Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to require fishermen to record the number of seals they slaughter.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 15 June 2015, PQ 1799.

Under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has a duty to provide scientific advice to government on matters related to the management of seal populations including seal population trends. The cause or causes of any unanticipated significant population declines would be investigated.

Common and grey seal populations in England have increased over the last ten years. There is no evidence to suggest that the limited local control of seals permitted in England is having an adverse effect on the conservation status of England’s seal populations or the UK seal population as a whole.

The Conservation of Seals Act 1970 strikes a proportionate balance between the conservation and welfare of the seals and the needs of those impacted by individual problem seals. We have no plans to review this legislative protection.