Canadian seal hunters bemoan low prices, from UPI

"Some Canadian seal hunters in Newfoundland say they aren't sure low pelt prices and high gas costs make going to sea worthwhile later this month.

"While hunting resumed Monday off New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the upcoming hunt along Newfoundland's northeastern shore isn't as appealing to seasonal fishermen, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported."

More training needed for sealers: vet, from CBC News

"New rules adopted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to ensure seals are killed humanely should be accompanied by better training for sealers, says a member of the veterinary panel that looked into the issue.

"A group of nine veterinarians from Canada, the U.S. and Europe met in August 2005 to look at ways to minimize or eliminate suffering of animals during the seal hunt. One of the recommendations was a three-step process for killing, including bleeding the animal after it has been clubbed or shot."

Reader is against the seal hunt, from the Coaster

"I am asking you at take a hard look at yourselves and your leaders. Why are you allowing a barbaric act such as the clubbing to death of baby animals in the presence of their mothers to take place in your community? Babies that have not yet had a chance to take their first swim.

"It is not going to provide you with any long lasting solutions for your life long problems: for example; high unemployment, lack of training and opportunities. Rather "clubbing" your local politicians will bring about these positive changes. If politicians started to do their job, think creatively and work, it would help you to find dignifying work and repair Canada's image."

Comments

[Maria Bernardes]

How can such a government and its people allow this attrocity and cruelty? How can people in this country close their eyes and pretend they don't see? I am an elementary school teacher. I was talking to my students about animals and we came to the seals. I remember I saw an article in a very important and informative magazine in Brazil called "Veja" like "Time" in the USA. That was years ago and I remember getting so sad and frustrated and helpless. Years ago, now, teaching my students in the USA, it crossed my mind again and I decided to research what had happened since then. It's the same or even worse! Every year is the same thing!!! How can people and organizations tolerate this cruelty? My students were so sad and chocked. They are writing letters that hopefully will touch some people's hearts. Is this killing really necessary? Even if is, isn't there a painless way of doing it? How can these hunters look in their innocent eyes who don't know what it's going to happen to them? They don't imagine that their skulls are going to be smashed and they'll suffer in agony so that someone can make money! Don't these people have Jesus in their hearts?
Please someone has to do something... imagine your babies being killed in this such cruel manner? How would you, hunters, feel?

[Matt M.]

They feel like they need to make a living for themselves. Newfoundland isn't like the USA... especially in the outport communities. Life is harder and every dollar counts. If there was a better alternative to paying off the boat and putting food on the table, they would take it - there isn't. No, that lady offering 16 million isn't going to help (is she going to pay 16 million a year indefinitely?) Ecotourism also isn't going to help thousands of fishermen - would you pay a few grand to go out in the freezing cold to watch a few seals? There are few people who will, and if the hunt closes then there will be no publicity from IFAW and PETA and HSUS - where's their cut of the money then?

[Ellen Lockley]

I cant understand how anyone can agree with what is happening, it is in no way humane and is totally wrong! It really upsets me to see these videos of the poor animals being killed in such a horrible way, it is awful. And to the people that state we only care because they are Cute animals is unbelievable! I personally care for every animal that is being killed in such an awful way, in this day and age there is no need! I dont care what anyone says, the people that go out on the ice and do these awful deeds have no morals and no heart! It needs to STOP and I personally will do everything in my power to help this happen!!!!!!!

[Robin]

The seal hunt is barbaric and arcane. And truth is it doesn't count for very much of the fisherman's income. The hunt is monitored very loosely so the idea of a "humane" and "baby seal free" hunt is mute. If you want to read more check out www.ivorytowerz.blogspot.com

[Robin]

I meant to say "arcaic" not "arcane" which would imply that seal hunting is just misunderstood...which it's not. It's just stupid.

[club sandwhiches]

The seal hunt has to be stopped.

theres no reason for this
cruel and pointless slaughter.

the seals that are still babies coat changes so the stupid sealers think that they are grown up.

dont tell me that seal is not a baby.its still a baby.I cant make it any clearer then that.

get the picture.lets stop this once and for all.

you know seal fur is beautiful and it looks fashionable on the seals and theres no need to be on us at all.

theres lots of other alternatives to be used these days.

they look fantastic in their own fur and we look good in our own skins.
lets keep it that way.

now thats a fashion statement worth making.

[Dylan]

Matt

You need educating, Canada is one of the G8 - the 8 wealthiest countries in the world so you comments about how life is hard and these 'por men' have to make a living is plain wrong and entirely misinformed if you think people are living in poverty and struggling in the outport communities then you need to take a look at whats happening elsewhere in the world for an example of real poverty and admit that there are better and more ethical ways for these people to make money.

[Matthew McDonald]

Well, if you read why the price of pelts dropped, it was because they allowed too many low grade pelts to be accepted in prior years. http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Atlantic/080407/t040711A.html
So it wasn't because of protests (nice attempt to make stuff up as usual though).
I'd honestly like to see somebody attack me or berate me for wearing fur... stone me to death eh? That would be hilarious, and it would probably end with jail time for them. But why do you keep bringing up violence on people? Why is everybody here so bloodthirsty for HUMANITY?

In any case, keep wishing the hunt will end. The EU really isn't as important as they think they are. That said, they are reasonably important in terms of global backlash, but not so much economically. The big markets are China and Russia. Funny how the lot of you would probably go there and protest against seal hunting before you would protest against human rights abuses.

So, I need educating Mr. Dylan. Where do you live? Do you live in Newfoundland like me? Are you going to tell me you know that everybody in Canada is rich because we're in the G8? Hell, Russia's in the G8 and they don't seem so rich to me. So before you've actually seen the place, stop making extreme generalizations. Newfoundland has one of the worst economies of the nation (Admittedly it is improving as of late due to oil money, but the outports are still terribly bad off). When you go talk to a fisherman or a sealer, come back and tell us he can just get a new job easy enough. That's like me saying that most Africans just don't have the willpower to rise out of poverty.

There seems to be a grading system in place here. Going from least important to most important: hunters, non-vegans, vegans, ugly animals, cute animals.

Act like a human being before anything else. You obviously aren't.

Oh and, I'm not leaving anytime soon. I know it pains you to see logic appear in the forums, but you're just going to have to deal with some opposition to your propaganda.

[Grant]

I am new to this post but I have to say I do not and will never support the seal hunt , being born and raised in New Foundland it's sad that some of my fellow people can't see the cruelty in these hunts. I had a close friendfrom school who's father had said many times it's in our blood.....these are people that refuse to grow with the times ...There are other jobs if they would look for them ..
The bottom line is these fisherman (seal hunters) are not going to change until they are forced to ... Our government doesn't care about them and most of us realize this now ,

[Grant]

I am new to this post but I have to say I do not and will never support the seal hunt , being born and raised in New Foundland it's sad that some of my fellow people can't see the cruelty in these hunts. I had a close friendfrom school who's father had said many times it's in our blood.....these are people that refuse to grow with the times ...There are other jobs if they would look for them ..
The bottom line is these fisherman (seal hunters) are not going to change until they are forced to ... Our government doesn't care about them and most of us realize this now ,

[Justin Parsons]

Another thing I must point out.

All of you protesters haven't lives in the shoes of a fisherman or sealer here in Newfoundland. Maybe, if you weren't so stubborn and thick headed, you'd listen to reason. No, I'm not a fisherman or sealer myself, but I live in this province and I am well aware of what's going on.

You see the act of killing the seals as cruelty. Those fisherman see it as a means of money so they can support there families. You can't just tell that person that he can get a better job, because you obviously don't understand the circumstances.

Next time, study the issue. Don't just shoot your mouth because you believe it's sad to see an animal get killed for means of survival.

[Ines]

Matt M + Justin Parsons:

Looks like you guys are taking over this thread by posting your ridiculous comments to fool the rest of the world and being such proud Newfoundlanders. Have fun in trying to bullXXXX other people here. You Newfoundlanders are as arrogant and ignorant as the rest of Canada.

You'll see how important Europe is to Canada by the time the ban of seal products is introduced. And funny how and in fact we already did: a delegation from Canada, headed by this silly Loyola guy travelling Europe to convince the EU countries not to ban seal products. Do I see here a “tiny” flicker of worry? Hm... so Europe is not important, hey.....?! You might still soak China (a country far away from civilization and just look what is happening in Tibet, scandalous!) in seal pelt. Russia is on it's good way to reconsider the slaughter of seals and that of course will also result in a ban one day.

