The rising seal population in the Baltic Sea hasn't just led to the animals' return to the Copenhagen Harbour, it has also resulted in seals claiming some of the fish usually caught by Danish fishermen.
The seal population is protected under Danish law but Thomas Danielsen, the fisheries spokesperson for chief opposition party Venstre, thinks the government should see to it that seals are shot and killed.
"Politically, we need to ensure that we regulate the [seal] population in a more sustainable manner," Danielsen told Ritzau. "Otherwise, it doesn't jibe with the government parties' ambition to preserve coastal fishing, which they themselves say is the most desirable fishing method."
In addition to proposing that the seal population be culled, Danielsen also wants to explore the idea of compensating fishermen who lose their catch to seals. According to Ritzau, the compensation proposal has the backing of other political parties.
Thomas Thomsen, the head of the Bornholm and Christiansø local fisheries' union, told Ritzau that seals are consuming 20-25 percent of the salmon normally caught in the area and are gobbling down so much cod that it's now "completely impossible" for fishermen to catch the white fish.
