ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland, May 24 (UPI) -- Canadian fisheries officials have estimated the Atlantic harp seal population has grown to 5.9 million from 5.5 million during the past five years.
Gary Stenson, the head of the marine mammal section at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in St. John's, said seal hunters do not appear to be impacting the population growth, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.
"We are seeing a healthy population. We're not seeing any major signs of a decline," Stenson said. "We're not seeing any major signs of a population in trouble at all. It seems to be quite healthy where it is, given the size of the hunts we have."
The population estimate was issued by the National Marine Mammal Peer Review Committee using data collected last year.
Protesters have called for an end to seal hunts, claiming the practice is barbaric, improperly regulated and not economically justifiable.
However, fishermen have argued the harp seal population has slowed the recovery of cod stocks.
