Not being allowed to sell products of seals goes against the principles of sustainable use of natural resources and against common sense.

This was stated by Åland's Member of Parliament and the Swedish Parliamentary Group's Vice-President Mats Löfström in today's plenary session when a change in the law governing the EU ban on the sale of seal products was debated in the Riksdag.– The hunt for seals has long traditions in Finland, along the coast and åland. After the seal population has been at a very weak level in the 1980s, the situation today is completely the reverse. The grey seal population has increased explosively and the number of seals is now so large that it is a serious problem for commercial fishing, says Löfström.Sälen also spreads parasites, which are eaten by crustaceans, which in turn are eaten by fish and which causes the parasite to spread to Fish stocks. Parasites are estimated to be a significant reason why cod stocks in the southern Baltic Sea are in such poor condition now. Also therefore, more active game management of grey seals would be needed.– A major problem today is that the seals that are felled must not be used in products sold, which not only goes against the principles of sustainable use of natural resources but also against all common sense. A hunter doesn't want to convict an animal that he or she can't take care of. Since the sale is currently prohibited by the EU, it limits the possibility of use, which in turn in practice limits hunting, says Löfström.The ban on trade in seal products is not something that Finland alone can change, as it is regulated at EU level. Finland has stated in a report to the European Commission in autumn 2019 that the ban goes against the principles of sustainable use of natural resources and that the ban has caused problems for coastal fishing in Finland and in several other Member States of The Government has a good line on this issue and I am pleased that Agriculture and Forestry Minister Jari Leppä in our debate in the Chamber today so clearly stated that the government will actively push for the abolition of the ban within the EU. It would be of great importance both for commercial fishing and several fish stocks in the Baltic Sea, and is an important issue for all coastal communities in the Baltic Sea," says Löfström.