Thousands of gray seals could be spared particularly brutal deaths this year because sealers have been unable to find a buyer for the pelts.
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This news comes as the European Union considers a ban on all seal products, an action which some think drove typical pelt buyers to rethink their purchase this year. Multiple sources say the hunt will likely not happen, but Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans still officially say the hunt is on.
“The cancellation of Nova Scotia’s grey seal hunt is a tremendous victory for the seals,” said Rebecca Aldworth, director of Humane Society International/Canada. “It is incredibly heartening to know that thousands of seal pups will be spared from a fate similar to the unbearable carnage we documented last year during the slaughter on Hay Island.”
Some sealers worry that they will not be able to find a buyer for the larger annual harp seal hunt either.
The Humane Society has petitioned the Canadian government to buy-out sealing licenses from affected sealers and to begin developing different economies for coastal communities that rely on the seal hunts to make money.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/oh1MIVk-Bgg&hl=en&fs=1]
Photo credit: MGSpiller on Flickr under Creative Commons license.
Ultimately, I think Mother Nature will bring an end to the seal hunt, although I hope I am wrong.
Looks like we got some sealers here? Please stop your whining. I hope the European Union bans import. This awful massacre must stop, we don’t need it! Change to tourism instead, then we may embrace Canada once again. Oh, that is right after they ban Bear shooting for fur. Another awful “profession” of Canada.
I am not feeling sorry for sealers. They dish it out but can’t take it? What are you? Change your jobs, Killing is out, Tourists are in. Simply. And stop crying will you. I am glad, that the European Union is considering banning seal products. We don’t need this cruel trade. Maybe then we will embrace Canada again. Oh, right after they ban bear shooting!!!!
Looks like you attracted some sealers here. I for one am opposed to seal hunting. It is cruel and not necessary. I am glad that the European Union considers banning it all together. We don’t need this cruelty. Killing is out, Tourists are in. Change the way you think and the world will embrace Canada once more. Ah, that is right after they ban bear hunting for fur!! Tradition is no excuse for cruelty. And no, I am not sorry for sealers hardship. If you dish it out, then you have to take it aswell.
ITS ABOUT TIME ,THAT THIS KIND OF KILLINGS STOP,I HOPE AND PRAY EVERYDAY ,THAT THESE KILLINGS STOP!YOU DONT NEED TO WEAR FUR~BESIDES IT LOOKS MUCH BETTER ON THE ANIMAL,IF GOD WANTED US TO HAVE FUR LIKE ANIMALS THEN WE WOULD HAVE BEEN BORN WITH IT ,BUT WE WERNTT .THESE KILLINGS DO NOT NEED TO TO KEEP GOING,THE PPL,THAT KILL THSES POOR BABY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES OR ANYTHING ELES ON THIS PLANET.YES THEY SAY ITS A JOB,WELL FIND A DIFFRENT JOB,STOP KILLING THESE SEALS!
While I feel this will likely be a complete waste of time, I must also say something about the Inuit people or I am certain that omission will be immediately attacked.
Sofia, your comments about the Inuit people do not relate to the content of Alex’s post. The European Union’s potential ban of all seal products would have no effect on the Inuit killing seals for food. I do not think the Inuit need to change their culture or traditional practices. But if they rely on non-Inuit populations to buy the pelts, they must be willing to accept that demand for products comes and goes.
Ahh, yes, my “path of insult” is the thing to focus on here, right Sofia? I find it useless to try to persuade people to realize how shameful this hunt is. Either you are on one side or the other, and I have never found someone to change his/her position in an online post. Therefore my post focused on sharing my position and opinion. My disgust with supporters of this slaughter of young animals for their fur took precedent. However, let me add a little content so my post will be acceptable.
I did not see the original picture that is causing so much grief. However, the picture of the adult seal on this post pulls at my emotional strings as much as a picture of a baby seal. As well, the DFO itself states that a seal need only be 12-14 days old to be killed. “Harp seals can be legally hunted once they have moulted their white coat, which occurs at about 12-14 days of age. However, they are not usually hunted until they reach the “beater” stage of development at around 25 days old.” Directly from the http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca page. 25 days old, when they can live for more than 20 years. That doesn’t sound like an adult to me. This is less than half of one percent of a seal’s life. But once again, I won’t convince someone like Sofia, so I’ll move on.
Also directly from the DFO website: “The Marine Mammal Regulations stipulate that seals must be killed quickly using only high-powered rifles, shotguns firing slugs, clubs or hakapiks.” Watch the video clip on this site. Are the seals that must be hit 7-10 times killed quickly? Is the one that lays there coughing up blood? How about the one that thrashes around spraying blood everywhere while the sealer works on another seal directly in front of it? THIS pulls at my emotional strings.
