With days left to the start of the 2007 grey seal hunt, a fisherman's association in Prince Edward Island says it's unhappy with the quota set by federal officials.

Ed Frenette, executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association, told the Summerside Journal Pioneer that the pelts from the grey seal fishery will only bring in about $35 each this year as the quality is low.

And any potential profits will be cut because the quota of 2,100 pelts has to be shared with sealers from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Magdalen Islands.

There are 26 local hunters licensed for a harvest set to begin as soon as federal officials determine the pups have shed their white coats.

The much-larger harp seal hunt, that last year had a quota of 325,000 pelts, is expected to start in mid-March amid annual protests by anti-sealing advocates and its attendant press coverage.

Frenette says the smaller hunt tends to go off more quietly because the grey seal causes extensive damage to lobster gear. The Journal Pioneer cites a study by the province in 2001 that found damage to gear that year was $6.2 million.