Abundant Populations
The latest estimates for seal populations found in Canada:
- Harp seal: 7.4 million Harp seal population, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/profiles-profils/harpseal-phoquegroenland-eng.html
- Grey seal: 505,000 Stock Assessment of Canadian Grey Seals. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/SAR-AS/2014/2014_010-eng.html
- Hooded seal: 593,000
- Ringed seal: 1.5 million Ringed seals estimated size of the population is 2.3 million in Canada and adjacent waters (West Greenland, Alaska and Russia) Note, there is low confidence in this estimate. (Finley et al. 1983; Smith 1975; Frost et al. 2004; Bengtson et al. 2005)
- Harbour seals: 100,000 British Columbia & 25,000 Atlantic Canada
Total Allowable Catch 2020
- Harp seals: 400,000 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) numbers are set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and announced every March, prior to the opening of the season. Harp seal Total Allowable Capture: Current Status of Northwest Atlantic Harp Seals. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.10, 2012. https://polarbearscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/2019-harp-seal-status_dfo-2020_march-020-eng.pdf
- Grey seal: 60,000 Grey seal quota: “Portrait-diagnostic sectoriel de l’industrie québécoise du phoque », p. 3. http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/phoque