Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 9
Special Significance of the Species
Harbour seals in some areas (e.g. PEI, Bay of Fundy, Halifax) are important, and reliable, parts of commercial whale/seal watching, and as such make a contribution to the local economies (Hammill et al. 2001).
Phoca vitulina mellonae is the only subspecies of harbour seals that is restricted to fresh water. It is endemic to Canada (northern Québec) and is the object of reverence by the Aboriginal peoples of northern Québec (Posluns 1993; Archéotec 1990; Richardson 1991; Smith 1999, Petagumskum 2005) – and its biology is unusual in a number of respects (Smith et al. 1994, 1996; Smith 1999). In addition, the population has acquired a public profile (e.g. Dubreuil 1987; Picard 1990; Duncan 1996; Saint-Laurent 2001) including being one of the featured species at risk of Québec’s Projet Rescousse.
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