A Government minister says his Department has absolutely no plans for a general seal cull.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien has also said on Twitter that he would not sign off on any pilot scheme which would involve fishermen shooting seals from a boat.
The Fianna Fáil TD says he accepts fishermen in a number of coastal areas have concerns and that is why a small number of Section 42 licences have been granted over the years.
Minister O'Brien says there may be a need for innovative solutions but it doesn't involve a general cull or controlled pilot cull of seals, which are protected under the EU Habitats Directive.
Independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae claims that fishermen's livelihoods are being decimated by an increase in the seal population:
