Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray said Tuesday the United States would never tolerate a seal cull in Atlantic Canada, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. .“A cull creates a great risk of having the United States apply the Marine Mammal Protection Act and block imports of our seafood and fish from coming into the United States,” said Murray during Senate Question Period. .“The US is a very important market for our fish harvesters.”.The Marine Mammal Protection Act restricts any activity meant to harass, hunt, capture, or kill marine animals. It stems from 1970s campaigns against whaling. .Canadian Senators Group Sen. David Richards (New Brunswick) asked if there was “any consideration of a seal cull.” .“Even limited seal culling is desperately needed at this time to protect mackerel and salmon stocks,” said Richards. .Murray said she was aware seals eat fish and has been public in her views about that. She added a cull was out of question. .She said the Canadian government “cannot take measures that risk that market.”.“But what I am doing is encouraging that we develop the seal harvest and product industry,” she said. .The fishing industry has blamed seals for dwindling groundfish stock. Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in an access to information and privacy request in 2015 it had no scientific basis to justify a cull. .The ATIP request said no explicit linkage had been identified between diminished groundfish numbers and the increased presence of grey seals. .“While no explicit link has been established, the burgeoning grey seal population has been identified by harvesters as a possible cause for the decline, and also the cause of gear damage and depredation to fish caught in gear,” it said. .Secret documents published in 2021 showed the controversial Atlantic seal caused a major split in the Canadian cabinet in 1984. .READ MORE: Documents show Liberal cabinet split on seal hunt, while refusing to give into ‘blackmail’ from animal rights groups.Cabinet ministers cursed the International Fund for Animal Welfare while acknowledging the seal hunt was “relatively minor.”.“The issue was described between a sense of outrage and a pragmatic consideration,” said the documents.
