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Seal Diet

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Seal Diet

For many years it has been suspected that seal predation is a factor in the high mortality rate of cod around Newfoundland and Labrador.  Two species of seals, harp and hooded, are considered important within the context of seal predation on cod, their prey and other groundfish in Atlantic Canada.

Understanding the diet of harp and hooded seals in offshore areas (most seal sampling occurs in nearshore areas, where the majority of the population never enters) is critical for estimating the amount and type of prey consumed.

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Dr. Erin Carruthers

Dr. Erin Carruthers is the Science Director and Senior Fisheries Scientist with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor), which is the labour union that represents the owner-operator fleet in Newfoundland and Labrador. The FFAW is committed to research and management that supports healthy oceans, fisheries, and coastal communities. Dr. Carruthers received her Ph. D. in Biology from Memorial University in 2011 followed by a postdoctoral fellowship with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research. Before coming to Newfoundland, Erin worked as a Research Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the St. Andrews Biological Station. Her current research program is co-constructed with fish harvesters and includes research on coastal fishing communities, collaborative longline and trap surveys, and best practices for the avoidance, handling and release of unwanted catch.