For hundreds of years the seal hunt has helped to keep the local ecology in balance. The aboriginals had become part of the ecology.
This until the foreign draggers hit the Grand banks followed by Greanpeace and Bardot. The latter had learned their definitions of "ecology" in liberal arts and poly sci courses.
Now the seals are experiencing a population explosion which is throwing the ecology off balance.
The seals are not under threat of extinction. The cod fishery is.
My first paragraph ough to have read:
The harp seal competes with the local fishers, aboriginals and foreign draggers for a dwindling cod stock.