The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is trying to restrict the monitoring of Canada’s commercial seal hunt by giving the Minister of Fisheries even more power to prevent observation of the annual slaughter of harp seal pups.
IFAW monitors Canada's commercial seal hunt each year, documenting the cruelty and sharing the awful truth with the rest of the world. But in order to do this legally, we must apply for a seal hunt observation licence from the Canadian government.
The DFO has now proposed a vaguely-worded amendment to the Marine Mammal Regulations that seems to allow the Minister of Fisheries to use any criteria he considers to be "relevant" in determining whether or not issuing an observer permit might be "disruptive" to the seal hunt. Further, the government is trying to fast-track these amendments so that they are in place by next March.
Rather than acknowledge the suffering and cruelty of the commercial seal hunt, the Canadian government continues in its attempts to make it more difficult for anyone to see firsthand the suffering and abuse that occurs on Canada's east coast each spring.
Please email the DFO today and tell them that any attempts to obstruct observation of the commercial seal hunt will not be tolerated, and that instead of restricting observation of this slaughter, the Canadian government should be working to END this hunt, which is inhumane, unsustainable, and unnecessary.
More information on the proposed changes is available at:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/communic/fish_man/consultations/MMR-RMM_e.htm
Thank you!
IFAW has led the fight to stop the cruel slaughter of seal pups
since the 1960's, resulting in the import ban of newborn whitecoat
seal pelts in 1985. Today, with offices in 15 countries, IFAW is the
world's leading animal welfare
organization, fighting to save seals both on the ice and through vital
scientific and market research.
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