And stop whining that the "poor" fishermen need this extra income to survive. We all know how much they get (peanuts) for the annual, traditional, commercial Canadian seal slaughter and this is even more ridiculous that the hunt hasn't stopped yet. Quit finding reasons to justify this massacre.

And on this occasion I love to quote "Danuta Sobczyk" in the "Coaster" and she is so damn right:

http://www.thecoaster.ca/index.cfm?sid=124270&sc=319&comments=submit&#thankyou

"Work for the future and leave the job of seal hunting for the tales of Canadian history. The sooner you start "clubbing" your local politicians the sooner they will start helping you"

Have a great time and weekend. You deserve it :-))

Best wishes
Ines from France

[Tooyaah]

Ines, I love you !!!

Thank you for your true and attested comments.
You are writing down what lots of people in Europe are also thinking !!!

[Grant]

Hey Matt , I am Canadian from the east coast and I know what it's like . You guys don't have a leg to stand on when your own people are against it and support the rest of the world in putting an end to the hunt .

[Deb]

My husband is a fisherman, and yes the pay in not brilliant, but he wouldnt go seal hunting. I have seen how these seals suffer, and how it can take as long as 45 mins+ for a seal to die. Some are even hit once but escape under water.. injured badly, and obviously will die later... making its suffering even longer. And this is what goes on every year. My husband is native canadian, (1st Nations) It is part of his traditional food. But we do not beieve in clubbing them to death. The numbers of seals killed are also unacceptable. This is not part of the food chain. The seals are not used for food, the fur is taken and the rest of the seal is left to rot. This is a huge waste. And companies like Prada, D&G etc.. all the big fashion names buy the fur to make big money from people who have more money than brains. And this is the exploitation the government will not stop because they stand to make money.. just like with anything else oil etc. I am a fishermans wife, and yeah its hard sometimes, but we make the effort to find ways of being self sufficent etc. Bashing seals on the head is not an option. There is always plenty of food and fish on the table etc, we do not see a need to seal hunt. And I certainly never will enjoy watching the fashion industry profit from killing baby seals for their fur. In some contries its a tradition to cut certain body parts off... but we dont all think its a good idea do we?? Geez! Wake up and smell the coffee!!! Anyone can exploit animals. But that doesnt make it right. There are ways of making a living without seal hunting. Plenty of animals are hunted humainly.. but this is not one of them. When my husband goes out and hunts a dear, he uses all the meat there is on it and it lasts us for months on end. Everything is used and nothing is discarded and left to rot, like I have seen many seals being left to rot without their fur. It is just plain wrong.

[Stella B.]

Thank you, Deb....for your report.
It's a consolation to know, that there are still OTHER- thinking and -doing people in Canada and that not EVERY fisherman is a baby-murderer.
I hope there are more men like your husband !!!
Wish your family all the best !!!!

[Stella B.]

Thank you, Deb,again....
You are soo right !!!
Every country has it's own animal scandals...
we in germany,too...
but what we are watching from Canada's harp seal slaughtering is the most bad we have ever,ever seen and the cruel behaviour of these baby-killers is representative for the whole country Canada and many,many people here are so shocked, that they will never travel again for holidays to this country, also not buy Canadian products incl. CD's from Canadian musicians...
This seal war is simply not good for Canada's reputation,
but the Canadian government and it's followers have only one thing in the head.....
money, money, money....
it does'n matter where it comes from...
It's a sad development !!!
And always the animals must suffer.
We don't accept this and we continue to fight against this barbaric massacre to the little seals...
We do all we can to prevail a ban from the European commission !!!

[Deb (Canada)]

We shouldnt think that just because we are humans, we are above all other animals and have the right to treat them in any way we wish.
Yes hunting is part of the food chain and has been for many years. Clubbing little helpless baby seals is totally unnecessary. Baby seals are targeted just because of their fur. Lets not forget about all the other animals that became endangered because of this attitude... Gorillas, Elephants, Tigers, and so many other animals beautiful in their own unique ways. All have been exploited. Poeple need to learn the difference between exploitation and the real food chain in hunting. There is a BIG difference between the two. The right balance without cruelty. I really shouldnt have to explain. People will do anything these days to make money. Makes me wonder where they draw the line. If my husband clubbed seals and came home putting the cash in my hand, i know i wouldnt want that money. I would have blood on my hands. My husband is not that way, and always works towards keeping the wildlife we have here. And that makes me very proud of him. When we have children it will be something we will teach them. Respect.

[Leigh-Ann]

Rick, please express yourself without calling other people names. That's all I ask... otherwise you're free to express your opinions. I'm not singling you out, and I've removed a number of 'name-calling' attacks, but they're difficult to keep up with.

[Ali]

What is the reason that not enough people take care on this tragedy.
There are several reason ...

Silence is agrement also this would be one of the last chance to wake up and declarar your opininion.
Hello World wake up, this is the rigth time and right place otherwise we are lost and see you in the Hell.

[Deb (Canada)]

People who swear and call people "sick *()&*(&" are not people I really have time to listen to, as arrogance never does anything good in life.
I have never said hunting animals is a bad thing. However, there comes a point when we need to draw the line, as with most things in life.
According to a 2004 poll by Ipsos Reid, more than 70% of Canadians believe the commercial seal hunt should either be banned or limited to seals over one year of age. (Ninety-seven percent of the 365,000 seals killed in the 2004 hunt were babies under three months, and the majority were less than three weeks old.)

Many Canadian groups are working with us to stop the hunt, including the Vancouver Humane Society, Nova Scotia Humane Society, Animal Alliance of Canada, Environment Voters, Global Action Network, Greenpeace Canada, International Fund for Animal Welfare, World Society for the Protection of Animals-Canada, The Green Party of Canada, and many other Canadian organizations.
Though the harp seal population has increased since the 1970s when they were severely over-hunted, their current numbers are just recovering from an all-time population low in the 1950s. Government scientists estimate that the harp seal herd has been declining since 1996, and the current plan is predicted to reduce the population even further. Poor ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where many harp seals give birth, may already be affecting the species as well.
Harp seal experts, The HSUS, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Greenpeace, and the protect Seals Network cite a wealth of scientific evidence showing the insustainability of the seal hunt. Ice cover off the Atlantic coast, where seals give birth, is rapidly thinning, and there is evidence of rising seal mortality rates. Furthermore, cruelty to wildlife, whether rare or abundant, should not be tolerated.
Greenpeace recently came out with a thorough report on the Canadian government's extreme mismanagement of the harp seal population.
The decline of cod and other fisheries is caused by over-fishing, not marine mammals. After reading the report from the internationally respected harp seal biologist, Dr. David LaVigne, who gives evidence that the Canadian government is mismanaging the seal hunt population, and that it is more concerned with its own economic interests than the health of the seal and cod population, I also became increasingly concerned.
In 2001, a report by an independent team of respected veterinarians, who were invited by IFAW to observe the hunt, also concluded that governmental regulations were neither being respected nor enforced, and that the seal hunt failed to comply with Canada's basic animal welfare regulations. The veterinarians found a disturbing number of seals (as many as 40%) probably were skinned while alive and conscious.
As for the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association study claiming that only 2% of the seals were killed inhumanely, some have questioned the reliability of a survey in which those carrying out the killing knew they were being observed.
Subsistence seal hunts are not the target of the Protect Seals campaign. Fewer than 1% of harp seals last year were killed by aboriginal people in Canada. The truth is that the commercial seal hunt near Newfoundland and in Gulf of St. Lawrence is a large scale, industrial slaughter conducted by non-native people. Powerful ice-breaking boats and sophisticated aerial-spotting techniques enable hunters to pinpoint seals with relative ease. This year, the combination of high-tech equipment and old-time brutality will translate into more than 300,000 dead seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The commercial hunt specifically benefits the fur fashion industry. The seals are skinned for their pelts and fat, and virtually all of the seal meat is left to rot on the ice. A very small amount of meat is sold to Canadian factory fur farms. These seals are killed primarily for the European and Asian fur fashion industry, and used by such major designers as Versace and Prada. That is not for subsistence by any means.

