The Scottish Government has announced a drop in the maximum numbers of seals that may be killed under licence. Now it's time for a halt on all shooting during the breeding seasons.
A total of 58 separate licences have been granted for 2012, allowing a maximum of 1,100 seals to be killed – a reduction of 15 per cent on the total allowed in 2011. Around half of the licences granted are for fish farms and half for wild salmon rod and line or net fisheries.
In 2011, 68 licences were granted for a maximum of 1,340 seals. According to Marine Scotland, in the first three quarters of 2011, a total of 362 seals were shot – 27 per cent of the permitted maximum under licence. With a further fall in permitted totals for 2012, the Scottish Government is confident that the guiding principle of last resort will continue to be followed.
Libby Anderson, Acting CEO at OneKind, said:
“OneKind is entirely opposed to the killing of seals in Scotland and a total of 362 dead seals in the first nine months of the licensing scheme represents an unnecessary toll of suffering.
“Nonetheless we acknowledge that, for the first time, the new reporting system gives us a credible picture of the extent of legal seal killing in Scotland which has never been available before.
“Non-lethal alternatives including tensioned anti-predator nets at fish farms, acoustic deterrents and low intensity electric fields are becoming more effective and more widely used, and this progress must be built on to reduce seal killing further and faster. Marine Scotland is right to reduce the permitted licence figures for next year but we also want to see increased monitoring and enforcement of the requirement to use these non-lethal methods first.
“Given the results of the first nine months, we are calling on the Scottish Government to focus now on the need to provide a closed season to protect mother seals and their pups at breeding times.
"Shooting a pregnant seal means that her pup dies too; and shooting a lactating mother leaves her orphaned pup to die slowly from stress, starvation and dehydration – an unacceptably inhumane death for any animal. It’s disappointing therefore that the third quarter (June – September) results show an increase in the number of common seals shot, as this period includes their breeding and moulting seasons. ”
The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 Part 6 prohibits the killing of seals in Scotland, except under licence. At the consultation stage, supporters of the LOOK OUT for SEALS campaign organised by OneKind (then Advocates for Animals) sent almost 4,000 messages to the Scottish Government, calling for a full ban on seal killing.
When it became clear that the Scottish Parliament would not support an outright ban, OneKind worked with MSPs to achieve changes to the Bill to ensure that the licensing scheme would be as rigorous as possible, including a requirement for quarterly reporting of all seals killed. Other conditions include the requirement that appropriate non-lethal alternatives must be considered first.
The licensing scheme replaced the outdated Conservation of Seals Act 1970 and also provided that:
- non-lethal methods of excluding or deterring seals must be tried before a seal licence is granted;
- seals must not be shot by untrained marksmen; in bad visibility; from over a set distance away; from an unstable platform; and measures must be taken to reduce the risk of seals suffering unnecessarily when shot;
- only a specified type of firearm may be used, and carcases should be recovered if possible;
- the Scottish Government can prohibit the killing of seals at certain times such as the breeding seasons, when seals may be heavily pregnant or have dependent pups;
- seals are protected from intentional or reckless harassment at a haul-out site;
- the numbers of seals killed under a licence must be reported quarterly;
- the licensing regime will be formally reviewed every five years.