Animal welfare and marine conservation organisations have branded a Scottish Government press release on seal populations issued on the 23 April 2009 as “highly misleading”. With the proposed Scottish Marine Bill expected very shortly, the organisations are critical of what appears to be a politically-motivated attempt to minimise concern about seal shooting and suggest that other marine mammals are to blame for population declines.
Groups supporting better legal protection for Scotland’s seals including Advocates for Animals, Animal Concern, Hebridean Partnership, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Orkney Seal Rescue, Save Our Seals, Seal Conservation Society, Seal Protection Action Group (SPAG), Tara Seal Research and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) are extremely concerned about the dramatic reduction in common seal numbers and are supportive of scientific research to investigate the causes. However, the press release by the Scottish Government pre-judges the results of this scientific research and pays little attention to the actual content of the 2008 report of the Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) which was the subject of the press release. Instead, the Scottish Government dismisses shooting and highlights just two of the possible factors that may explain the decline in common (harbor) seals - predation by killer whales and competition with grey seals.
WDCS has also expressed its concern at the Scottish Government’s presentation of the issues.
The organisations have specifically highlighted the following concerns:
1. The Scottish Government press release claims: 'It is already clear that local shooting and disease do not explain the significant reductions reported. It is considered that predation by Killer Whales is a factor round the Northern Isles whilst competition for food supplies with the larger and more numerous grey seals is likely to be a significant factor across Scotland as a whole.'
This statement is highly misleading. The SCOS report does not mention killer whales nor does it provide any evidence of competition with grey seals. It does not say that it is ‘clear’ that local shooting and disease do not explain the reductions. Instead the SCOS report notes that investigating the ‘rapid, widespread decline of common seal populations around the UK’ is an urgent research priority.
As there is no count carried out of the number of seals shot in Scotland each year, it is impossible to say that shooting is not implicated in population declines.
2. The Scottish Government press release claims that the UK has 'more grey seals than previously estimated'. In fact, the SCOS report clearly states that this is purely as a result of a different way of presenting the numbers.
Libby Anderson, political director, Advocates for Animals, said:
“The Scottish Government’s consultation on its proposed Marine Bill showed overwhelming public support for greater protection for seals and it is essential that the problem of seal shooting is fully addressed in this legislation. This week Advocates for Animals released a new report on the serious animal welfare issues that surround the shooting of seals, highlighting the lack of regulation and the suffering that results from shooting, when wounded seals can be left to die and orphaned pups to starve. The Government can only have a political motive for presenting data on seals in this extremely misleading way and at this time.”
Mark Simmonds, Director of Science, WDCS, added:
“WDCS is very concerned about the suggestion that killer whales are causing declines in harbour seal populations around Scotland, given the number of possible - and likely contributory factors - including general lack of data, prey depletion, potential effects of climate change on prey, and given the numbers of seals being shot.”