The use of seal oil is insignificant, and the Canadian government promotes its use to justify the hunt. There are plenty of alternatives on the market, including flax oil, which does not entail cruelty.
Enforcement of hunt regulations is spotty and inadequate at best. The HSUS Protect Seals team witnessed first-hand the terrible cruelty and brutality of the hunt on March 29. They saw animals being clubbed and left for dead, when the animals were still alive and struggling to survive. One seal, in particular, was clubbed, and she dragged herself around for 90 minutes while suffocating in her own blood. In past years, witnesses have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of animals skinned alive on the ice. They have rarely seen the blink reflex test administered.
The blink-reflex test is very simple. It involves leaning over and touching the dead animal's eyeball. If the animal doesn't blink, it is in fact dead. If it does blink, it's an indication the animal is alive and possibly conscious. Unless sealers administer this test, they have no way of knowing if the animal they're skinning is dead. Last year, witnesses did not see the test administered at all. This is a clear violation of the marine mammal regulations, but one that the government appears unable to enforce.
The commercial seal hunt receives many forms of subsidies from the Canadian government. The Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment reports that the government provided more than $20 million in subsidies to the sealing industry between 1995 and 2001. They are made in the form of interest-free loans and grants to cover wages and capital costs for processing companies, for companies to develop seal products, and for product marketing trips overseas.
Economic analysis shows that the seal hunt has very little positive economic effect on Newfoundland. The Canadian government and fishing industry are promoting the hunt in spite of worldwide opposition that has led to a boycott of all Canadian seafood.
The HSUS is urging the government of Canada to help individuals caught in the tragedy of slaughtering seals to develop livelihoods in other occupations and in other segments of the economy. Few believe that killing seals will continue to be a viable livelihood for the next century.

When the Canadian government banned whale killing, some discovered that whale watching tours were more profitable. In the same respect, The HSUS believes seal and other wildlife-watching excursions would be better for the economy and the ecology of the east coast.

In 1995 Norway killed 2600 seals just over two weeks old under the pretext of scientific research. This acted as the reopening of the Norwegian seal hunt which had been crippled by the European Community ban on whitecoat and blueback seal products. In 1996 27,000 seals were killed by Norway, of which 17,000 were young seals.

Commercial seal hunting also takes place in Greenland, Russia and Namibia, with varying numbers of seals being killed.
There is next to no market now for any seal part, the flesh is reported to be unpalatable (much of it is used to feed other animals on fur factory farms) and there is a glut of seal pelts. According to the Canadian Sealers Association, this glut is because the number of seals killed in the past few years has grown at an incredible rate, outpacing market demand. Some revenue comes from seal oil and seal penises as aphrodisiacs in some parts of Asia. Both these aspects have been highlighted in campaigns, by trying to stop the sale of seal oil and campaigns in Asia against the use of seal penises. Typically seals killed for penises have their genitals cut off leaving the body to rot. The biggest threat now is the apparent burgeoning market for seal meat in Asia and the only barrier to the market opening up to this, is the extreme difficulty in obtaining the necessary paperwork to allow export.
Canada
In 2000 the Canadian government set a quota of over 275,000 seals. The ending of the seal meat subsidy, rising fuel costs, and declining pelt prices resulted in fewer seals being killed (according to the government 92,000 harp seals - one-third of the quota - were killed).

The quota for 2001 remains the same despite government research showing that the seal population will decline if more than 257,000 seals are killed.

Norway
Figures for 2000 show that 20,549 seals were killed.
8,581 harp seals were classed as being 'young', non-suckling pups less than one year old (harp seal pups suckle for an average of 12 days). 1,346 of the hooded seals were young (pups suckle for an average of 4 days)

The quota for this years hunt allows a total of 20,000 adult harp seals and 10,300 adult hooded seals. The quota can be taken as adults or non-suckling young where 1 to 2.5 young equal one adult harp seal (depending on whether they are killed on the West or East Ice) and 1.5 non-suckling hooded seals are equal to one adult.
Pelts which made it to market will sell for £5 to £25 this year, while blubber would fetch 10p a kilo.
Buyers of the pelts include international fashion houses, including Gucci, and British makers of Scottish sporrans.
The Canadian government continues to provide large subsidies for the sealing industry—subsidies clearly listed on government websites.

The government of Canada regularly provides subsidies to the sealing industry through Human Resources Development Canada, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and other federal programs. These subsidies are provided in the form of grants and loans to seal processing plants, sealing industry associations and private companies, and cover capital costs, employee salaries, operating expenses, and product development and marketing.

In 2004 alone, more than $450,000 was provided by the Canadian government to two companies to develop seal products. Additionally, the Canadian Coast Guard continues to break ice for sealing vessels at taxpayer’s expense.

In 2001, the Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment produced a report detailing over $20 million that had been provided to the sealing industry in government subsidies from 1995–2001.
Claims that seal oil markets have grown substantially in recent years are also untrue. Seal oil is a byproduct of the skin trade (blubber is attached to the skins when they are removed from the seals). Canadian international trade data shows that Canadian exports of marine mammal oil in 2004 were valued at just about half of what they were in 2000 It is impossible to characterize this as "substantial growth."
The majority of seal hunting is done commercially, by non natives, not by the native comunity (Inuit). There are few Indegineous people involved in the commercial seal hunt.The same officials who previously told us that some seals only appear to be alive (because of something called the "swimming reflex") after hunters beat them with spiked clubs and leave them to crawl around in their own blood, are now telling us Canada's Inuit depend on the commercial seal hunt for their livelihoods.

If you believe either of these claims, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I'd like to sell you.

No one — not even PETA — has a quarrel with native peoples who truly have no choice but to hunt in order to survive. But that's not what is going on here. Most Inuit live in the Canadian Arctic, in Nunavut and other regions — not in Newfoundland, where the main Atlantic seal hunt takes place. The Inuit hunt year-round and use seals for meat. The thousands of seals who will be slaughtered in the next few weeks are killed for their fur — not for food. Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik says native people in his region hunt "the ring seal, and it's primarily adult ring seals." The hunt in Newfoundland is for harp seals — and it's primarily for babies.

Canadian officials and seal hunters alike take issue with the word "baby," but what else would you call a seal who has not yet learned how to swim or eaten a solid meal? The animals being shot and beaten with hakapiks, so their pelts can be turned into fur coats for a few "don't care" fashionistas, are seal pups — and seal pups are baby seals.

The commercial seal hunt that takes place every spring is an off-season cash bonus for a handful of big-business fishing companies — not a needed source of income for aboriginal peoples. The hunt is about greed, not necessity. Seals are not being stabbed with boat hooks and dragged across the ice to "save" the Inuit.

[Deb (Canada)]

I did try posting the links on too, but this site has an antispam filter, so it flags messages with links on. Most of the information i posted came from documented evidence i found, also my husband is a commercial fisherman and was able to give me some very interesting facts. Also if you go to www.hsicanada.ca/seals/ there are some good resorces at the bottom of the page including an interesting document about Harp Seal Populations in the Northwest Atlantic [PDF]

[Deb (Canada)]

I have read many statements made by the Canadian government, also the DFO, fisheries and aquaculture online sites. They even present a photo gallery.. all nice and clean. No pictures of what actually happens. Even show images on the main page of live baby seals looking healthy and unbutchered. They obviously dont want to show people the images of what exactly takes place, and facts during the hunt. I have seen countless baby seals after being skinned, that have been left behind to rot. Once you see 1st hand evidence, there is no denying exactly what goes on. The Government have every reason to support and want to cover up any grusome realities. So of course they are going to do so. I certaintly wouldnt trust the government with anything. And I am sure alot of people feel the same way. All governments are the same, and will profit from whatever they can get their hands on, regardless of the harm it may cause.

The Canadian government has worked hard to ensure the baby seal dies alone with no compassionate eyes bearing witness.

It is heartbreaking to think that these pups are being bludgeoned to death for their fur. It is devastating to
envision the scene unfolding - greedy sealers rushing about on the ice floes, viciously pounding hakapik into skull to immobilize
the pups, not caring if they are dead or alive before leaving them to pursue other seals, as the pristine ice turns into a river
of blood.

But overriding that heartache is an increasing sense of purpose and resolve. The government works hard to ensure the killing of
seals continues in secret, but the ProtectSeals team works even harder to ensure that this issue is not shrouded from the public
eye and that the inhumane killing of seals on the east coast of Canada is brought to a halt.

I am proud to stand with this courageous and dedicated group of people to protect seals.

1:00 PM

This grows more farcical by the minute. In the past, daily renewal of permits has been relatively easy. This year suddenly the rules have changed.

