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IN THE PAST two weeks a number of incidents have highlighted the plight of seals who reside in the coastal waters of Ireland.
Two separate Garda investigations have been launched after a horrific find at the gates of the Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary in Co Kerry on Thursday, 7 June and a shooting in Cork just days later.
At the Kerry sanctuary, workers were shocked when they discovered two seals’ heads had been nailed to plywood and then screwed onto the sign at the gate of the centre. Written on the signs in red paint were the messages “RIP CULL” and “RIP I AM HUNGRY”.
Just days after the gruesome incident, two kayakers at Knockadoon Head in east Cork discovered two seals who had just been shot. “Sickened to the core” by the incident, the husband and wife who reside in the locality, reported the shooting to the Gardaí.
Gardaí in Youghal have said their investigations into the incident are ongoing.
On Tuesday, two separate seal deaths were called in to the Dingle Seal Sanctuary. One by Galway County Council was probably a natural occurrence but another headless seal was found at Whiting Bay in Waterford.
Sarah Harmon from the Dingle Seal Sanctuary said the decapitated seal signalled suspicious activity.
Last February, three seals were found over a two-day period washed up at Tramore beach with apparent gun shot wounds to the head.
“There has been a swing in activity in recent months,” says Johnny Woodlock of the Dingle Seal Sanctuary. “Many of the seals found dead have apparent gun shot wounds but it is difficult to say this definitively without an autopsy.”
They have obviously been shot inhumanely and we condemn this fully.
The National Park and Wildlife Service (NPWS), however, told TheJournal.ie that is has not noticed an increase in alleged illegal killing of seals off the coast of Kerry and Cork.
“The problem is that there is nobody keeping records of dead seals washing up on beaches,” explained Woodlock. “That data simply doesn’t exist but we have now started to keep records.”
The NPWS is currently undertaking a survey of seal numbers in the coastal areas, including the surrounds of the Blasket Islands, but exact figures have yet to be finalised.
The data collection comes after some calls from the fishing industry for a cull on seals because of what some say are increased numbers which deplete stocks.
Despite calls from a number of individual fishermen and politicians, the Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation told TheJournal.ie that it has never requested a cull.
The group continues to work with various vested interests and protection organisations and chairman Francis O’Donnell, who is also an ecologist, noted that seals are an important part of the eco-system.
He says that scientific analysis needs to be carried out by experts to assess if seal populations are depleting fish stocks.
Depending on recommendations from those scientists, an open dialogue about the management of seals should begin, added O’Donnell. “It might be prudent to begin management but it may not be so we can’t just target seals without a scientific report.”
Although he is aware of complaints from fishermen that they are “losing fish to seals”, O’Donnell, who is also a spokesperson for the Federation of Irish Fishermen, said there is no evidence that any recent killings are linked to the industry.
Commenting on the incidents in Kerry last week, he said they were acts of “illegal and criminal activities”.
Nobody would condone such actions. It does no good for anyone.
Currently, fishermen can apply for a license from the NPWS to carry out authorised shootings of seals.
Woodlock believes such licenses ensure that deaths are managed in a humane way. The Irish Seal Sanctuary continues to work with fishermen’s organisations in an attempt to resolve conflicts between fishermen and seals. It has never opposed the properly licensed killing of individual seals, carried out in the authorised manner.
However, Woodlock remains adamant that seals don’t actually take “fish from the nets of fishermen”. Although his sanctuary has never opposed an official cull, it sees “no need for one”.
“Internationally, culls have never improved the stock of fish,” added Woodlock.
The practice of seal culls around the world consistently raise tensions among politicians, animal welfare activists and fishermen. Just last month, PETA in Canada had an advertisement against the annual seal cull banned by the broadcasting watchdog for its graphic imagery.
Last March, the Scottish government gave the go-ahead to a cull up to 1,300 seals despite the protestations of the Seal Protection Action Group.
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We over fished the seas to a wasteland… Yet the seals are to blame for declining fish stocks and should be culled. Hypocrisy in action
Seals causing depletion of fish stocks is an utter fabrication! WE are causing the shortages, WE are. And if stocks are as low as they say they are then seal numbers will decline in accordance with that naturally, as fish are their main food source. Simples!
A cull on seals, the idea if it makes me sick!
And the despicable acts against seals recently underline our inherent cruelty- what kind of people are capable of such? Should the full weight of the law not come down on them? They are a threat to all living things. Frightening.
GRRRR!!!
Inhumane – the word is so very ironic.
But Thomas they are seals and surely they are just as entitled to the fish as you or anyone else? In fact I would argue they have first dibs because they don’t have any other food supply. It is human influence at fault here no doubt about it so maybe if we accepted that we can’t keep on fishing the way we do and treating the oceans as we do some kind of equilibrium may occur naturally.
Salmon Management meaning farmed fish? Farmed fish which is having dreadful effects on the wild fish populations through use of sea lice treatments etc.? I believe there is a large body of work on this and that Minister Coveney is currently under fire for his promotion of these environmentally unfriendly operations. Maybe if the wild fish weren’t being decimated by overfishing and pollution etc. then there would be enough for seals and the greedy humans. I’d rather never have salmon again thanks than kill wild populations of seals for no good reason other than human needs.
@Thomas either u r an idiot or extremely sarcastic I hope it is the latter either way. Our fishermen and women and others from other countries have over fished our oceans a simple fact. The seals do not even make a dent on fish stocks compared to humans. Educate yourself!
A typical seal will eat 20 fish per day, about 5-8% of there body fat. If we put it into context and say 100 seals per day eat 2,000 fish, this works out at plenty of fish per year. Finish off the sums. Yes we can blame human fishing as well, they have taken a large quota reduction, we need to be able to strike a balance. I have been working in Salmon Management for the past 12 years, believe me they are having a huge affect on all fish stocks.
Seals do cause depletion but quite frankly for humans (us) to cull them because they are doing what is their natural given right is not right. We are not born in the sea and we are not part of that ecosystem, that is we cannot and do not live under the water. Seals should be left to their own natural devices and we should cease fishing. Yes quotas are in place and this does allow fish to repopulate etc but there are still problems with net size which does result in a lot of fish that have not yet matured to be lost and as such we do cause a lot of depletion. To be in favour of culling is to go against the natural way of our planet. People always say we should leave a better planet for our children however I think it is time that we start to leave better children for our planet that will try and protect all species that co-exist with us on this earth and not kill animals for our own selfish needs!
@tom lovely comment-’ we should leave better children fo our planet’ as a Mum this is going to stick with me. We want a better world for our children but yes we should definitely teach them how to respect the planet. Very well put tom. :-)
I know the scars on the face aren’t very attractive and after the recent divorce from Heidi Klum – the Kerry people just had enough from this blasphemous ‘Kiss From a Rose’ star. Tralee is drowned with the sound of Adamski’s ‘Killer’ blaring from all the bars and clubs.
Well said EMD!
Im in favour of killing them.
Can you explain why? Are you a fisherman?
Wonder will we hear any more from Mr McGrory?
Troll
@frankfaldoisamoron – Mackerel.
arsehole!
Seals feed along the coast where boats don’t and can’t operate. Yes the population is big at the moment but can hardly been blamed for depleted fish stocks. Our coastal waters are like a desert but that’s more to do with the shell fish beds being dredged. Entire Eco systems were wiped out and have little chance of coming back. So it would hardly be commercial fishers in this case. What is a massive problem is illegal netting along the coast with the use of gill nets. This practice is legislated against to protect bass stocks but is all to common around the south coast. I’d imagine these people have more grief with seals then anybody.
have your say