Northwest Atlantic harp seal populations decline around the Gulf of St. Lawrence
A Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) survey conducted more than three years ago found that northwest Atlantic harp seal pup counts were at their lowest since 1994.
In a May 23 news conference at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, Que., DFO scientist Joanie Van de Walle said these seal pups need stable ice coverage for many weeks during their young age.
'We have noticed that when ice conditions are not appropriate it can result in massive mortality of youngsters because they are not able to survive when they fall in the water,' said the English translation.
A DFO survey conducted in March 2022 measured the pup count of northwest Atlantic harp seals at 614,100.
Scientific data from DFO has found that despite hunting northwest Atlantic harp seals near Greenland, its has contributed very little to the cause of mortality among young seals.
'Today, the ice coverage and climate index explain a large proportion of youths' mortality,' said the English interpretation.
Besides the impact on youth survival, Van de Wall saw that environmental changes have an impact on reproduction rates, which is essential in explaining abundance and fluctuation.
'We have observed that there is a general reduction in the reproduction rates – but the rate of abortion over time has increased,' said the English interpretation.
In an interview with The Guardian on May 23, Van de Walle says researchers haven't found any direct relationship between the lack of recovery of some of the few commercially fished species and the diet of northwest Atlantic harp seals.
'In terms of the harp seal population, the fact that it is declining, we don't expect that it would play a big role in the recovery of those species because it was not linked to the recovery to start with,' she said.
However, grey seals face a different situation where their population is reaching a status close to carrying that capacity, Van de Walle added.
'And then at some point, we may find impacts, but we're not at the stage of having any direct measure of it yet,' she said.
Van de Walle said that the loss of life for the baby harp seals inside their mother's womb could be explained by the decreasing biomass of capelin and lower ice coverage.
'We also observed that gestation rate was correlated with the climate rate in Newfoundland and Labrador,' said the English interpretation.
In the winter of 2024, DFO found no births of northwest Atlantic harp seals in the southern region of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
However, this past winter, the birthing of harp seals occurred in the Gaspé region of Quebec and Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
'Even if we saw births in 2025, it doesn't mean that it was a good reproduction season for the species. In the future, it is difficult to say what will happen,' said the English interpretation.
Yutaro Sasaki is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter, a position funded by the federal government. He can be reached by email at
ysasaki@postmedia.com.
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