The reality of the hunt can be found anywhere. If the only information I ever found about the seal hunt came from the DFO website, I would still be revolted. If I had never seen video of seals being killed inhumanely, I would still oppose the cull. In the meantime, I think enough people around the world are becoming aware of the truth about the cull, and the consequences to the Canadian people are so very just.
Nice; Rachel chooses the path of insult rather than content…enough said about her post.
As to the above-mentioned devastation of Aboriginal economies – that is a reality (L; if you had done your homework/research on this issue pertaining to both Inuit and First Nations peoples, you would be aware of this).
From what I can tell, the problem with this discussion is the Southern urban perspective has attempted to completely blot out the Northern/rural/Aboriginal perspective. So here is a bit of a lesson. Inuit, for example, who do predominantly live in economically depressed communities (at times this is an understatement) and do depend on food from the land (incl. seal) for up to 60% of their food intake. Changing to a fully store-bought food diet is neither realistic economically speaking (ie. cost of food, cost of shipping, income levels) nor appropriate taking into consideration location and nutritional requirements due to climate. This does not even take into consideration culture and traditional practices.
Which will inevitably bring some of you to forward the statement that Inuit should change with the times (disband culture/traditional practices) and just move South to the cities if life is so hard up North – my response is that I would consider this a racist and colonialist statement. In addition to the logistical/health/social/housing issues that would arise (another understatement) as a result of having to relocate and integrate 40-50,000 Inuit into Southern cities (which will not and should never take place), I would also very seriously doubt that our government would like this at a point in time where Canadian sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic depends on an occupied/lived in Canadian Arctic region.
Killing for food I can understand for as in icy regions vegetables and plants can’t survive but killing for fur is despicable. Whether the seal is an adult or a pup is irrelevant – killing a defenceless animal for its skin is just wrong.
Alex, I’m sorry that idiots like Marcel and Sofia are the only ones who have commented thus far. Rest assured that there are decent people who believe that seals should not be killed for their fur, regardless of whether they are 1 day or 20 years old.
Just curious, Marcel; what are you doing to alleviate the so-called “devastation” of Aboriginal economies? Additionally, how are you enabling us to exploring new options?
I doubt there’s much to earned through trolling blogs on the internet, but you may want to enlighten us.
Cheers =)
Hey, no problem with the traffic Alex, I’m always glad to send a few people to a page like this, especially after they’ve had a chance to look at the before and after screen shots I’ve got up at my place.
I’m not the least bit opposed to exploring options, why not get them in place before you, and those like you, manage to create more hardship, and to further devastate, northern Aboriginal economies?
Just out of curiosity, and because you did use the sea shepherd tag, how close are your views to those of the good Mr. Watson when it comes to Inuit hunters?
And by offensive I mean that this post at times misrepresents the situation to such a degree that reality no longer has a close association with the subject at hand.
I’m not sure you can consider the traffic to your post positive Alex.
Rigorous research and actually coming up with alternatives as opposed to asking others to do the legwork for you might be a better approach. This post has numerous holes and makes it content wise not satisfying – in fact, it is at times offensive.
They are very much considered. In fact, they’re even mentioned in the post. Along with a call to come up with alternative economies. Are you opposed to exploring other options?
And thanks for generating some traffic to my post, by the way.
Interesting that when you are called on it the image of an adult suddenly appears in it’s place.
I have seen many similar marketing tactics, the video image of the baby white coat – the cut away – the image of blood on the ice – let the viewer come to what conclusion they may… unfortunately it’s all too common Alex.
I suppose you could consider the hunt senseless if you consider the economic livelihoods of the hunters to be of little or no value, or if you consider the economic hardship that a ban on seal pelts would create for the Inuit people of Canada …. some of us think things like that are fairly important though – have you considered them?
I hate to tell you this Alex, but you are deceiving people with this picture. Displaying an animal that is NOT hunted and is ILLEGAL to hunt instead of the anmials that ARE being hunted pulls on the emotional strings of people and triggers a reaction. A reaction that is not targeting the truth of the matter.
And if you are going to say something such as ‘While it is illegal to kill the pups, many are still killed’, it might be nice to actually back this up with facts (not originating with IFAW or PETA who use similar tactics to yours).
Oh, and they are killing the adult animals as the pups are protected. I’m not sure how this point continues to be missed.
Marcel,
It was the first image of a grey seal that I found. While it is illegal to kill the pups, many still are killed. If you think I am trying to deceive people, I can go ahead and find a different photo. But honestly — I don’t see how senselessly killing a baby animal is considered worse than killing a full-grown animal. I’ve never understood the logic. They’re both defenseless.
-Alex
Good deception guys. Show an image of a seal of an age that it is illegal to actually harvest as part of the commercial seal hunt, write your article, and, without actually saying that baby white coats are killed, hope that people think they are.