The Plight of the Grey Seal in the Baltic

Abstract

The grey seals in the Baltic, like those on the Fame Islands in Britain, are accused by the fishermen of serious damage to fisheries and nets. But unlike the British seals the Baltic ones are not only entirely unprotected, but bounties are paid for their destruction in Sweden and Finland, and their numbers are decreasing. Moreover, because of their accessibility on the ice where they are born, a high proportion of calves is killed each year, which seriously unbalances the population and could lead to a crash.