Canadian fisheries minister John Crosbie estimated that the harp seal population off the Atlantic coast has risen to 3.5 million from an estimated 2 million in 1985 and said the dramatically expanded herd is believed responsible for consuming vast quantities of northern cod and other species of fish. Responding to pleas from the fishing industry, Crosbie said the government will initiate measures to encourage increased harvesting of seals and to develop new seal products and markets for those products.

Greenpeace Canada called Crosbie's announcement "absurd" and declared that the market for harp seal products can never be restored. "Unfortunately, he chose to focus on an easy scapegoat - the harp seal," said Greenpeace spokesman Bruno Marcocchio. "Rather than biting the bullet and making hard decisions aimed at saving East Coast fishing, he has taken the easy route for short-term political gain."

Fisheries ministry officials cited a 1985 study showing that an annual harvest of 210,000 to 510,000 harp seals was needed to control their population. Those estimates are certain to range higher now because of the 1.5 million interim increase in the size of the seal herd. Large-vessel offshore seal hunting was discontinued in 1987, and the inshore harvest around Newfoundland, the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River and around the Madeleine Islands totaled only 62,000 animals last year, far short of the permissible quota of 186,000.