Phoque a capuchon

Hooded Seals were subjected to intense commercial hunting in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Harvests were often conducted in association with Harp Seal harvests and commercial fisheries for Greenland Sharks. Norway, the former Soviet Union, Canada, and Greenland, have all been involved in these commercial harvests. Following World War II, the hunt focused largely on pups because of their highly prized blue-back pelt, however, many adult females were taken when defending their pups (Sergeant 1976). Annual harvests of Hooded Seals continue in Canada (pups are protected) and Greenland; Greenlandic harvests are the largest (ICES 2019). The Davis Strait breeding population has likely been reduced by Greenlandic hunting on the west coast (perhaps to extinction) and currently the East Greenland subsistence catch likely is in part from the Greenland Sea stock.

Bycatch of Hooded Seals in coastal net fisheries has been reported from the United States, from trawl fisheries off Norway and Newfoundland, and salmon drift nets used off Greenland (Reeves et al. 1992, Waring et al. 2005, Woodley and Lavigne 1991), but it is not thought to be a major cause of mortality. Competition for food with commercial fisheries and other predators has been suggested as a factor that may limit population growth or lead to declines (Reijnders et al. 1993). The Barents and Norwegian Sea Redfish stocks declined markedly in the 1990s which might have impacted food availability for Hooded Seals. Currently, declining Polar Cod (Boreogadus saida) stocks are a concern for Hooded Seals in the Northeast Atlantic (Enoksen et al. 2017).

Impacts of oil spills on Hooded Seals have not been reported but given the Hooded Seals ice breeding habit, there might be at risk of mortality from spills during the pupping season when newborn and newly weaned pups could be fouled (St. Aubin 1990). Hooded Seals are not known to have suffered fatalities during the mass die-off of Harbour Seals in European waters from phocine distemper virus in 1998 and 2002, but subsequent testing of a variety of Arctic seals revealed antibodies to the virus in 18-24% percent of the Hooded Seals sampled, indicating exposure and transmission of the virus (Harkonen et al. 2006). Hooded Seals in the Northeast Atlantic have high organohalogen contaminant burdens, which are thought to be high enough to cause thyroid disruption (Villanger et al. 2013).

Climate change is a serious threat to this ice-breeding species (Tynan and DeMaster 1997; Kovacs et al. 2011, 2012; Laidre et al. 2015, Kovacs et al. 2021). Sea ice losses have occurred throughout the species’ range over the last few decades (e.g. Stenson and Hammill 2014, Spreen et al. 2020), with complete ice failure in the southern parts of the range in the Northwest Atlantic being increasingly common (Johnston et al. 2005). Reduction in ice cover in the Greenland Sea has resulted in smaller floes and less stable ice conditions that likely impact survivorship of pups. Additionally, pupping areas have more open water and they have shifted closer to the Greenland. The occurrence of Hooded Seals has increased in the diet of both Polar Bears and Killer Whales in East Greenland concomitant with these sea ice changes (Foote et al. 2013, McKinney et al. 2013, Øigård et al. 2014). Polar Bear predation on Hooded Seals in East Greenland has increased 9.5% per decade since the mid-190s (McKinney et al. 2013). It is thought that this source of mortality is possibly becoming a driver of the declining population trend of Hooded Seals in the Greenland Sea (Øigård et al. 2014).

An indirect result of climate change is that prey abundance and distribution is undergoing significant change, with “borealization” of the community in the Barents Region that is likely having negative impacts on Hooded Seals (e.g. Beaugrand et al. 2009, Fossheim et al. 2015, Christiansen 2017, Enoksen et al. 2017). A recent dietary study on Greenland Sea Hooded Seals found that their diet is dominated by Polar Cod (Boreogadus saida) and despite Hooded Seals seeming to be able to do some prey shifting, Enoksen et al. (2017) concluded that Greenland Sea Hooded Seals show narrow niche breadth and specialization on Arctic fishes that are suffering negative impacts of climate change. Increased fishing, disease risks, shipping, mining, ocean noise etc in areas previously ice covered, but now open, increase the general risk level for this species (Pagnan 2000, PAME 2019). Ecological change within the system is seen as the likely cause of declines in Hooded Seal numbers (Frei et al. 2012, Biuw et al. 2022).

The species is listed on Annex V (animal and plant species of community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures) of the EU Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora - consolidated version 01/01/2007) and on Annex III (protected fauna species) of the Bern Convention (the Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats).

Numerous conservation measures, international management plans, harvest quotas and restrictions, as well as agreements and treaties, have been developed for the conservation of Hooded Seals dating back to the 1870s (Sergeant 1976).

In European waters, harvest quotas were implemented at Jan Mayen in 1971 and complete cessation of the commercial harvest was enacted in 2007 (2008 hunting season closure). The ICES/NAFO/NAMMCO Working Group on Harp and Hooded Seals (WGHARP) models population numbers from surveys and provides advice for management. Based on surveys conducted in 2022 and new biological parameter data, zero quota is recommended (ICES 2023).

Hooded Seals are classified as Vulnerable on the Global IUCN Red List (Kovacs 2016) and are Endangered on the Norwegian Red List (Eldegard et al. 2021); the latter assessment is done for the European Hooded Seal stock.

A global assessment of population structure would help in the assessment process. More robust N1+ estimates are needed for all stocks. Ongoing survey efforts are required to track impacts of climate change and population trends.