The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has decided on license and protective seal hunting for the period from 2026 to early 2027. A total of 1,350 grey seals may be shot, an increase of 350 individuals compared to the previous year. Protective hunting is also permitted on 400 ringed seals and harbor seals in specific regions.
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, known as Naturvårdsverket, has issued a decision on license and protective hunting for seals, aimed at reducing damage to small-scale professional and recreational fishing. License hunting applies only to grey seals, which the agency states cause the greatest damage to fishing gear, catches, and certain fish stocks. A total of 1,350 grey seals are permitted to be shot in all counties along the Baltic Sea, up from 1,000 individuals last year.
The hunting is divided into periods. For license hunting on grey seals, period one features county-specific quotas from April 20 to May 20, 2026, and June 6 to August 14, 2026. Period two has a shared quota from August 15, 2026, to January 15, 2027.
Protective hunting is allowed on ringed seals in Halland, Västra Götaland, and parts of Skåne, with a total of 200 individuals. The periods are April 20 to May 20, 2026, September 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027, and February 1 to April 19, 2027. For harbor seals in Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Västernorrland, and Gävleborg counties, 200 individuals may be shot under similar periods.
"We assess that this year's hunting decision is well-balanced to prevent the damage seals can cause—both to fishing gear and catches and to certain fish stocks," says Jens Andersson from the wildlife analysis unit at Naturvårdsverket in a press release.
"Even though the damage pattern in professional fishing remains high, we assess that there are reasons for some caution regarding the number of seals that may be shot pending more knowledge about population developments," he adds.