Seal hunting

With the increase in seal populations, grey seal hunting was started again at the end of the 1990's in Finland and some time later also in Sweden. Hunting of grey seal and ringed seal is permitted during their species-specific hunting seasons with a permission authorized by one of the game districts. The Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry determines the highest permitted quota by game district in each hunting year.

The snout of the grey seal is long and straight;for old males it tends to aquiline. From a side view, the eye is located at about midway between the tip of the snout and the back of the head. It may be difficult sometimes to distinguish a young grey seal from a ringed seal. The snout of the Baltic ringed seal is short and the eye, from a side view, is closer to the tip of the snout than the back of the head. The stop (middle rise of the forehead) of the Baltic ringed seal is clear.

Seal hunting is one of the most difficult ways of hunting in Finland. Photo: Anita Storm

The Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute collects samples of the hunted seals to monitor their population.

The Baltic grey seals can reach the age of up to 40 years. The age of seals can be determined with the help of the yearly growth of dental cementum around the root of the teeth. The grey seal which is the owner of the tooth in the photo is more than 7 years of age. Photo: Mervi Kunnasranta

Baltic seals – balancing between sustainable ecosystem management and fisheries (ECOSEAL)

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