We have been advised by DFO that we must now present ourselves at the DFO office each morning to renew our permits in person. There is no guarantee that everyone permitted today will be permitted tomorrow. In other words, the media and photographers who were set to document the cruelty of the seal hunt but were prevented from doing so by a combination of DFO machinations and bad weather may not be re-permitted tomorrow.

REUTERS/International Fund for Animal Welfare/
Stewart Cook/Handout
To further complicate matters, the seal hunt begins at daybreak every day. The average start time is 6:00 a.m. DFO does not open its office until 9:00 a.m. Therefore, for a MINIMUM of three hours the killing of seals will continue unwatched and undocumented. By the time the DFO office opens, the requisite paperwork is filled out, and we reach the helicopters, an obscene number of seal pups will already have been slaughtered with nobody watching. What DFO has done is effectively state an intention to withhold observation permits for a portion of each day while seals are being killed. This must not be allowed to continue.

This is the most outrageous stunt the Canadian government and Department of Fisheries and Oceans has ever pulled. It is patently obvious that they do not want anyone to witness the killing of seals in Canada and there is absolutely no low to which they will stoop to achieve their goal.

Who do the folks at DFO think they are fooling? They make representations to the world - indeed they have sent a delegation of government officials and sealers to Europe to make these representations - that the hunt is humane, regulated and fully open for scrutiny, yet their very actions contradict these claims. The seal hunt is NOT humane, NOT regulated and DFO's frantic efforts to block lawful scrutiny of the seal hunt make it patently obvious that DFO itself knows this and is desperate to hide that fact.

I hope the European representatives with whom the Canadian delegation is meeting will ask the Canadians why exactly, if DFO has nothing to hide, they are making it impossible for anyone to witness the seal hunt.

It will be very interesting to see how the Canadian delegation answers that question.


Thursday, 27 March 2008

Today the Canadian government has shown just how far it will go to ensure that the slaughter of baby seals occurs unseen and unwatched. The ProtectSeals team was advised by DFO today that no permits would be issued until Saturday, which means that the entire first day of killing will occur in secret with nobody to observe or document the cruelty.

DFO's excuse is that it does not know how many sealing boats will be positioned to slaughter baby seals when the hunt begins at roughly 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. DFO officials claim that they need to fly over the area to ascertain how many boats are present to ensure that there are not too many observers. DFO knows - as do we - that at least 12 boats will be in position when the bloodbath begins.

This is not particularly surprising to me, as the Canadian government has been following a campaign of blocking lawful observation to the commercail seal hunt for many years. This year the stakes are high - DFO announced the implementation of a 3-step killing process which requires sealers to cut the arteries of the pup sometime after stunning to supposedly ensure the pups are dead before being skinned. This new process does not follow veterinarians' definition of a humane kill and will be impossible to monitork, and the government knows this. The 3-step process is simply an empty gesture - mere lip service to placate the European Commission on the eve of their decision of whether or not to ban trade in seal products.

The government is so terrified of what we will witness and document out there on the ice floes that they are willing to risk the intensely negative PR and the ire of the international community to ensure that the cruelty is not captured on film.

The Canadian commercial seal hunt occurs in public space and it is our right under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to witness it. Each year the government of Canada violates our rights by requiring observers to have permits and to remain 10 metres away from sealers while they are killing seals. Each year we must jump through hoops - sending application forms, attending for an interview, being kept waiting at DFO's convenience, answering the same silly questions and being at the whim of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, because ultimately if he feels that someone plans to disupt the hunt - whether or not they have stated such an intention - he can refuse to issue them a permit. Under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we as Canadians have the right to peaceful assembly on public space and have freedom of the press and other media of communication. If DFO succeeds in its campaign to block all lawful observation and documentation of the seal slaughter - including national and international journalists - it succeeds in shrouding the slaughter of seals in secrecy and violates the rights of those unable to attend in person to inform and educate themselves as to the true aspects of the slaughter.

This will not happen.

If the government thinks this will stop us in our quest to protect seals and to bring an end to this intensely cruel and archaic slaughter, the government needs to think again.


Wednesday, 26 March 2008

It's hard to believe that the year has fallen away and we are once again bracing ourselves to witness the inhumane slaughter of seals that occurs annually on Canada's east coast.

Just last month I bore witness to the cruel slaughter of grey seal pups on Hay Island, part of the Scatterie Island protected wilderness area. Then, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans colluded with the government of Nova Scotia to allow sealers to enter upon a protected wilderness area to slaughter up to 2,500 grey seal pups. I was present on the island with Rebecca Aldworth of Humane Society International/Canada / Humane Society of the United States to document their horrific deaths.

Now, it is the beginning of the slaughter of harp and hooded seal pups. The location is different. The species of seal is different. The inherent cruelty is the same. As then, we are here now to bear witness and to document the cruelty to share with the world.

I arrived in Charlottetown two days ago where I joined the ProtectSeals team as they ready themselves to witness and document the atrocity of the commercial seal hunt.

The Canadian commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine wildlife in the world. Baby seals just a couple of weeks old are bludgeoned and shot to death for their skin to supply the fashion industry in Europe. It is a vicious annual occurrence here in Canada and is rabidly defended by the Canadian government and the sealing industry

[Deb (Canada)]

I am yet to see any real believable evidence that baby seals do not go through any suffering. These sites claim that A hakapik is an efficient tool designed to kill the animal quickly and humanely. Marine Mammal Regulations state that sealers must strike the seal on the skull until it’s crushed, and administer a blinking eye reflex test or manually check the skull. I have never actually seen this happen.
Sealers are also encouraged to take a training course on proper hunting techniques, product preparation and handling. However this is not something they have to do by law, this is optional.. as it is stated on the Fisheries and Aquaclulture website. They also stae that
"they are not usually hunted until they reach the “beater” stage of development at around 25 days old." Then why is it that i have seen hundreds of seal pups around 12 days old being clubbed to death?? They also state that "The seals hunted are self-reliant, independent animals." I know for sure that this is not true, as I have seen baby seals as young as 12 days old, unable to even swim at this age, being targeted. Its fact, Ive seen it all happen. Ive even been to an eye specialist, and he says theres nothing wrong with my eyes, i am not on any drugs or medication, so i am not seeing things either.

[Deb (Canada)]

They also say "Seals have been hunted for food, fuel, shelter, fur and other products for hundreds of years. DFO is no longer involved in product support or promotion activities, but the department does encourage the fullest possible commercial use of seals. Seal products consist of leather, oil, handicrafts, and meat for human and animal consumption as well as seal oil capsules rich in Omega-3" So what they are saying is, they encourage no waste, but cannot say for sure. They are not telling us that seals are not wasted, because they know they cannot confirm this. There is a huge market for the fur.. thats a fact, and as long as there is a market for the fur, this will be the number 1 reason for targeting the pups. This is where the majority of the profit is. If you are denying that, then you might as well deny the rest of the fur trade. You only have to look at the big designer names to see the facts about that. There was a time when fur was used better in the way of resorces. Now because of the mass production scale, it is a totally different story. Big industry changes everything, just like i said before. And this is the main cause of the problem.. as with most wildlife issues.

[Deb (Canada)]

At 0700 Hours (PST) and 1100 Hours Atlantic time the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Farley Mowat was attacked by officers from two Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers the Des Groseilliers and the Sir Wifred Grenfell. Captain Alex Cornelissen informed the boarders that the Farley Mowat is a Dutch registered ship in international waters and that Canada had no legal right to restrict the free passage of the vessel through international waters. The ship was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence well beyond the Canadian twelve mile territorial limit. It has been reported that both the 1st officer and the captain of the ship have been arrested and will be brought before a court in Sydney, Canada. According to Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn, the "safety and security" of the sealers is the government's main focus and the seizing of the Sea Shepherd vessel will ensure a "safe and orderly" seal hunt. Last week, the same Mr. Hearn announced that Canada would lay charges against the captain and first officer of the anti-sealing vessel for coming too close to the seal hunt.

