The last phase of the East Coast seal hunt could continue for another month, a sealing group says.

The hunt for longliners was halted over the weekend, but the small-boat hunt is still underway.

Frank Pinhorn, president of the Canadian Sealers' Association, said Monday that sealers in vessels less than 10 metres long still have about 100,000 seals left in their quota. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans set an overall quota of 275,000 harp seals in this year's hunt, including now-completed phases in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

However, he said it could take a while for weather conditions to become more favourable off northern Newfoundland and southern Labrador.

"The ice is too heavy yet," Pinhorn said.

"And the seals are further south, so they're going to have to wait until the ice slackens up and then the seals start migrating back north," he said.

"So, they should have a very good hunt, from now, say, to the middle of May, anyway."

Participation in the opening days of the hunt at the Front — the traditional name given to sealing waters off Newfoundland's northeast coast — was very low, partly because of low pelt prices and high fuel costs.

Pinhorn said that while many fishermen stayed home, some longliners were to take between 1,500 and 3,000 seals each.