Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[swimmingwiththefishes]

This has pretty significant implications for management practices. Looks like our hatcheries are producing a lot of tasty seal food.

The seal population went from 5000 in the good old days to over a 100,000 currently. Of course it's going to effect Salmon/Steelhead returns.

Have a read and watch the video.

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/seals+blamed+drop+juvenile+salmon+stocks+strait+georgia+study/11673383/story.html?__lsa=e32e-7e5d

[ynot]

that's the reason commercial boats shot them. and if they had asked any sports fisher during the 80s and 90s seals would have been blamed as one of the reasons for stock declines.oh they are cute cant cull them.

[RalphH]

Seals actually eat salmon? What shocking news! 

[243Pete]

Seals are probably smart enough to time when the smolts make their run to the ocean. But I feel its a whole bunch of factors which contribute to declining numbers like fish farms, diseases, lice, warmer water temps bring in larger numbers of mackrel and ect.

Seal cull... maybe if the numbers are really that detrimental to the numbers of salmon returning to the ocean but I am half half on this.

[RalphH]

 the article confirms as has been recognized for years, there are real problems around certain hatcheries and human alterations in and around estuaries contribute to the problem. There's no evidence in the Sun article that seals are a major factor in declines seen in the last couple of decades just a possible negative impact on recovery in some areas.

[swimmingwiththefishes]

There's no evidence in the Sun article that seals are a major factor in declines seen in the last couple of decades just a possible negative impact on recovery in some areas.

It's written in the article:

"Although up to only about five per cent of the seals’ diet was juvenile chinook and coho, that five per cent adds up. If you apply the same rate of consumption across the entire seal population, the dewy-eyed predators could be responsible for about 55 per cent of natural mortality of juvenile coho and 45 per cent of chinook."

I don't think this predation factor should be ignored as a significant cause of salmon declines.

[Steelhawk]

We have seen seals chasing salmon up the Fraser. But at least the Fraser is wide, deep and too murky to limit their kills. If they are at the Stave dam, there will be bad news indeed in that clear shallow water. But at least the area below the dam is still quite wide to run away from predators. Some years ago there was someone reporting that he saw a seal up the Ranger Run during the steelhead season. Hello? That definitely is too much for salmon & steelhead to take when these predators track them up to their home rivers confined to small pools and runs. DFO should cull any seals doing that high up in the rivers for conservation reason. These seals up high in the rivers can surely decimate the stock if not removed. It is known that they just kill to suck the roe or eat the fat belly of a fish. As such, how many fish can each seal kill in a day in such a confined environment up river?

[Dave]

I would question the authenticity of this claim.  I have seen seals in the C-V up to the Vedder Bridge; never higher.  It is entirely possible this siting at the Ranger Run was an otter.

[sbc hris]

That seal in the Stave may just be a permanent resident now. I see one there almost every time I'm there. I'm sure it's figured out that the dam makes for a great fish trap...

[RalphH]

It's written in the article:

"Although up to only about five per cent of the seals’ diet was juvenile chinook and coho, that five per cent adds up. If you apply the same rate of consumption across the entire seal population, the dewy-eyed predators could be responsible for about 55 per cent of natural mortality of juvenile coho and 45 per cent of chinook."

I don't think this predation factor should be ignored as a significant cause of salmon declines.

this is common sort of logical fallacy.  You also ignore other parts of the article where the author of the study cautions against using this evidence to support a cull  or that culls in general can achieve their goals given the large number of other variables at play in the natural world

*********************

bears and other predators are also known to eat just salmon brains or roe - they have to to build body fat for winter hibernation. Also it's jumping to conclusions that seals will 'create havoc' among salmon in place such as the upper Chilliwack. I pickings were that easy there'd be more seals not just rumoured sightings. Also you're wrong about the fraser - seals can catch salmon quite easily in it's murky waters.

Face it the world it full of large things that eat little things - not only people and seals do this. Seal culls are likely to have no positive effect on salmon populations.

[Sterling C]

I would question the authenticity of this claim.  I have seen seals in the C-V up to the Vedder Bridge; never higher.  It is entirely possible this siting at the Ranger Run was an otter.

I know of a seal that was caught (and released) this past fall in behind the On The Way store by a FWR member.

[stsfisher]

We have seen seals chasing salmon up the Fraser. But at least the Fraser is wide, deep and too murky to limit their kills. If they are at the Stave dam, there will be bad news indeed in that clear shallow water. But at least the area below the dam is still quite wide to run away from predators. Some years ago there was someone reporting that he saw a seal up the Ranger Run during the steelhead season. Hello? That definitely is too much for salmon & steelhead to take when these predators track them up to their home rivers confined to small pools and runs. DFO should cull any seals doing that high up in the rivers for conservation reason. These seals up high in the rivers can surely decimate the stock if not removed. It is known that they just kill to suck the roe or eat the fat belly of a fish. As such, how many fish can each seal kill in a day in such a confined environment up river?

Many years ago, and I am talking about 20 years ago I found a beaver in the upper water shed shot dead with what looked like a shot gun. This was steelhead season, I am thinking someone may have mis identified this beaver as a seal.
Cant say I have ever scene a seal any further than the train bridge area, but you never know.

[Dave]

I know of a seal that was caught (and released) this past fall in behind the On The Way store by a FWR member.

Hope it was fairly caught and not flossed   Also, please tell us gloves weren't used during the release procedure, lol!

Seriously, I think readers, me especially, would like to know more about this.

[BigFisher]

What are you guys complaining about? They put up a fight way better then any fish ever could. Why don't we have a seal hatchery program, and a limited retension. There an awesome sport fishery.

[Every Day]

New pet Big Fisher? Cute little guy, I'll have to meet him when I come out! lol...

That's how you've been catching so many, how did you train him?