Barbaric Blood-Letting Seal Hunt in Canada
Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt has opened in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, setting the stage for the cruel slaughter and blood-letting of hundreds of thousands of seals. At least 275,000 baby seals will be killed so that their skins can be made into cheap fur coats, leather shoes, and tacky trinkets.
A newborn harp seal pup with on an ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence March, 2008. Photo Xinhua
“The hunt is undeniably cruel.” said Rebecca Aldworth, director of Canadian wildlife issues for The Humane Society of the United States. “Every year we see conscious seal pups stabbed with metal hooks and dragged across the ice, wounded seals left to suffer in agony and seals skinned alive.”
Photo Xinhua
Seal hunting — or sealing — for their pelts, blubber, penises, and meat, is practiced in 5 countries: Canada — where most of the world’s seal hunting takes place — Greenland, Namibia, Norway, and Russia. Seal oil was often used as lamp fuel, lubricating and cooking oil, for processing such materials as leather and jute, as a constituent of soap, and the liquid base for red ochre paint.
Images from the hunts have become iconic symbols for conservation, animal welfare, and animal rights advocates.
The main method of killing seals is with a hakapik — a heavy wooden club with a hammer head and metal hook on the end. The use of guns is also allowed, but the hakapik is for some unknown barbaric reason preferred. The hammer head is used to crush the skull, while the hook is used to move the carcass.
Hakapiks displayed on the wall of a gun shop in Tromsø, Norway.
Harp seals are born on the ice flows off the east coast of Canada every March, but hundreds of thousands of baby seals perished this year as global warming caused the sea ice to melt before they were old enough to survive in the water. Despite this ecological disaster, the Canadian government has authorized yet another 270,000 seals to be cruelly killed for their fur.
The slaughter was stopped 25 years ago, following a ban on the import of seal pelts into the European Union, which destroyed the economics of the industry.
But the Canadian government found a loophole and ruthlessly exploited it. 5 years ago, the cull re-started with a vengeance when the authorities ordered the battering to death of a million baby seals.
British reporter Danny Penman from the Daily Mail spent nearly a week in Nova Scotia, Canada, to investigate this year’s ruthless slaughter at close range as the horror unfolded.
Photo Daily Mail
“The baby seal looked into the eyes of her executioner. Barely a flicker of emotion shows on the fisherman’s face as he smashes a steel-tipped club into her mouth. She lay whimpering on the ice, blood pouring from her jaw and nose.”
“But she wasn’t yet dead, so the sealer hit her in the face another 4 times before slamming a hooked “hakapik” club into her stomach and dragging her across the ice towards the ship.”
“Yet even this savagery is not enough to kill the poor creature. A few seconds later, the pup starts wriggling furiously. She was clearly still alive, though in terrible agony. The fisherman smashed her head another 3 times.”
Sadly, Penman stated that this incident was far from unique during his visit, and that new laws are being entirely ignored. This scene will be repeated hundreds of thousands of times over the coming weeks.
New regulations have been introduced to make Canada’s seal hunt more ‘humane,” requiring a pup must first be shot or battered into unconsciousness. Then the fisherman has to check that an animal is fully “insensible” before slicing open the arteries near its flippers, allowing the creature to “bleed out” before it can be skinned.
Mark Glover of the Humane Society International said, “It’s quite clear that the sealers are failing to adhere to the new regulations. It’s the same old hunt we’ve seen in the past.”
Dr. Jerry Vlasak (right), spokesman for the Animal Liberation Press Office, and a colleague from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society inspect seal carcasses
during the 2005 Canadian hunt.
The ProtectSeals team from The Humane Society of the United States is there to bear witness and capturing images to bring the truth of this cruel practice to the public.
The hunt began in the southern Gulf on Monday, but the Department of Fisheries and Oceans refused to issue observation permits. The DFO provided observation permits to the ProtectSeals team to observe the hunt in the northern Gulf.
Canadian authorities are allegedly making no attempts to enforce the new legislation, and preventing media and other observers from witnessing what really goes on, consistently refusing to issue the media and animal welfare campaigners with the necessary permits to observe the cull.
Authorities justify reporting restrictions, claiming animal welfare campaigners and media have consistently misrepresented the cull, stating the images used to accompany reporting are in some cases decades out of date. But Penman said the carnage was every bit as horrific as the pictures suggest.
Fishermen armed with hakapiks were spread out across the ice, killing all that came within range. Swathes of ice were drenched in blood as piles of carcasses laid there steaming.
The sea turned scarlet from fishing boats pouring the seal blood into it, while other sealers casually tossed the skinned bodies of pups into the waters.
Some cut the hearts out of the baby seals to eat for breakfast — an age-old tradition amongst sealers.
Actress Alison Steadman lies next to a harp seal on an ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, March, 2008. The British actress was flown out by helicopter in support of the organizations Humane Society of the U.S. and Respect for Animals.
Photo Xinhua
“We are not going to be bullied or blackmailed into forcing people who depend on the sealing industry out of their livelihoods using baseless allegations.” said Loyola Sullivan, Canada’s fisheries ambassador.
