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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of seals killed by the British fishing industry in the last 12 months.

Seal conservation is a devolved issue so I can only respond with respect to England. Approximately 85% of the UK seal population is in Scotland and the Scottish government have their own legislation concerning the protection of seals.

No licences to cull seals, under the Seals Act 1970, have been issued in England since 2010.

A ‘Conservation Order’ currently protects grey and common seals on the east coast of England. Given the distribution of seal populations in England, this Order has the net effect of providing year round protection for almost all common seals and the majority of grey seals in England.

Fishermen are permitted to kill or take, without the need for a licence, to protect their fishing equipment or fish therein if the seal is in the vicinity of the equipment at that time.

The Government has not made an assessment of the number of seals that may have been killed off the English coast.