New study takes a closer look at harp seals in the Newfoundland and Labrador ecosystem

A new study by Marine Institute researchers examines the role of the harp seal population in the Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries ecosystem before, during and after the cod collapse of the early 1990s

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Dr. Pablo Vajas, post-doctoral fellow with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER), is lead author of the paper published July 7 in the journal, Fish and Fisheries.

Co-authors of the study entitled “Increase in Harp Seal Ecosystem Role after the Cod Collapse in Newfoundland and Labrador” are CFER’s Dr. Tyler Eddy, PhD candidate Alannah Wudrick and master’s student Hannah West.

Using ecosystem models, researchers looked at different scenarios to better understand harp seals impact on the food web.

They found that harp seals have consistently acted as major predators throughout the periods studied between 1985 and 2020 – and that their role has become more important since the decline of cod populations.

The study concludes that incorporating interactions between predators and prey – including the role of harp seals – could improve ecosystems-based fisheries management.

Estimated at 4.4 million seals, the harp seal population in Newfoundland and Labrador is the second-largest in the world, and the density of this population is much higher than in the Barents Sea and East Greenland.

The researchers also found that a greater abundance of capelin, a key forage fish, would lead to full recovery of cod on the Newfoundland Shelf and improve the status of cod in the Grand Banks from “critical” to “cautious.” They noted that actual fishing levels are very low and there is no management strategy in place for capelin recovery.