Canadian Seal Hunt

The seal hunt (and the debate that accompanies it) is a yearly event in Canada, and around the world for that matter. While it is a fact that hundreds of thousands of seals are killed yearly (quota is 338,200 total seals this year), it is becoming harder to get a true picture on other aspects of the hunt such as the humanity of the cull, the reasons behind it and the economic impact.

This is because the hunt usually triggers emotional responses from both sides, causing the facts become secondary and prone to wildly different and even exaggerated interpretation depending on who is presenting them.

The hunting of seals has been going on in Canada ever since man set foot on its shores. At first, it was a way of life for natives as the seals provided food, clothing, oil and many other valuable commodities. However, in the 1750s, European demand for seal products led to the development of a commercial seal fishery and the animal products began to be exported. These days, the skins, oil, and other products are typically sold to Asian and European companies, making it the hunt a commercial practice.

One worrying fact, is that roughly 95 per cent of the seals killed are no older than three months, meaning that the hunts are not sustainable, and cannot continue without better regulation.

When the Canadian cod fishing industry collapsed in the early 1990s, the government increased the quota of seals allowed to be killed in order to provide a way for out of work fisherman to earn some money. The fishermen, however, did not have any experience in killing humanely, and would reportedly bludgeon and shoot baby seals, skin the pups and leave many bodies to rot on ice floes.

Those against the hunt state there is little economic value to the sealers. However, the government states about 6,000 people rely on it for direct employment. Newfoundland’s Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture adds that seals are a significant source of income for thousands of families at a time of year when jobs are very limited. It also stated that in 2006, the harvest generated approximately $55 million to the provincial economy. But many sealers have said sealing only represents about 25 to 35 per cent of their total income.

The government has also said that seals eat the fish and their population needs to be controlled by the hunt.

Whether the cull is necessary or not, one thing that protesters want is to make sure that the seals are killed as humanely as possible. Although there are strict rules and regulation set in place by the government, observers have reportedly witnessed hundreds of violations of them. However, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), which regulates the hunt, has rarely charged anybody for doing so. The seals are supposed to be dead when skinned, but opposition estimates as many as 40 per cent are skinned alive.

The first phase of the hunt takes place in the Gulf of St. Lawrence where most are bludgeoned with a weapon called a hakapik, which is a club with a spiked hook on the end of it. The second phase is conducted off the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador where seals are shot because they are more mobile and harder to catch. In each case, fishermen aim for the head to make sure the pelt isn’t ruined. Many seals however are not killed by the first shot and die in the water.

Another scary fact: these seals which are not gathered are not counted against the legal quota.

The average person didn’t know much about the hunt until graphic television images were broadcast around the world in 1964. This led to public outcry and organizations such as The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) were born in an attempt to stop the slaughter. There have been many attempts to halt the hunt over the past 30 to 40 years with some European governments banning imported seal products along with Canadian seafood. There is currently pressure from the European Union to put an end to the hunt.

Recently, Canadian senator Mac Harb introduced a bill to end the slaughter and has stirred the controversy further as many politicians are in support of the hunt and the right of sealers to make a living. In fact, Harb didn’t get support from a single person in the 105-seat senate.

There are several internet petition sites online to gather signatures of people around the world (including celebrities such as Paul McCartney) who are opposed to the hunt. However, this is an ongoing story that isn’t likely to end anytime soon.

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