware of.

Also of note...S-0 Chinook out-migrate as fairly small size and are not worth the caloric energy to chase them down at river mouths, but as they grow (July - Aug) they become a viable prey source near haul out locations. So not all Chinook out-migrants are worth the effort expenditure in estuaries. S-1 stream-types would be worth the effort, and as we can see from Fraser River Chinook that appears to be happening.

Also, check out the numbers of smolts consumed....highest when they are first out-migrating...near estuaries. Smolts per day isn't as significant an indicator as total numbers consumed. Only a small number of seals are habituated to prey upon smolts in estuaries, likely because the size of smolts at that life stage isn't worth the effort, but as time goes on and smolts grow in size, they become more significant caloric value - probably the connection with July-Aug at haul outs.
 
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Again... we all realize there are some localized "problem seals" out there.
Those traveling up the rivers are a classic example.
They are NOT the only problem when it comes to predation.
In fact, while they present an impact, they are not even the largest predation problem at this point.
The majority of salmonid juveniles are consumed well after they leave the river and estuaries.
The science has been done.
The conclusion is obvious.
DFO concurred with Dr. Walters' assessment.

So yes, your pet problems will need to be addressed.
But they will be far from alone in that.

Cheers,
Nog
 
FISH-NL pleased with DFO move to increase seal licences; first step in addressing population
harp-seal-4-e1550697877842.jpg

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, Feb. 20th, 2019

The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) is encouraged that Fisheries and Oceans has finally moved to increase the number of commercial seal licences — the first step to combating the massive population.

“You can’t have a seal hunt without sealers,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “We see this as the first step to getting where we need to be — with a full-scale hunt that removes millions of harp seals from the ecosystem, and restores balance.”

DFO issued an advisory to harvesters earlier today to say that new applications for commercial assistant sealers will be considered. As well, professional Level 1 and Level 2 harvesters who held a commercial assistant seal licence in 2018 will be upgraded to professional.

The Harp seal population in the northwest Atlantic was last estimated in 2012 at 7.4 million animals — almost six times what it was in the 1970s. The impact of the harp seal population on Newfoundland and Labrador fish stocks has been enormous: In 2017, the entire fishery landed just under 200,000 tonnes of all species — representing 1.6 per cent of the estimated 12.5 million tonnes consumed by harp seals,.

Meanwhile, federal statistics reveal the number of commercial sealing licences plunged in Newfoundland and Labrador to 4,558 in 2017 from 11,146 in 2009.

A full assessment of harp seals in the northwest Atlantic — including the latest population estimate — had been slated for last fall, but has been rescheduled for the fall of 2019 when the National Marine Mammal Peer Review Committee is expected to meet.

Harps seals feed on cod, caplin, crab and shrimp, the commercial quotas for which are all down, with Atlantic salmon at an all-time low. Seal predation isn’t factored into scientific assessments for stocks such as crab and shrimp.

Groups in British Columbia have called for a cull of the estimated 110,000 harbour seals and sea lions off that province for the impact they’re having on Pacific salmon stocks.

Meantime, while DFO’s website states that harp seals found off eastern Newfoundland and Labrador are not a “significant factor” in the lack of cod recovery to date, the same site states that the estimated 505,000 grey seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are a “major factor” limiting cod recovery in the southern Gulf.

Contact: Ryan Cleary 682 4862
 
Anyone know why seal populations are doing so well? Is it simply because humans have taken them off the table? Or is it other factors causing their populations to boom?
 
A small number is involved, really? How many do you think they killed on the Puntledge?
Do you know how many they actually ate? Have you actually read the report?
Show us your science on this please.

Further if every river and creek has the same problem, how many seals do you think are a concern?





searun said:
http://www.marinemammal.org/wp-content/pdfs/Allegue_2018.pdf

This research is pretty conclusive - river estuaries and haul out locations. No one has completed research to my knowledge on what predation is taking place in rivers, however lots of observational evidence that there has been a shift in the past decade to these animals travelling up into rivers. The Puntledge River example is the only in-river program to control predation that I'm aware of.

Also of note...S-0 Chinook out-migrate as fairly small size and are not worth the caloric energy to chase them down at river mouths, but as they grow (July - Aug) they become a viable prey source near haul out locations. So not all Chinook out-migrants are worth the effort expenditure in estuaries. S-1 stream-types would be worth the effort, and as we can see from Fraser River Chinook that appears to be happening.

Also, check out the numbers of smolts consumed....highest when they are first out-migrating...near estuaries. Smolts per day isn't as significant an indicator as total numbers consumed. Only a small number of seals are habituated to prey upon smolts in estuaries, likely because the size of smolts at that life stage isn't worth the effort, but as time goes on and smolts grow in size, they become more significant caloric value - probably the connection with July-Aug at haul outs.
Click to expand...
 
Thankfully we have little problem in our area. I’ve only ever had one encounter in ten years here. But I can certainly sympathize.
 
wildmanyeah said:
Anyone know why seal populations are doing so well? Is it simply because humans have taken them off the table? Or is it other factors causing their populations to boom?
Click to expand...

If you were a commercial troller prior to the sponsored and "free market" fleet reductions and snuffy was in the gear, they were dealt with. > than 1000 boats fishing long seasons to a few hundred fishing a few days here and there. Some of them were excellent marksmen. There was also a bounty at some point.
 
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