SEE PEER REVIEW

INTRO:

Abstract suggests that the text draws together the long-time monitoring results of the Saimaa ringed seal: causes of pup and adult mortality and population development, and compares these to measures and regulations which are implemented in order to safeguard the Saimaa ringed seal. This is a case well worth documenting and publishing.

MERITS:

The strong basis of this research lies in the exhaustive and thorough data collection and research which has been done in the Saimaa area for decades.

CRITIQUE:

It is difficult to find any weaknesses in the text. The data is of high quality and covers the whole range of the species. Conclusions drawn are on a solid basis.

DISCUSSION:

Even if the by-catch mortality is a severe threat and the one cause of mortality which is relatively easy to control by regulation and implementation, I hope that the other causes of mortality are discussed in the paper as well.

This research is important, not least because the fishing restrictions and other measures are under constant discussion in the Saimaa area. There are opposite opinions on how the fishing restrictions should be developed in the future. As the Saimaa ringed seal population is slowly growing, there may be arise demands to loosen the restrictions in the future. On the other hand, the growing seal population may result in growing numbers of by-catch mortality if the restrictions remain the same. This may lead to even sharper polarisation of the discussion.
 

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INTRO:

The Saimaa ringed seal is an endangered species inhabiting Lake Saimaa, Finland. The most serious threats to the population are fishing by-catch and climate change, and although the population has increased during the past decade thanks to fishing restrictions, insufficient snow coverage is still a major problem for pup survival. As it is not possible to resolve the problem of the effect of global warming, the authors suggest that fishing restrictions is the best method for future conservation of the Saimaa seal.

MERITS:

The abstract is well written and summarizes the status of the Saimaa seal in a clear way.

CRITIQUE:

While the point of the abstract is clear (fishing restrictions is a good measure to implement in conservation of the Saimaa seal), it is difficult to grasp what led the authors to this conclusion. Also, it is not explained whether the authors suggest that current fishing restrictions are enough or whether they should be extended and/or applied to a larger area of the lake. It would also be interesting to know the mortality rates, if such estimates are availible.

DISCUSSION:

Overall, this abstract is good review of the current status of the Saimaa seal. However, the basis for the conclusion needs some elaboration; maybe comparing mortality rates before the fishing restrictions were implemented to the current ones, if such estimates exist.