Captain Paul Watson was speaking by phone with Farley Mowat communications officer Shannon Mann when he heard the voices of men screaming for the crew to fall to the floor. The men carried guns according to Mann and could be heard by Captain Watson threatening the Farley Mowat’s crew. As Captain Watson was speaking with Shannon Mann, the Satellite phone went dead and nothing more has been heard from the Sea Shepherd crew. The Farley Mowat was documenting violations of the humane regulations and gathering proof that the seals were being killed in an inhumane manner. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is assuming that the video tapes will be seized by the Canadian authorities. There are 17 crewmembers onboard the Dutch registered Farley Mowat from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, South Africa, Canada and the United States.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been cut off from communication with the crew and has no information on where the vessel will be taken. Sea Shepherd has no information on the condition of the crew and the Society is deeply concerned for their crew. "This is an act of war," said Captain Paul Watson. "The Canadian government has just sent an armed boarding party onto a Dutch registered yacht in international waters and has seized the ship. Considering that the mission of the Farley Mowat was to document evidence of cruelty by sealers to support a European initiative to ban seal products, I can predict that the Europeans will not be very pleased with this move and most likely this move by Loyola Hearn will guarantee that this bill is passed. In other words the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has just handed us the victory that we were looking for."

The Sea Shepherd has been documenting the Canadian seal hunt off the coast of Newfoundland since the middle of March. On the 30th March, the Canadian Coast Guard rammed the Sea Shepherd ship twice, in an attempt to keep it away from the scene of the seal hunt. On 5th April, the ship (Farley Mowat) was attacked by a mob of 30-40 angry seal hunters. The attack took place while anchored in the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. The Farley Mowat was berthed in St. Pierre to transfer video footage of the Canadian seal slaughter onto shore and await the resumption of the slaughter, which was temporarily suspended after the death of four sealers.

As you said before, yeah your right, there is no need for violence!!

Why is it that people say "there is no evidence of cruelty etc etc" Yet when they go out to collect evidence.. (and i really want to underline this, thats what they were out there to do, not to protest. They were there to collect evidence of being humane etc and that regulations were being carried out as the law apparently stated.) ..why is it that they are stopped from doing so?? If you say you want evidence, then let us go out there and film etc what takes place! Makes me think that they have something to hide??

[Grant]

Great work Deb

[Stella B.]

MESSAGE FOR DEB (CANADA) !!!

Dear Deb,
I would like to take a private e-mail contact with you because I have a question , that doesn't belong to this forum.
Maybe you can help me.
I'm looking forward to it.
Thank you !
Stella B.(real !!!)
e-mail: StellaEurope@web.de

[Deb (Canada)]

This has nothing to do with whether someone is a terrorist or not, stop looking for excuses. Itis not the only time people have been denied access to observe exatly what goes on, and how seal hunting is regulated from the 1st day... and as i mentioned before, the information by the government proved to be misinforming. I have noticed how the DFO are very vague about the methods and really dont give any ground evidence in how it is regulated properly from the 1st day. I have seen nobody out there observing the seal hunters for regulations, certainly i have seen them carrying out the slaughter in what way is best for them, not paying much consideration to being humane, to the point of seeing some seals ascape under water injured.. ready for a slow death later. Also there needs to be a stronger law in what is wasted, as i have seen so much meat just being thrown back after the seal has been skinned, and left to rot. This is not something i am proud of saying, this is something that is happening. Seals should not be slaughtered for their fur. We live in modern times, and it is not a necessity to sell fur commercially. It is a bad idea to feed the trend of fur, we all know how many animals suffer through this, and most animals statr out over populated. Its only a matter of time before animals become endangered, I certaintly would not put all my trust in quotas. Anything can be twisted that is profit making. You only have to hear how many lies the government tell to know that, and thats just one small example.
The DFO has stated that they would not stop the hunt until the population fell below 1.65 million seals. That is, the DFO is fully prepared to recreate the 1950-72 crash and reduce the herd to 1,650,000 individuals, back to 5% of peak level.
the landed pelt figures do not account seals shot and not recovered, pelts sold on side markets for cash, seals crushed under ships, or pelts simply not declared. Actual enforcement has traditionally been nonexistent, and reports are based on the sealing company statements.Unsustainable harvesting by humans has caused the decline of fish and seal populations. At the peak of the seal hunt, in the 1830s, hunters killed 700,000 Harp seals per year, devastating the herds. Poor fisheries management led to the depletion of the cod throughout the North Atlantic. Adult harp seals grow to 300 pounds and require about 3 kilograms of fish per day. They feed on herring, capelin, cod, bottom dwelling plaice and halibut, other fish, and crustacea, including mysids, amphipods and shrimps.

However, and this is the key point to grok, when fish eat fish, or when seals eat fish, the nutrients remain in the ocean. They are recycled. When humans remove fish from the ocean, the nutrients are removed. Fisheries scientists generally ignore this fact. Seals and fish clearly coexisted for millennia. Embarrassed fisheries officers have simply used seals as a scapegoat for poor management. Many environmental advocates believe killing infant animals in their nursery is fundamentally wrong, not particularly radical point of view. I have witnessed mother seals wailing over the bloody carcasses of their dead babies, and I would attest that once one has witnessed this, the taste for accepting the practice diminishes.

The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs claims, “Canada does prohibit the commercial hunt of seal pups.” This is not true. A two-week old beater is a seal pup. The DFO statement appears to be designed to fool the public into believing that infant seals are not killed, which they certainly are. Waiting two weeks to kill the infants once the whitecoats have molted is a public relations gesture, not ecological science.

[Deb (Canada)]

The young infants still possess the most valuable pelts for the fashion industry. The DFO allows hunters to kill any seal pup over two-weeks-old, the so-called “raggedy jackets,” and "beaters" sporting a silvery coat flecked with small dark spots. Although a few adult seals are taken, some 90-95% of all the Harp seals taken are still infants, 2-6 weeks old. Killing babies in their nursery feels morally reprehensible, and ecologically dim-witted.

[Grant]

It's not just the sea shepard that is against the hunt , there are other organization, Humanes society, peta, greenpeace,just to mention a few and trust me they all do good for this world .The Canadian Government and the fisherman just look at the money(greed) , It's about keeping a balance with nature.

[Deb (Canada)]

I discovered first of all that the Canadian government makes it as difficult as possible to watch the hunt. The pack ice os the only piece of public land in Canada where access is
restricted to permit-holdrs, and even these have to be renewed on a daily basis, hardly the behaviour of a government with nothing to hide,Once on the ice, the helicopters are allowed no nearer than 500 feet to the hunters, and being so far off-shore, flying time is limited. For all these reasons, the hunt can be monitored only for brief periods. The reasons the government restricts access to the hunt are obvious.
Even hovering 500 feet above the ice, the cruelty was mind-numbing. Clubbing is frequently used to kill the seals, and as we hovered above our first kill, the pup was subjected to a series of nine blows which rained down on its body. It was unclear whether it wa sdead when it was hooked and dragged across the ice to the ship.
We then flew on to watch a nearby boat at work. Because the ice was so thin this year, it was hard to chase and club the seals, and so many were shot. This may sound more humane but it's not. Again, we were watching from 500 feet, and so it was hard to see where the first seal was hit, but it was clearly in a great deal of distress. It fell into the sea spewing blood, swam around before dragging itself onto another piece of ice, crawled across this then fell back into the water and carried on swimming in bloody circles, The sealers clearly didn't give a damn. They left this pup and moved on to shoot two more, before returning to the first seal about four minutes later. They didn't check to make sure it was dead, but simply put a hook in it and dragged it aboard.

[Deb (Canada)]

The team collected 76 seal heads and found that 17 percent of the skulls were undamaged and a further 25
percent had only minimum to moderate damage. Often the blows landed on the facial area, inflicting a great deal of pain but not rendering the
animal unconscious. The horrifying conclusion is that 72 percent of this sample of seals were probably conscious when they were hooked,dragged
and skinned - and that thousands of pups suffer the same fate each year. The main argument made to justify the hunt is an economic one, but in recent years it has been kept going by subsidies, and last year the price of pelts was so low that only a third of the quota was landed. The
Canadian Sealers' Association is trying to develop new uses for seal products, such as oil and meat, but the carcasses of the seals we saw
killed were dumped after they had been skinned, and the ice was littered with their bodies. This is not surprising, sincene for most people the meat is only edible if it is bleached, deodorised and then artificially flavoured.
One of the few products that do sell are penises - as aphrodisiac for the traditional Chinese medicine market. In recent years, up to 30,000 penises have been sold.

[Stella B.]

