Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 January 2013
159. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the data available to him regarding the seal population; his views on whether the population is so high that it is having an adverse effect on the fishing industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3286/13]
View answerThere are two species of seals in Irish waters - the Harbour or Common Seal and the more numerous Grey Seal. Both are included in a list of species protected under the EU Habitats Directive. Consequently, Ireland is obliged to monitor and report on their status, including in relation to their population, every six years, with the next such report due in June this year.
In terms of monitoring Harbour Seals, my Department has conducted surveys of the numbers of Harbour Seals occurring at a number of key sites each year since 2009, with data published annually in reports which are available on the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department. In addition, my Department has also commissioned two aerial surveys, in 2011 and 2012, to collect data that will contribute to an estimate of the national population of Harbour Seals. This data is currently being analysed and I expect that this analysis to be completed and published in the coming months.
My Department’s monitoring programme for Grey Seals has been undertaken with the valued support of the Irish Air Corps. Each year, aerial surveys are undertaken of key haul-out sites, gathering data that will contribute to an estimate of the national breeding population of Grey Seals. The last of these surveys was completed in November 2012 and all data from the previous years are now being analysed in advance of the forthcoming report to the European Commission.
The data from both the Harbour and Grey Seal monitoring programmes will be comparable with previously-collected data and will inform my Department’s view as to the current status of the respective populations.
In terms of ascertaining the likely effects of seals on the fishing industry, I will be informed not only by the population monitoring undertaken by my Department, but also by investigations into seal-fisheries interactions that have been commissioned by Inland Fisheries Ireland, who, I understand, will publish an interim report shortly and by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, who anticipate reporting later in 2013.
While seals are protected under the Wildlife Acts, licences may be obtained under section 42 of the Wildlife Act to hunt seals where damage is being caused. Licences are issued in response to specific applications and each application is considered on its merits. This redress is available to individual fishermen to control damage to fisheries by seals at particular locations.
