The CBC is reporting that seal pelt prices in Nunavut have plummeted, and places the blame on the European Union's recent ban on seal products.

But the European ban has a clear exemption for seal products from aboriginal sealing. European markets for Nunavut seal products will not be affected by the ban.

Seal pelts from Nunavut make up an estimated 3% of the seal pelts in trade, with about 10,000 seal pelts entering into trade each year. European markets are said to account for 5% of the market demand for seal pelts. If this is the case, much of the European market demand for seal products could be satisfied with seal pelts from Nunavut.

So why isn't the Government of Canada doing anything to help Canadian Inuit access the EU market - which will now ONLY be open to products from aboriginal sealing?

As today's press release by Canadian Senator Mac Harb notes, “This is a perfect opportunity for the government to secure access to the EU market, and ensure that Inuit communities will benefit. But instead of putting resources and effort into supporting these communities and helping them to market their products, the government is throwing taxpayer’s money at a doomed WTO challenge.”

It appears as though the Canadian government's tactic to “play the Nunavut Inuit card as leverage" to open markets for seal products "and have the east coast sealers follow” - as outlined in a 2001 memo from the Department of Foreign Affairs - has backfired. If Canadian Inuit suffer as a result of the EU ban, the blame will lie squarely on the shoulders of the Canadian government and their refusal to distinguish between Inuit subsistence hunting, and Canada's inherently inhumane commercial seal hunt.

If the Government of Canada truly cared about Inuit communities, for whom sealing is an important activity, now is the time to prove it and stop using Inuit as “leverage” to promote the commercial sealing industry.

Unfortunately, most politicians are so concerned with pandering for Atlantic Canadian votes in the next election that they are unlikely to "stand up" for Inuit seal hunters, even when given the opportunity to do so.

Sheryl Fink
Senior Research and Projects Specialist
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Guelph, Ontario

^{*International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) does not oppose subsistence hunting by Inuit and other aboriginal people.}

The post was written by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Senior Research and Projects Specialist Sheryl Fink, who is based in Guelph, Ontario. The article was originally published on Straight.com.

An internal government memo recently came to light urging Canada’s agriculture minister, Gerry Ritz, not to join the United States and Europe in banning cat and dog fur imports. Government officials fear that such action could weaken Canada’s position against countries that have banned imports of seal fur products.

The news that cat and dog fur products can be readily purchased in this country likely comes as a shock to many Canadians. Most of us would be repulsed by the idea of wearing Tigger and Fido, even those of us who eat meat and wear leather.

Cat and dog fur is most often used as trim for garments and trinkets. Fur may be dyed, shaved, and otherwise altered so that it bears little resemblance to the animal from which it came. Such fur—if labelled at all—is often mislabeled, since exporting countries are well aware of our reluctance to wear clothing made from cats and dogs.

The original article appeared on PEICanada.com...

How disappointing it is to see more whining and complaining about NGOs from Fisheries Minister Gail Shea. If she’s not careful, her term will be up before she even begins to address the real issues behind Canada’s commercial seal hunt.

I invite Minister Shea to view the seal hunt footage taken in 2007/2008/2009 by sealing observers, myself included. This is the same footage shown to European parliamentarians. This footage is not outdated - as the minister alleges - nor does it contain images of whitecoat seals.

Europeans know perfectly well the seals killed in the current hunt are not whitecoats. They also know it is irrelevant. When we talk about the difference between a two-week-old whitecoat, and the same pup once it starts to moult a few days later, colour doesn’t matter does it?

This footage shows current and graphic examples of inhumane killing during Canada’s commercial seal hunt. Seal pups are shown hooked in the face and dragged across the ice, while clearly conscious and struggling. It shows seals shot, wounded and left to suffer for prolonged periods.

I challenge Minister Shea to face all Canadians and tell them that what she sees on those videos is “humane,” that it is “professional,” and she is still proud to “stand up” for the sealing industry.

I invite her to explain to all Canadians why her government continues to waste millions of taxpayers’ dollars annually - the WTO challenge alone will cost an estimated $10 million - to support an industry that brought in little more than a million dollars last year, provides only a few days work, and tarnishes other industries such as tourism and fisheries. Taxpayer dollars wasted on trying to keep the sealing industry alive would be better spent on finding economically viable alternatives to sealing.

Meanwhile, Minister Shea’s continued enthusiasm for criticizing animal welfare NGOs simply demonstrates that she has no good arguments to defend Canada’s commercial seal hunt.

Perhaps that’s because there aren’t any?

Sheryl Fink
Senior Research and Projects Specialist
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Guelph, Ontario

The article published yesterday in several Sun media outlets is a good indication of a dawning awareness in Canada.- Sheryl Fink adds her comments below.

Finally! People are realizing that commercial sealing in Canada isn't about economic necessity. No, it is about regional politics, and special interest groups such as the Fur Industry that are wielding their power over the federal government when it comes to this issue. How else can we explain the Canadian government's insistence on supporting the seal hunt, when the majority of Canadians are opposed to it?

