Is the dreadful state of fish stocks in the North Sea due to seals? Some people think so. Struan Stevenson MEP, for honourable reasons has long thought seals deserve a large part of the blame.
Way back in 2002 Struan Stevenson MEP was Chair of the European Parliament’s Fishing Committee. The Committee asked just what impact seals made on fish stocks in the North Sea. It was asked to advise if culling the animals was good sense for the fish.
The expert independent scientists came up with a report that did not make the seal culling lobby happy. You can read the report here:
EP seals &fisheries report_SMRU 2002 copy
The report suggests that the main predator of fish are fish, followed by fishermen and then seals.
I know we have done a very good job of removing the top predator fish, like cod and blue fin tuna, but it has some unintended consequences.
The report suggests culling seals has not been a great success as a stock management device.
And, later evidence of seals in Scottish waters does not support the seal culler agenda, see for example:
Seals and fish stocks in Scottish waters
We know that there are not enough fish in the North Sea. We know the main reasons, catching and discarding too many fish and all too often too young fish. Catch less, discard hardly any, like fish grow large and breed, this seems like a good recipe for healthy fish stocks.