§ Shona McIsaacTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what scientific evidence she has evaluated that the feeding habits of(a) grey seals, (b) common seals and (c) dolphins are likely to have a significant detrimental effect on the fish stocks in the waters around England and Wales; [32598]
644W(2) what studies she has evaluated on the average amount of fish consumed each year by an individual adult (a) grey seal, (b) common seal and (c) dolphin; [32595]
(3) what scientific evidence she has evaluated on whether culling seals would be an effective strategy for fisheries management in England and Wales; and what studies she has evaluated on the success of seal culling initiatives in other countries in increasing commercial fish catch. [32599]
§ Mr. Morley1985 diet data indicate that grey seals require about 5,500Kcals of energy per day, equivalent to about 7kg of cod or 4kg of sandeels (the difference being due to the oil content of the fish). Diet composition varies seasonally and by area, but is mostly sandeels, gadoids (predominantly cod) and flatfish. The same is true for common seals whose daily dietary requirement is less, at around 3,000 Kcals. However, most of the fish consumed are likely to have been juveniles and, given the high rates of natural mortality for these species, there is no guarantee that had they not been caught they would have survived to reach a size at which they would have been available to commercial fishermen.
Equivalent information is not available for dolphins.
The Natural Environment Research Council's Special Committee on Seals has advised that populations in England and Wales are still below the levels which preceded the outbreak of the phocine distemper virus in 1988 and that on that basis and the lack of clear scientific evidence seals are having a major impact on commercial fish stocks, there is no justification for a cull.