YES, it’s time to ‘cull’ the seals!
- Comments: 3
- Posted on: March 26th, 2007
Seals have been a huge problem in our BC waters for years now and on the news tonight I heard there’s discussion at last on controlling them.
As a sport fishermen, I hate the seals. Sure, they are cute and have darling little faces and should be allowed to roam the oceans freely, eating whatever they desire. BUT, when I have a big Chinook salmon on my line and play him for 40 minutes only to have a seal come along, bite right into the body, leaving me with the salmon head on the line and he has a big salmon dinner, I am not a happy camper. I love fishing and it makes me very angry to lose a fish to a seal. The lazy little b*****s, stealing MY fish! Give me a gun, they’ll be good target practice.
Now, the seals have started going upriver after the chinook and are depleting the stocks by the thousands, even further than man has already. The Department of Fisheries is considering ‘culling’ them. I like that idea. There used to be a $5.00 bounty for a seal’s nose in the 1950’s. Let’s re-implement that. I know it sounds cruel, but if you enjoy eating salmon or you or your family depend on the fishing industry for your livelihood you most likely KNOW the seals are a pestilence.
There will be a huge outcry of course - and the professional protesters will flock to BC to intervene between the guns and the seals. Many studies will need to be undertaken, everyone will voice their opinion, tempers will flare.
Oh, I love a good controversy! Tell me your opinion 
I am really torn on these things.
These ‘population’ controls always seem to be for the convenience of man or man’s needs……
It shows how unbalanced life is now.
I also realized that populations of animals..any kind, when they get too large, disease sets in and natural culls take place.
But stuff like this….would culls be necessary for the seal population of man wasn’t dependant on the salmon.
Has our fishing made them breed more and focus on the fishing grounds..
Very tough.
Replycrunchy, the argument is that the seals are now going up river to feed on the salmon day and night because the rivers lit by the bridges, buildings and streetlights make it easier for the seals to see the salmon and gorge all night. Unfortunately, nets and barriers have failed to keep the seals from going up river. I too hate the idea of a cull, but don’t know enough about the issue to offer an alternative.
ReplyLisa..thanks…and as I said…a cull necessitated by man. And man’s technology
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