Hi Deb,
I want to show you a report I've got from DFO per private e-mail.
Your opinion is important for me.
Please...
Stella B. StellaEurope@web.de

[Deb (Canada)]

Efford called for the extermination of seals during a speech he gave to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. "Mr. Speaker, I would like to see the 6 million seals, or what ever number is out there, killed and sold, or destroyed or burned. I do not care what happens to them.... What [the fisherman] wanted was to have the right to go out and kill the seals. They have that right, and the more they kill the better I will love it.."
as quoted from "Wikipedia"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Efford
Hardly the type of comment to make for a humane and regulated topic!

[Deb (Canada)]

Right now, representatives from HSI and The HSUS are in the air documenting the kill. The footage over the past several days from the Newfoundland slaughter has been devastating.
Please list your questions you have on HSUS, as i am sure you have more than 1 question to ask!

[Deb (Canada)]

"my people??" I am just standing up for what i believe in, which i have as much right to do as you or anyone else native or on native.

[Deb (Canada)]

The most recent veterinary evidence showing the hunt is inhumane is from an independent, international team of
five veterinary experts who studied the seal hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (hereafter ‘Burdon’ or ‘the Burdon
Report’) in 2001. The panel included experts in veterinary neurology and marine mammals, as well as a past chair
of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (hereafter ‘CVMA’). The veterinarians studied the hunt from the
air and from the ground, viewed videotape evidence, and performed random post-mortems on seal carcasses
abandoned on the ice flows. The post mortem examination of 76 seal carcasses revealed that in 13 (17 per cent)
there were no detectable lesions of the skull leading to the conclusion that these seals had been skinned whilst
conscious. In 19 (25 per cent) of seal carcasses there were minimal fractures ‘including hairline or non-displaced
fractures’ to moderate fractures. The latter is insufficient to render the animals fully unconscious, although it may
be associated with some decrease of conscious awareness. Taken together these figures are the basis of the claim
that up to 42 per cent of the 76 seals may have been skinned whilst conscious. The remaining 58 per cent of the
carcasses indicated extensive fractures that would have been associated with some level of unconsciousness.
For more information:
http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/FINAL-Respect2006-a_Revised.pdf

You can say whats the difference between a baby seal and a baby cow.. but a baby cow is not jt killed for its hide. It is part of the food chain and put to good use, not discarded. The same with chickens, lambs etc.
I certainly wouldnt skin a deer and leave the rest of it to just rot. It seems to me, out of all thw wild animals, seals go through much suffering. And i am quite sure seal pups would not be targeted so much if fur was the only main factor.

[Deb (Canada)]

WHY DO YOU THINK I AM HERE JUST TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS??
Yes it did observe only 26 seals, but that does not prove that the fate of other seals was not much the same either. The fact that you also say these seals had been rendered unconscious from concussion prior to being bled as a `possibiity` but not a fact either. And yes it is peer reviewed. I know people who have been out on the seal hunt themselves and even admit that some seals escape injured, choking in its own blood. Also that there were times when seals took longer to die in the process of clubbing them, and I certainly would not accuse him of lying. This was a comment from a seal hunter himself. And he went as far as saying he didnt deny that it goes on alot, but made the point of saying it was not always regulated enough, and perhaps there should be more training/ methods. And that the issue of waste really needs to be resolved.
I am really stressing the biggest facts i am focusing on here is the reaso why baby seals are targeted.. the prime reason being for the fur trade. If the meat was as importaint I am sure none would get wasted and be left behind to rot like I have seen happen numerous times on mass scales. When a wild animal kills, they do not leave all the meat behind to rot, neither does this happen with cows etc that we `eat`.

[Deb (Canada)]

A recent study in the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science concluded that in 1998 the actual number of harp seals killed was somewhere between 406,258 and 548,903. This compares with the 282,070 animals reported landed by the Canadian Government in the same period. Another reason why I wouldnt trust what the Government say.

[Deb (Canada)]

Most recently, a study published in the internationally-respected scientific journal Conservation Biology concluded that the number of hap seals being killed by humans (including the numbers of animals ed by sealers, the number of seals killed but not recovered) exceeds the levels that would be permitted by a more conservation-orientated management model by as much as 2 to 6 times.(source: "Notes for a Presentation to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, House Of Commons, Ottawa". IMMA.) www.imma.org

[Deb (Canada)]

A legal tradein seal penises for the aphrodisiac market, for example, may provide an incentive for poaching. It also results in "highgrading", where animals are killed for selected valuable parts such as the penis, and the rest of the animal is discarded without being recorded in the landed catch statistics. Finally, history also shows us that once legal (and illegal) markets are established for wildlife parts, they cannot easily be legislated away. It is for all these reasons that encouraging a trade in harp seal parts could result in unsustainable havesting practices, and threaten the seal population.

[RICK]

because I try to educate people on both sides of the story so they can make an informed choice on whether or not to support this cause. Rather than just blindly following the propaganda these people use to line their coffers.

[Deb (Canada)]

Propaganda? Where is your evidence to suggest everything on this site is made up? People here make alot of effort to film exactly what goes on, and collect information for this cause, dedicated in the welfare of animals. Everyone here is capable of making up their own minds, and people here cearly still support this issue. Yet you still continue to make sarcastic comments etc. I have been out there ant witnessed exactly what goes on myself during the hunt, and that is the best way to make a decisio for yourself, go out there and see for yourself, i wopuld recommend to anyone, rather than trust government etc. I saw a seal pup still moving and whalling out after it had been hit, the seal hunter the went to strike again and missed, causing the seal even more distress and pain. So if it is so humane, then what was i seeing here??

[Deb (Canada)]

Clearly not something that makes me feel like supporting this.

[Deb (Canada)]

I do not believe that if people against the hunt change their minds, suddenly seals would be used more resorcefully, eg.. meat not wasted etc. This is something that has been going on for many many years, before any animal welfare societies became so strongly informed. Seals have a price tag on their fur, this will always be the priority of the hunt. If the market for seal meat was as high a price tag, then the rest of the seal would not be left behind to rot. I do not believe any animal should die for vain reasons. But when i see these seals being skinned and then left to rot on the ice, it gives me no other choice to believe this, exactly what i see, not what i want to hear.

[Deb (Canada)]

As for Global warming, I found this article very interesting. Reported from March 2007. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17736236/

[Deb (Canada)]

Also your comment about being here to inform people on te facts so they can make a non bias decision whether to support us here... well this is the reason i think it is also importaint for people to be able to witness the seal hunt if they wish, without being stopped from doing so. This way they would see for themselves how methods are carried out etc. And not have to go by videos/ reports here that you say are bias.

[Deb (Canada)]

Yes I have been out to observe the seal hunt. The fact that my husband does not go seal hunting is his choice and nothing to do with the fact that i went out to witness it for myself. This was my personal choice, to get a truthful view of what exactly goes on out there.

[RICK]

Are you truly naive to believe that the sea shepard society ifaw or any anti seal hunt agency will produce anything unbias in regard to the seal hunt. How many hours of footage did it take to make their 5 min you tube videos for example. If you actually went to the ice with fisherman and I do say if, and they were hunting inhumanly than those are the people you should be talking to in order to improve their way of doing things.

[Deb (Canada)]

Hours, mins, seconds, whatever. What was clearly seen with volume up or down on those video clips was inhumane. Clearly, these seals did not die humanely, which gives growing concern for the rest of them. We have no proof either from people who monitor the seal hunt. We are the ones trying to collect evidence. I dont see the DOFO providing hours of filming, or the government for that matter, seeing as they fund it. If it is so humane, why dont they show us that they practice what they preach.. from my experiences, I am still yet to see any visual evidence, I even saw some hunters hit the seals 6 times or more to kill them, even after the 1st time the seal would still try and drag itself away.. obviously still aware. Very few seals were actually bled before dragging back to their boats. I only saw 1 seal that was actually bled that whole day. So clearly regulations are not being carried out fully here, and I doubt this was the only day there were not carried out by what evidence I saw that day. Sadly, I was not allowed to film or take any photographs. If I had been, I would have gladly provided this site with hours of film. Still, I will go out again next year, to see if i can see any seals that do not go through suffering when being killed, I doubt very much though. It is quite obvious to me that the government are unaware (which i find very hard to believe) or are simply lying to us about the regulations that are supposed to be carried out during the seal hunt. I have not seen ny evidence that during the hunt, these seals have been treated with regulated conditions. All I have seen is statistics by the DOFO government who have every reason to give us "Propaganda".

