Windhoek, Namibia —
Seal numbers increased from 1.3 million to 1.6 million over the past three years, said Annely Haifene, executive director of the marine ministry. Last year's seal harvest was disappointing, Haifene said, with the companies that hold rights to catch seals along Namibia's Atlantic coastline harvesting less than 50% of the"total allowable catch."
Last year, the total allowable catch for seal pups was 80,000. Only 3,764, or 5% of the target, was harvested. The companies harvested a larger proportion of adult seals, catching about 3,100 of the 6,000 allowed.There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.Naude Dreyer of Ocean Conservation Namibia said Namibia's attempts to reduce the seal population is having the opposite effect of what the ministry is trying to achieve.