The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), today announced the total allowable catch (TAC) and other management measures for the 2007 Atlantic seal hunt. "These decisions are guided by principles of conservation. I also want to ensure that the people who depend on this resource for their livelihood will benefit from it over the long-term" said Minister Hearn. "This year's decision takes into account the poor ice conditions we've seen in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence." The 2007 harp seal TAC will be set at 270,000. The one-year TAC of 270,000 includes allocations of 2,000 seals for personal use, 4,860 seals for Aboriginal initiatives and a carry forward of 19,000 seals for fleets on the Front. Once the carry forward is deducted, existing sharing arrangements remain in place, with the Front receiving about 70% of the TAC and the Gulf about 30%. Although ice conditions have deteriorated in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence this spring, conditions remain good where the majority of seals are located, which is in the Northern Gulf and on the Front, off the northeast coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. DFO has been monitoring the situtation very closely in the Southern Gulf this year. Last year's seal hunt was closed because quotas were overrun in the Gulf. When this happened, sealers on the Front had seals remaining in their TAC. This year's TAC addresses this issue. To ensure similar situations are not repeated in future hunts, Minister Hearn also announced tough new measures to reduce the possibility of quota overruns. Fleets that overrunn their quota will see their allocations reduced by the same number of seals in their overrunn on a one for one basis the following year. Also, shorter and more controlled opening periods will provide for more accurate reporting from sealers. All these measures will work together to ensure participants in the hunt only take their allocation, while minimizing the impact of overrunns on the seal population in any given year by ensuring that it is balanced out by a reduction in quota the following year. To ensure DFO makes future decisions on the most updated scientific information, Minister Hearn has directed his department to accelerate the next harp seal population survey. The next survey will take place next year, instead of 2009. "Reducing the time between surveys will enhance our ability to assess the impact of ice conditions, reproductive rates and other factors on the harp seal population," said Minister Hearn. "That's important to the people who are depending on DFO to make proper decisions." DFO is committed to sustainable management of the seal population and sets quotas at levels that ensure the health and abundance of seal herds. The seal hunt is both humane and professional. A report published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal in September, 2002 concluded that virtually all seals are taken in an acceptably humane manner. Opening dates for the 2007 harp seal hunt will be announced very soon, in consultation with industry. | 
2008 SEAL FISHERY CL...