[Deb (Canada)]

*correction DFO

[Deb (Canada)]

I do not believe that this is a humane way to kill seals. Now i know many other animals are killed inhumanely, cows, pigs etc. And yes these laws need to be changed for the welfare of animals also. I am not saying these cows, pigs etc, should not be used for meat etc, however I do bellieve alot needs to change in the way we treat these animals prior to being killed, and during/ methods used. No animals should have to go through any suffering. The argument that Matt etc. put foward on the IFAW site, about it being nature for animals to kill other animals cruely.. for example, how an eagle would rip its prey apart and how many other animals have what we would consider cruel ways of killing their prey, and that they do or may go through pain in the process of being killed by these other animals.... my argument is that we, are human, yes we are a type of animal ourselves, we are also the most intelligent and advanced. We are responsible for many things that nature cannot be responsible for, in terms of wildlife. For example global climate change (or global warming as its known). We have advanced so much that it has put alot of pressure on the enviroment, as we know. With our advancement comes mass production, commercial matters, industrial activities. We must take responsibility for our actions. Countries need to make more effort to recycle, monitor, cut back on as many ways as they can (and i am sure there are many ways this can be done). It is obvious there are alot of things that need to be regulated. For example, certain types of transport..buses etc are not regulated enough, deisel being one of the worst. This is just one example.

Humans must stop looking for exuses and except the fact that we have evolved so much that we need to take care of animals and not associate ourselves as animals act in the wild. Clearly the human race is very different, because of how and how fast we have developed. So yes, it is our responsibility to make sure we do not disturb wildlife as much as possible.

With the issue of meat etc., it is also our responsibility to make sure we do this respectfully, humanely, and as quickly as possible so that these animals are not in pain etc. We are the guardians of our wildlife, as we are responsible for the impact we have on it. And we should make sure we, as humans carry out the required methods needed for the welfare of all animals.

This is where the seal hunt ties in with what I am saying. We humans have a big enough impact with what we waste. The seal hunt does result in alot of waste. Now i know seal hunters in some parts of the world do need to make a living, and I know this is certainly true in remote areas, certainly where other types of meat/ foods need to be imported in because their areas of living are so remote. I know this because I am in a very remote area myself, and the futher you get, the more expensive the cost of living gets. Because of the scale of economy, things do need to change whether we like to admit it or not. Seal meat should not be wasted by law. It is the governments responsibility to make sure of this, as it should also be the governments responsibility to make sure fishermen get a decent pay on their catch and not keep getting undercut. I do not think that the fact, that baby seals are hunted for their fur, is the fault of the seal hunter, who needs to provide for his family etc. The problem is that there is a market for the seal fur and unfortunately the market for the meat is at the other end of the scale. So baby seals are favourable for the hunt. This waste encouages the fur trade - which is certainly not in the interest of animal welfare and other young, wild animals.

If the hunt was filmed for afew hours a day by a non bias organization, we would be able to say that information is collected in a non biased way, which would give a fair observation of the hunt. Clearly would show if regulations are being met, and if not, what the reasons are for this. Also would show how effective the method of killing is, and if animals are being respected, that no corners are being cut. We need to be making sure the process of killing seals is effective, and we should not be seeing cruelty, inexperience, or slinned bodies being left to waste. There is no need for this to happen, and it is certainly not part of our food chain. We do not need to be killing animals for other animals to feed on in the wild.

As said on National Geographic - Threats do seem to be emerging for harp seals. Global climate change, although not proven 100%, there seems to be a trend in recent years where the ice is becomming thinner. In history if you look back over time at the harp seals at the Gulf of St. L., the pack ice there in winter time was always extremely solid, Gulf was almost completelt frozen from one end to the other. But there has been a dramatic incline in the thickness and recent coverage of the ice in the recent 5 years. The most prevailing theory is that its effected by global climate change, and this is having a dramatic effect on pup mortality, distrupts the breeding season because the pups need at least 12 days with the mother to spend on solid ice, where they can nurse and build up thar fat and get healthy. If the ice is thin and being broken up because its thin by wind or waves, the current etc., then it is going to have a dramatic effect.

This is something we need to be keeping a close watch on, as I cant see the situation with climate change getting any better as it stands right now.

[Deb (Canada)]

I am interested in the welfare of all animals, not just harp seals. If people did not take the time to do this, I am sure alot of animals would be mistreated. As this is the seal hunt forum, that is what I have been discussing. To say seals are just a very tiny part of the problem, so we should focus on it, is ignorant. Yes there will be big effects caused by global warming in the future.. and I support the concern for all this. The fact that animakls are starting to suffer already is obvious of course, and it is a problem that shouldnt be overlooked just because we have other big problems. That is no excuse. So seals are importaint, and are not an animal I am going to overlook, just because we have many other problems to deal with. I am concerned about many global warming effects and animals.. I certainly do not overlook these topics just because I am concerned about seals either. I see all animals as being equal, and I address enviromental issues with all animals. I am involved in many other animal welfare projects, and I continue to do so because I care about all animals.

[Deb (Canada)]

All animal welfare issues here are emotion filled issues. IFAW are dedicated to so many animals, and release updated news posts, podcasts, filming on location, reports, photographs, photo galleries and many articles, animal rescues on orphaned animals etc. IFAW have an impact on national parks, they rescue dolphins, kangaroos, baby elephants, bears and so many other numerous animals, go on location in many conties.. Greece, Africa, China, India, Russia, America, etc. There is always something major in their press. It is the season for seal hunting, and obviously alot of people that care about animal welfare get concerned at this time, and so, yes, this is the time when we are going to see the latest filming, photos,etc.

I am really more intereted in addressing the issues being discussed here, as a concerned person on animal welfare, just as I would do with any other animal, regardless of how big or small the animal or its population may be.I certainly do not make any profits by supporting animal welfare myself. Neither am I here to make a profit, or help anyone make a profit, other than to use donated money to futher research and means to help animals like i said before.
As I was saying, on the subject of baby seal hunting...
The problem is with its industry for fur. The majority of people that buy fur products are people that can obviously afford to do so, and fur products dont come cheap, you only have to look at the fashion industry to see that. I certainly couldnt afford to buy fur products even if I wanted to. Its only more fortunate people that benefit from these fur products. Of course the government are making huge profits from this, why do the government not bring the meat into the industry more etc. I am sure there would be a demand for it. Also, there are enough starving people out there. I sure they would be glad of the meat seals have to offer rather than killing baby seals with not much of a cause. I am sure there would definately be not as much need to kill the baby seals. I blame the industry for letting an afforable food source for humans go to waste. I am sure this would work better in the interest of seal hunters, instead of leaving the meat behind for nothing.

[Deb (Canada)]

I do however think all animals are equal, and this is what balances out the food chain.

[Ines]

http://www.canis.info/interviews/paul_watson_deutsch.htm

It doesn't need German knowledge to look at the picture scrolling further down where it says:

"Canada adds a new event to the 2010 Winter Olympics"

A very sarcastic cartoon but so well expressed :-) and it just matches so wonderfully!

[Stella B.]

Yes,...and supplementary.... the Canadian Government should make the death screams of the baby seals and their mothers to Canada's new national anthem.....!!!

[Sandra]

Lets try to be a little factual then Matt, this is NOT their livelyhood, this is suppletmental income. Just because someone makes a living on something doesn't make it right. Slavery used to be legal as well, as was sending chilren down coal mines- should we still be doing this since many people relied on that income?

I also have news for you Matt, people are laid off, fired etc everyday in this world and they have to find alternative ways to make money. Just because these uneducated cavemen have few other stills than to club baby seals and skin them alive doesn't mean the world will condone a massive slaughter. Stop whining like a bunch of babies and do something with your life. If you can't find a job where you live, well newsflash - MOVE. Just like everyone else.

In fact, what the DFO should have been doing all along (and which may have changed how it's viewed) is to make sure the rules are followed, that seals aren't skinned alive or left to suffer, and the ones that don't comply, should have been charged and punished. Instead they are busy jerking the obververs around with stupid permits, blocking the EU delegation, arresting observers and sending delegations to Europe (paid for by tax money) to defend the hunt. Well, if it's so humane, why block the European delegation?

Since your beloved admirable DFO will not end this until the sealers themselves ask for it, it's up to the rest of the world to shut down markets. It's clear that you don't know much about economics yet but it will be a class, probably in your sophomore year. You will then learn about supply and demand and you will see that when demand is lowered and the supply remains the same, the prices will go down until there is no demand and the supply will be obsolete.

