Seal hunting Part 6 - The importance of the seal in the sea

15 February, 2024

Since almost four years ago, we have license hunting on gray seals, since two years on harbor seals and protection hunts on ringed seals since several years ago.

We hunt all three seal species along the Swedish coast and there are several reasons.

On the one hand, the small-scale fishermen suffers because some seals destroy the fishing gear and eat the fish in the nets, and also the hunters want a new game to hunt.

But what happens in the ecosystem when you remove an apex predator? When they no longer eat fish, who eat smaller fish who eat even smaller fish who eat zooplankton…

We asked scientists.

Reportage: Lena Scherman
Foto: Hans Berggren, Johan Candert/DSR, Alexandre Gobatti/DSR, Kimmo Hagman/DSR,Göran Ehlmé/DSR, Simon Stanford/DSR, Tobias Dahlin/DSR, Ismaele Tortella
Redigering: Alexandre Gobatti

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