<p>Over the past three decades, many seal populations in the Northern Hemisphere have recovered, resulting in various unintended effects on fisheries. In the Baltic Sea, the growing grey seal (<i>Halichoerus grypus</i>) population is causing serious problems in coastal fisheries by damaging fishing gear and catches. Largely due to these losses, coastal fishing has declined dramatically during the last decades. The policies in the European Union (EU) strongly support the protection of seal populations. The EU trade ban on seal products, introduced in 2009, is part of this legislation. As a result of this all-inclusive trade ban, legally hunted seals are often dumbed in the sea, or they end up as waste in landfills. This conflicts with traditional hunting practices, where the utilization of prey is an important element of the hunt. In effect, the trade ban has markedly reduced small-scale seal hunting and has contributed to the deepening of the seal-fishery conflict in the Baltic Sea region. Besides, handcrafting skills of seal products as subsidiary income in coastal communities has been lost. We provide evidence that small-scale commercial utilization of legally hunted seals should be considered, rather than wasting such a valuable resource. This would nurture cultural traditions and support favorable development in coastal areas. Seal hunting in the EU is well regulated and monitored, and the current hunting pressure does not endanger the growing and healthy seal populations. We fully agree that thriving marine mammal populations are a valuable element of healthy ecosystems.</p>