[Marcelo Hoynowski]

I've been reading all the posts ...just one thing to say ...SAD... I wonder how can we possible bring peace to the ice floes if we can not even bring peace into a posting board ?? There's no respect...You don’t have to agree with someone to respect their beliefs . And there's 100% chances that people would NOT change their minds in this subject.Just remember that every time you insult a fellow human being you are giving them licence to criticise your beliefs in equal measure.You may think that what this fisherman do may be monstrous, but that does not necessarily make them monsters... our job is to show them a better way without disrespecting them .Lots or people are here seeking a fight instead of understanding , seeking victory for themselves , instead of a shared victory for our planet .. The true ambassador for a living planet offers a better way... Together we can find a better way .

[Sylvia W.]

Very well said Marcelo... I totally agree with you. We should stop being disrespectful towards each other. If we are such a highly-evolved species and on top of the food chain...as some people in here have mentioned over and over again, we should also have enough intelligence and understanding to be able to discuss the problems of the seal hunt in a civilized manner without having to stoop down to mean and degrading language like some which has been posted here. If we continue in this manner, we will never find a solution to the problem not now nor in the future.

[Marcelo Hoynowski]

Something to think about...

Probably the most terrible example of mass slaughter in the history of wildlife was the passenger pigeon - a story that almost defies belief. They weree the most numerous species of bird that has ever been or ever will be in existence on the world.

Their roosting sites were correspondingly enormous- some covered an area five miles by twelve with up to ninety nests in a single tree - branches broke and whole trees were toppled by the sheer weight of roosting birds, often standing on top of each other, and leaving a pile of droppings several inches deep under the trees. The exact number of passenger pigeons in North America when the Europeans arrived is not known but the best guess is 5 billion- about a third of all the birds in North America at the time and the same as the total number of birds to be found today in the United States.

One reason why the passenger pigeon existed in such prodigious numbers was the lack of natural predators apart from hawks and eagles. It was, however, surprisingly vulnerable to human intervention. Each female laid only one egg a year, which made it difficult to replace any losses quickly.

The population had certainly been reduced by the middle of the nineteenth century but was still several billion strong. The real onslaught began with the onset of large-scale commercial hunting .

Not surprisingly, even the vast flocks of pigeons could not withstand the slaughter .Numbers fell rapidly and by the late 1880s large flocks, which had once been so common, had become a matter for comment and investigation, and most were no more than a few hundred strong.

...No adequate attempt to protect them was made until they practically had disappeared. Whenever a law looking toward the conservation of these birds was proposed in any State, its opponents argued before the legislative committees that the Pigeons "needed no protection"; that their numbers were so vast, and that they ranged over such a great extent of country, that they were simply able to take care of themselves. This argument defeated all measures that might have given adequate protection to this species.That is why extinction finally came quickly.

It's been over 90 years since anyone has seen a live Passenger Pigeon -- but you can still see the place where the last one died.

The last one to go was "Martha" who died in 1914 at the advanced age of 29 in The Cincinnati Zoo....

" For animals , we are both their greatest enemy , and their only hope.

These wonderful creatures will not argue their case ,

they will not put up a fight ,

they will not beg for reprieve ,

they will not say goodbye,

they will not cry out...they will just vanish...

And after they're gone ...

there will be silence

and there will be stillness

and there will be empty places

and nothing you can say will change this

UNCERTANTY...

That's our only guarantee of what tomorrow will bring

unless we care enough to create the tomorrow we really want.."

Priceless , Bradley Trevor Greive

Peace to all

[Jennifer]

QUOTE--There are MANY more and yet I could not find one comment hoping that protestors find harm. Care to find one for me? If there is any, they are greatly outnumbered (using the percentages of the comments supporting, and against the hunt). We don't want the activists to die a horrible death, so these people wishing it upon the sealers is sadist. Normal people would condemn it, and would support me based on that.

Could this possibly be because the number of specific people and sites against the seal hunt exceeds the number of specific people and sites FOR the hunt? I think considering the # of comments TO the # of people in each group is "mathmatically significant"

[RICK]

when you write your letter to the Commissioner for the Environment at the E.U. ask him when he is going to change the EU 's fishing policies so they can stop the raping and pillaging every fish population. Since they subsidize their fleets to fish in every ocean, which has lead to so many wonderful improvements to the world such as stravation and the increase in wildlife poaching in africa for example. I truly wish that you people would actually practice what you preach. Seals are no where even close to being actually threatened let alone endangered but you people flock to this cause as if they where the last of the dodo's while turning a blind eye to actual environmental travesties which are actually endangering animals. Since some of you canadians think you are so much better than the atlantic provinces, lets look at the poster child of environmental ruin the oilsands of alberta or the toxic waste dump that used to be the great lakes. If you guys actually took the steps to change your own daily habits to reduce your carbon footprint you would be doing so much more to save the seals than any amount of money you donate to these organizations. The real danger to seals and all the artic animals is global warming not some guy out hunting.

[Alex]

This is an anti-seal hunt board. How can you just assume that no one here cares about all of the other issues that you just mentioned? We in support of ending the hunt are not all so narrow-minded. Many of us do our "peer-reviewed" research, and are concerned with humane treatment and views of all species (seals AND sealers) and doing what is right for the environment.

[Ron]

There are so many misrepresentations of facts here that I could write forever. I'll cover just a few though.
1) There are many references to "baby seal killers" and "killing of baby seals". Baby seal killing has been illegal in Canada since the 1970's. That's a long time. The videos and slideshows from the 2008 season that I have seen all show adults being killed, despite some of the titles and taglines stating otherwise.
2) I do agree that killing seals is brutal. However I like chicken, pork and beef so I keep my mouth shut on brutality. The only difference between seal hunters and farmers is the location of slaughter. Perhaps they should build an "ice abattoir" and herd the seals into its doors.
3)I see many sites stating "The seal hunt is not sustainable". The seal hunt has been going on for hundreds of years. That is the definition of sustainability. As a matter of fact seal populations are up all over Eastern Canada...way up.
4)Seals are not responsible for the fish shortages in Eastern Canada. Perhaps not originally, but seals now take more fish than humans in Eastern Canada, therefore current fish shortages would be more the fault of seals than overfishing.
5) Seal hunting accounts for only a small portions of fishermen's incomes. This may be true for many or even most hunters, but if your overall income is very low then every piece of income you can get is important. These are men that don't want handouts or to move to Alberta, bravo I say.
6)My personal favorite: I will call it "Fur is Murder" for lack of a better term. This means that some people are totally opposed to wearing fur/leather. I guess that means they would rather wear all these modern synthetic fabrics that we all wear. These fabrics are oil, and as such must be drilled and pumped from the ground, then refined. This appears to be harder on our planet than killing a seal and wearing his/her pelt.

The list goes on and on. The seal hunt protest is easy money for the animal welfare groups, and everybody in that business knows it. Please dispute my facts, I am curious to see what comes of this.

[Ron]

My apologies, white coat(baby seals) hunting was made illegal in 1987. So it was 20 years ago not 30.

[jb]

I am not against hunting. A lot of money that goes into conservation efforts come from hunters, because if the animal no longer exists they could not hunt.
However, it does seem to me that this hunt (and I'm sure there are others) is not always done humanely. I don't think it is completely reasonable to tell these people who get some of their livelihood from this hunt to stop...I know how hard it is to make enough money to survive these days. What we can reasonably ask is that it is done humanely. We have an unfair advantage over every other creature on this planet Same as our fishing efforts- such large commercial nets that wipe out fish populations so quickly just doesn't seem fair. Large farms where animals are held still and pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, also not fair. Which is why I'm not 100% against the hunt...at least these animals have a chance to get away. But shooting them with a gun and hooking them while still alive is not right. They should be killed as quickly and painlessly as possible. Sure this makes for a slower hunt and you may not get as many, but maybe actually taking longer will make them look closer at which animals they are killing. Pregnant females should not be killed, or animals with young that is still dependent on them.
We can call each other names all we want, but it won't solve anything. Maybe we should spend less time doing that and more time making a compromise in this situation, since no one will ever be a clear winner.

[Claudia]

These humans are a bunch of cowards. Beating on defenseless seals like that, if they're so eager to go hunting they should hunt each other. They're murderers anyway. Spend time with your children or family, go out and enjoy the world instead of destroying it. The Earth needs the seals, they're here for a reason, it's the circle of life. Please stop this, it's just plain stupid. Karma, such violent acts like these have a penalty and it will come back to get you, Mother Nature has her ways.