Unfortunately, Weston's article repeats the government myth that anti-sealing campaigns show whitecoat seals being killed: highly unlikely since any such photos would be at least 20 years old. The truth is that Europeans - and most Canadians - are equally repulsed by the inhumane killing of seal pups of any age, whether it be a 2 week old whitecoat, or a 3 week old "beater" with its silvery-spotted coat (the current seals targetted in Canada's commercial seal hunt).

40 years ago, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) was founded with the goal of ending the cruel commercial seal hunt in Canada.

Now reaching that goal is closer than ever.

The European Parliament voted 550 to 49 to ban the trade of seal products within the EU. This decisive measure truly reflects the will of Europe’s citizenry, and slams the door on the sale of seal products in Europe from this inhumane and unsustainable industry.

In achieving this ban, 7 of Canada’s 10 top export markets, representing 85% of total exports are officially closed for business.

In Canada, some sealers have started to close down shop as well, citing poor pelt prices and lack of buyers. On April 16th of this year, only six “longliner” sealing vessels left port to start the hunt in Newfoundland compared to more than 113 ships active only a few short years ago.

Jack Troake, one of Canada’s most outspoken proponents of the commercial hunt, opted to stay home. With pelt prices having dropped to as little as $15 each, this was clearly an easy and wise decision to make.

The implementation of this ban will have a permanent quantifiable impact on the remaining international trade in the fur of these helpless creatures.

IFAW believes it may be the beginning of the end to the Canadian commercial seal hunt. This landslide vote demonstrates an enormous resolve to institute this ban across Europe as quickly as possible.

However this victory is only for one battle, the war continues to be waged and we need your continued support to help us put an end to the cruelty once and for all…we must now shift our focus back to Canada to support the courage of Senator Mac Harb and his efforts to ban the practice in his own country.

IFAW is calling on everyone to help make a final push and tell the Canadian embassy officials in their countries to end commercial seal hunting forever.

The end is in sight, will you take 5 minutes to help the seals? Please visit www.stopthesealhunt.org right now.

It has long been said that in war, truth is the first casualty, and that certainly applies to the highly political "seal war" that currently rages in Canada and Europe.

An illustrative example is provided by Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette’s letter in the March 25 edition of Embassy in which she attempts to demonize organizations that hold views contrary to her own. When opponents use such tactics—as the Liberals and their former leader know only too well—the facts invariably take a beating.

In this podcast produced by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, senior researcher Sheryl Fink relates her experience while on the ice during the 2009 Canadian commercial seal hunt. Take action today: http://www.stopthesealhunt.org

Right-click here to download the podcast. 

The International Fund for Animal Welfare's senior researcher Sheryl Fink was on the ice in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence while these photos of sealers working were captured. Her quotes are included in this slide show. For more information please visit http://www.stopthesealhunt.org

Right-click here to download the podcast.

Posted by Sheryl Fink, IFAW Senior Researcher

 

The Huntwatch team first flew to Sydney, Nova Scotia where we had been told a couple of boats might head out to the hunt. But the sealers there could not get out due to the ice conditions. 

 

Then, just before noon, our spotter plane called in on the radio that they had seen a boat hunting up by the Magdalen Islands. This was highly unexpected, since the quota for the Magdalens had been reached early on Day 3 of the commercial seal hunt.

 

We set down on the ice off the Maggies and approached the sealers. It was a beautiful sunny day on the ice, and we were in a thick concentration of harp seal pups.  The pups, now about a month old, were splashing around in pools of water, just learning how to swim. Others were lying on their backs, rolling around scratching their bellies, or curiously nibbling on chunks of ice.

 

Shortly after we landed, the Quebec Police arrived by helicopter. We politely introduced ourselves, and showed them our observation licences. We were allowed to continue with our work, but they were keeping a close eye on us, ready to press charges should we violate any of our observation licence conditions.

 

The slaughter was horrific. About 8 men were using hakapiks to smash the skulls of the baby seals, moving methodically from pan to pan and killing every pup in sight.

 

Lazy and docile from the rays of the sun, it was a simple matter for the sealers to walk right up to the unsuspecting pups. A few tried to escape, using their little claws to awkwardly pull themselves across the slippery ice. They could not move fast enough. 

 

One small pup hidden amongst the rafted up ice looked at me nervously. I tried not to look back - by doing so I would give her location away to the sealers.

 

But most of the pups just lay there in the suns rays, blissfully ignorant of the fate they were about to meet. They were so docile that the sealers would often grab a pup by the hind flippers, and pull it into a 'better' position before clubbing it.

 

Some of the sealers were whistling as they worked, and one even started singing "jingle bell rock"  -  in what I suppose was an attempt to demonstrate their indifference towards the suffering that was taking place . I will never be able to listen to that song again without recalling this horrible bloody massacre.  Even so, their antics could not disguise the awful thud of the hakapik, and the panicked growls and cries of the pups as they were killed.

 

As the sun started to set, we were forced to head home. At the end of the day, it was estimated that 1000 or so pups had been clubbed and skinned, simply so that their beautiful pelts could be made into fur coats, hats, and boots.  The ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence remains littered with the abandoned bloody carcasses of seal pups. My only wish is that this is the last year that anyone has to witness such a tragedy.

In this podcast produced by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, senior researcher Sheryl Fink talks about her experiences while on the ice during the 2009 Canadian commercial seal hunt.

Right-click here to download the podcast.