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Ringed seal pup

 

Researcher fears that protected ringed seals will be shot by inexperienced hunters who mistake them for gray seals: during the seal hunting season that starts in mid-April ringed seals have their peak moulting period and spend much time out of the water.

 

“April 15th is the peak moulting time of ringed seals, the animals spend a great part of their time out of water and they can be seen on rocks near the shore, outside the protection areas too,” marine biologist Ivar Jüssi told BNS. “Untrained hunters can’t tell the difference between grey and ringed seals at the shooting distance, even though they confidently claim that they can. Since the fines are quite heavy, nobody will admit their mistakes voluntarily, it will not be reflected in the hunting result reports and no gray seal hunting permits will be withdrawn.”

 

This year the Environmental Board allows the shooting of 53 gray seals in Estonia. In the Gulf of Riga 33 can be shot, on the northern and western shores of the islands 8 and in the Gulf of Finland 12 animals. The grey seal hunting period starts on April 15th, when the females have finished suckling pups, and lasts until December 31st.

 

As another threat Ivar Jüssi sees the transformation of the initial principle of upholding hunting traditions and a sustainable usage into so-called sustainable management. He maintains that these are two fundamentally different things. ”The point of sustainable use is always to retrieve a prey and make use of it, the rhetoric of sustainable management is political; behind it is simply the aim that the hunting shall not endanger the population. Well, that is important too of course,” he said

 

“The decision of the Environmental Board has a socio-political aspect which makes the principle of sustainable use pointless. It hinges on the fact that the hunting methods are not prohibited where the risk of loosing a prey, even in case of a killing shot, is not minimized, nor is the risk of injuring the animal, and hunting methods in general are not stipulated,” Jüssi says. “This means that shooting from a boat at a seal swimming in the water is not banned. Even with a lethal hit a grey seal sinks fast under water, and an injured animal cannot be tracked. And once again – these animals will not show in the shooting statistics and no permits will be withdrawn. Not to mention the ethical aspects of hunting.”

 

Gray seals

 

According to Ivar Jüssi shooting from a boat into water is not banned because we have to do with “obscure populist talk for fishermen”. “Not only in Estonia but elsewhere too. And somehow myths are still picked up and you want to be as foolish as your neighbours. The latter apropos the lobbying of fishermen to be allowed to shoot seals at fishing gear,” Jüssi said

 

In order to reduce the losses to fishing noticeably, at least 15 000 seals in the whole Baltic must be killed in a rush campaign according to Ivar Jüssi. ”So far no study has been made of whether and how much the seal hunting that has gone on in Finland for quite long has affected the losses to fishing,” he said.

“OK, the existence of the so-called “specialists” or problem individuals has been confirmed. But how do we recognize them among the others? All seals around fishing gear are not necessarily specialized on raiding the gear and even the ”specialists” change their feeding territories.  I have repeatedly said that one shouldn’t deceive the fishermen that now that hunting is allowed, your losses will be reduced and everything will flourish – it will not, it is only like using an analgesic on an inflamed tooth,” Ivar Jüssi emphasized.

The grey seal population of the whole Baltic is about 30 000 animals, of whom nearly 5300 live in Estonian waters according to last year’s data. In Finland and Sweden grey seals have already been hunted for years.

 

Grey seals have not been hunted in Estonia since 1970, when hunting was banned due to the low population level. Today the population has recovered and the numbers are increasing.

 

In November last year, on her last working day, former Minister of the Environment Keit Pentus-Rosimannus signed the documents permitting the start of grey seal hunting despite the fact that experts recommended a thorough discussion of the topic once more.