Sealers themselves have become increasingly aggressive and hostile towards independent observers.
“I spent almost a week on the east coast of Canada trying to observe the cull but at every step the local authorities did their best to stop me.” said Penman.
“On previous trips, Canadian fishermen have threatened me with knives, guns and hakapiks. 2 years ago, when I visited the floes with a group of MEPs, we were involved in a high-speed car chase in which sealers repeatedly tried to force us off the road.”
“We were eventually forced to barricade ourselves into a hotel, where we remained for 8 hours while officials from the European Commission and the U.S. embassy negotiated our release.”
A newborn harp seal pup calls out on an ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence March, 2008. Photo Xinhua
Stavros Dimas, the EU’s Commissioner for the Environment, said this week that the European Commission would soon propose an outright ban on the import of seal pelts.
“The Commissioner is very concerned at the inhumane way that baby seals are killed.” said a spokeswoman. “Last year, we sent a team of expert observers. What the team saw did not alleviate the Commissioner’s worries.”
Several countries have already banned seal pelt imports.
To pressure the Canadian government and the fishing industry to end the seal hunt for good, The HSUS launched a boycott of Canadian seafood in March 2005. To date, hundreds of thousands of people and thousands of seafood businesses have pledged their support for the campaign. The HSUS is also working overseas to close markets for seal products, removing the financial incentive for the sealers to kill the seals.
“We are confident the end of the commercial sealing industry is now clearly in sight.” said Aldworth.
A newborn harp seal pup with its distinctive white coat rests on an ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Photo Xinhua
Seal Watching Tours
Tourists come from around the world to witness the unique Canadian winter event of the birth of thousands of harp seal pups on the ice floes of the
Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Eco-tour operators have taken advantage of the international fascination with the limpid-eyed pups that have become the poster babies for animal rights organizations everywhere for more than 25 years..
Emile Richard, manager of the Chateau Madelinot in Quebec says some tourists have told him more people would come for the eco tours if the hunt was stopped. But the seal tours have never made enough money to displace the profitable hunt.
“The fact that the tours are still going on indicates that they are sustainable.” Lavigne says.
A newborn harp seal pup is seen with its mother on an ice floe in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence. Photo Xinhua
Tourists are ferried to the ice floes by helicopters to experience a place that is almost otherworldly. Sea ice stretches as far as the eye can see in a frigid landscape broken by thousands of bleating seals, many of them nursing tiny newborns with coats as white as snow.
While the mothers are skittish and will usually slip into the water through holes in the ice when tourists approach, it’s possible to get quite close to the pups, but visitors are advised not to touch the whitecoats.
“It is truly one of the wonders of the world,” says David Lavigne, science adviser for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which created the first tours to the seal nursery in the 1970’s.
“When you see hundreds of thousands of seals stretched out on the ice before you, it is a remarkable scene and it’s one that many tourists really enjoy.”
The IFAW started the tours as a possible economic alternative to the annual seal hunt, but the animal rights organization has not been part of the tour business for years.
The seal-watching tours add more than $1 million a year to the local economy.
A newborn harp seal pup sleeps next to its mother. Photo Xinhua
Seal Hunt Regulations
Canadian sealing regulations describe the dimensions of the clubs and the hakapiks, and caliber of the rifles and minimum bullet velocity that can be used. They state that: “Every person who strikes a seal with a club or hakapik shall strike the seal on the forehead until its skull has been crushed. No person shall commence to skin or bleed a seal until the seal is dead, “which occurs when it “has a glassy-eyed, staring appearance and exhibits no blinking reflex when its eye is touched while it is in a relaxed condition.”
The regulations also state that every person “who fishes for seals for personal or commercial use shall land the pelt or the carcass of the seal.” The commercial hunting of infant harp seals (whitecoats) and infant hooded seals (bluebacks) was banned in Canada in 1987 under pressure from animal rights groups.
Now seals may only be killed once they have started molting — from 12 to 15 days of age for harp seals — as this coincides with the time when they’re abandoned by their mothers. These pups, who have not yet completely molted, are known as “ragged-jackets”. Once the pups have completely molted, they’re called “beaters”.
Seal populations were severely depleted when commercial sealing became a major industry, with the world harp seal population declining to 1.5 million. As a result of population concerns and public protests, hunting is now controlled by quotas based on recommendations from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. In 2003, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans set the “total allowable catch” (TAC) of harp seals at 350,000 per year.
A newborn harp seal pup. Photo Xinhua
Traditional Inuit hunt
Archeological evidence indicates that the Native Americans and First Nations People in Canada have been hunting seals for at least 4,000 years. Traditionally, when an Inuit boy killed his first seal, a feast was held.
The Inuit seal hunting accounts for 3% of the total hunt. The traditional Inuit seal hunting is excluded from The European Commission’s call in 2006 for a ban on the import, export and sale of all harp and hooded seal products.
