The International Fund for Animal Welfare's J.C. Bouvier filed this report from P.E.I. Canada...

In my role for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) I'm not usually able to get out into the field for actual campaign activities with animals. However on Monday I and my coworker Ed Butler received an offer to go out onto the ice and visit with the maturing harp seal pups on the ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

After discovering the joys of getting into the emblematic orange "Mustang" suits...Ed and I acclimated quickly to our first helicopter ride...our pilot Martin was both very professional and genuinely concerned that everyone on board was comfortable and enjoying the experience...once we spotted beater seal pups...the ride became a surreal landing into the scene I had only witnessed in video and still photographs...and I don't know that I was truly prepared for the beauty, but perhaps more importantly the reality that these creatures could be violently attacked for profit within the coming hours...

Once on the ice, Ed, the other passengers and I worked to both be respectful of the seals space...while trying to get as close as possible...we looked a bit like seals ourselves as we slid quietly toward a pair of beaters who were basking in the sun.  They were ultimately very patient and kind while we snapped a few photos and stared in a sort of stunned silence...contemplating our lying on the frozen ocean, working to protect these gentle and timid creatures.

More to come...

The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) released the total allowable catch (or TAC) of seals today. 

The number of seal pups Fisheries officials decided it was reasonable to kill is 275,000 harp seal pups, known as beaters...seals whose coats have just started to progress past the white coat stage...and the majority of which will be between 3 weeks and 3 months of age...The International Fund for Animal Welfare issued a press release calling the decision 'appalling'.  You can read the complete release here.

We will keep you updated via this, the IFAW seal hunt blog at blog.stopthesealhunt.com about our plans to let the world see the cruelty of this unnecessary commercial hunt. 

Please spread the word about this cause and tell friends to subscribe to this feed.  Thank you.

Submitted by J.C. Bouvier - IFAW Online Campaigns Staff

Hey, for those in Vancouver - The International Fund for Animal Welfare is hosting a Seal Photo exhibit on the Vancouver UBC campus on March 13.  On the 14th from 7 - 9PM IFAW's Dr. David Lavigne will discuss the current state of our fight in the Courtroom of the Vancouver Art Gallery...light food and refreshments will be served.

Download an Outlook Calendar Event Here.

Below is a special request from Robbie Marsland, Director of IFAW UK:

In a matter of weeks, the European Commission will make an announcement about the trade in seal products in Europe.

As you may know, there is already a ban, which forbids the trade in products from young harp and hooded seals. However, seals as young as 13 days old are currently killed to provide products for Europe and the rest of the world.

Please take action today and ask the UK Government to insist on a ban on trade in all seal products in Europe.

This is a rare chance to make a real difference and to help stop animal cruelty. Closing down markets for seal products will help bring commercial seal hunts to an end. Nothing less than a full ban on all seal products will do.

IFAW has conducted opinion polls across Europe, which show that the majority of people* are opposed to the Canadian commercial seal hunt and that the majority support a ban on the trade in seal products. In the UK, recent polls show that 69% of the public support such a ban.

I urge you to support this campaign today and thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely,

Robbie Marsland
Director, IFAW UK

*Of those expressing an opinion. Polling was conducted in UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands,Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia and Finland.

The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is proposing amendments be made to the Marine Mammal Regulations (MMR) in an effort to further hinder public observation of the commercial seal hunt. Although no text has been proposed at this time, changes to these amendments would give the Fisheries Minister more power to deny observer permits with little or no justification. Essentially, these changes will help keep Canada’s cruel commercial seal hunt out of the public eye.

In addition, it has been cited that DFO intends to have these changes in place for the 2008 hunt. It seems as though DFO is trying to ‘fast-track’ the process and bypass adequate consultation with the public. For instance, the last time the MMR were amended, the consultation process took 5 years!

IFAW has reviewed the proposed amendments and submitted comments back to DFO stating that these changes are an unnecessary and overreaching infringement of our right to observe the hunt.

With two national bans on seal products in place in Europe and a possible EU-wide ban looming in the future; it seems Canada is trying very hard to shield its cruel and useless slaughter from policy-makers of the world.

Click here to tell Canada that their seal hunting practices need proper observation by organizations like IFAW.

Chris Gale, an active supporter of IFAW's efforts in the U.K. has created a petition on the petitions.pm.gov.uk site and has almost 1000 signers.  Chris details his petition saying:

"Over the past five years, more than 1.25 million seals have been hunted in Canada’s annual commercial hunt – making it the largest marine mammal hunt in the world.

The global community has denounced Canada’s seal hunt and responded with seal trade bans. National bans currently exist in the USA, Mexico, Croatia,Italy and Belgium.

The UK government should follow suit and introduce a ban on seal products to protect these wonderful animals from a cruel and unnecessary trade."

British subjects can sign the petition here at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SAVESEALS/

So the 2007 Canadian seal hunt may not take place in the southern Gulf...this story in the Canadian Guardian reports the following:

Canadian Press

CHARLOTTETOWN (CP) - Fisheries officials are urging seal hunters to be patient as they decide whether there are enough seals and ice in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence for a hunt this year.

Fisheries Department spokesman Phil Jenkins says the ice is poor in the southern Gulf around the Magdalen Islands and there's a higher-than-normal mortality of seal pups.

He says it's not certain a hunt can take place this year in the southern Gulf, which is the area that traditionally gives rise to the most controversy because it is accessible to observers and seal hunt protesters.

Click here for the full story.

At the same time, one of our staffers received this note...

Dear IFAW co-workers,

This letter is directed to the people who will leave to Canada this year to capture the seal slaughtering on camera. I hope these words will reach them. I can’t even image how horrible it must be to see the slaughtering in real; I get tears in my eyes when I only think about it. However; it is very important to use video material to confront people with the facts of life. Filming these is a job for animal lovers, but yet for them the hardest. Therefore I want to express my gratitude to you by means of this letter. I wish you all the strength on this difficult trip. Let’s pray that this cruelty to seals will soon be finally over!

--

Well looks like we may not have to this year...but you never know, these predictions turn on a dime...stay tuned!