Seal researcher Sara Persson at the National Museum of Natural History works to examine seals from Swedish waters.
She has seen that the gray seals from the Bothnian Sea are thinner than elsewhere.
- They are thinner than in the rest of the country, she says.
The trawl fishing is pointed out
The emaciation among the gray seals in the Bothnian Sea coincides with coastal fishermen's alarm about the lack of shoaling, above all the larger shoaling is missing.
Both the fishermen and the County Administrative Board in Gävleborg believe that it is the large-scale trawling that has decimated the sturgeon.
Intestinal ulcer
The seals in the Bothnian Sea are also affected by intestinal ulcers.
Something that was common during the 90s.
- In the last two years, the number of seals with severe intestinal ulcers has increased sharply in the Bothnian Sea, says Sara Persson.
In the video, the seal researcher answers questions about the emaciation and the connection to the streaming, which is an important food for the seals.