The Natsiq (ringed seal) have been the main staple for food, and have been used for clothing, boots, fuel for lamps, a delicacy, containers, igloo windows, and furnished harnesses for huskies. The Natsiq is no longer used to this extent, but ringed seal is still an important food source for the people of Nunavut
Nigel Barker, fashion photographer and judge for TV series “America’s Next Top Model,” photographs a harp seal pup on an ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
March, 2008. Barker arrived on the ice to support the Humane Society of the U.S.
Photo Xinhua
Belgian Ban
In January 2007, Belgium became the first European country to ban all seal products. Greenland claimed it would sue Belgium for a move that it said would violate European Union law and cripple the livelihood of Inuit hunters. Greenland’s minister for finance and foreign affairs expressed concern that other EU countries might follow suit. Canada has launched a challenge to the ban.
The United States, which had been heavily involved in the sealing industry, now maintains a complete ban on the commercial hunting of marine mammals, with the exception of indigenous peoples who are allowed to hunt a small number of seals each year.
A commercial seal hunt, 2007.
Export
Canada’s largest market for seal pelts is Norway. Carino Limited — one of Newfoundland’s largest seal pelt producers — is marketing its seal pelts mainly through its parent company, GC Rieber Skinn, Bergen, Norway.
Canada sold pelts to 11 countries in 2004, with Norway, Germany, Greenland, and China, including Hong Kong, purchasing the largest quantities. Other countries included Finland, Denmark, France, Greece, South Korea, and Russia. Asia remains the principal market for seal meat exports.
One of Canada’s market access priorities for 2002 was to “continue to press Korean authorities to obtain the necessary approvals for the sale of seal meat for human consumption in Korea.” Canadian and Korean officials agreed in 2003 on specific Korean import requirements for seal meat. For 2004, only Taiwan and South Korea purchased seal meat from Canada.
Seals are hunted for their pelts for coats, blubber for oil, meat for pet food, and genitals as reported aphrodisiacs.
HSUS
The Humane Society of the United States is its nation’s largest animal protection organization, backed by 10 million Americans. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs, celebrating animals and confronting cruelty.
For more information, visit ProtectSeals. To view video from last year’s hunt, visit Animal Channel.
UPDATE
The following article from April 12 2008 is being quoted in its entirety so as not to cloud any of the events.
Canadian Coast Guard Seizes Anti-seal Hunt Boat
MONTREAL (AFP) — The Canadian coast guard seized a boat belonging to opponents of seal hunting Saturday, the fisheries minister said, in a move described by the organization as an “act of war.”
“The government of Canada has taken action to protect the safety and livelihoods of Canadian sealers by boarding and seizing the Farley Mowat to arrest its captain and chief officer for alleged violations of Canada’s Marine Mammal Regulations,” said fishing minister Loyola Hearn.
The owner of the Farley Mowat, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, countered that the boat had been “attacked” by two coast guard ice-breakers while in international waters in the Saint Lawrence gulf.
“This is an act of war,” said the society’s founder, 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.”
But Hearn said in a press conference that the boat was captured in “Canadian internal waters,” and he accused Watson’s organization of being “a bunch of money-sucking manipulators” intent on taking money from donors.
Watson said the vessel’s mission was to document evidence of cruelty by seal hunters to support a European motion to ban seal products.
“The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has just handed us the victory that we were looking for,” he said.
“The Europeans will not be very pleased with this move.”
The seizure of the Farley Mowat came after a series of close encounters between seal hunters, the coast guard and the anti-hunt protesters.
On March 30 the Sea Shepherd vessel collided with a coast guard icebreaker in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and while there was no reported damage, Alex Cornelissen, captain of the Farley Mowat, said in a statement his vessel was “twice rammed” after he ignored warnings not to approach sealers.
And later fishermen sympathetic to the seal hunters cut the vessel’s mooring lines while it was docked in the French isles of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon off Canada’s east coast.
The annual commercial seal hunt, which opened March 28 in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, is often marked by confrontations between animal rights protesters and the hunters and Canadian authorities.
The Canadian authorities last week launched legal action against Cornelissen, accusing him of getting too close to seal hunters and obstructing the coast guard’s work.
His assistant, Peter Hammarstedt, also faces charges and Hearn said both men risked fines of 100,000 dollars and six months in jail.
Watson angered many early this month when he said that the death of four Canadian hunters at sea in an accident on the second day of the hunt was lass a tragedy that the killing of the baby seals.
The fisheries ministry meanwhile said the number of boats taking part in the first fortnight of the hunt is markedly down on previous years, despite an increase of the fixed quota for the hunt to 275,000 seals from last year’s 270,000.
Local media attribute the change to rising oil costs and lower prices for seal fur.
But the opponents of the hunt said it was a result of their protests.
“Our efforts to close (seal product) markets around the world are clearly having an impact,” said Rebecca Aldworth of the Humane Society.
Further Information
Based on an article from the National Post April 18 2008, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s website (DFO), last year’s seal hunt netted $12 million — the value of all seal pelts landed. Half of that is eaten up by expenses, which translates to $6 million that flowed to the sealers themselves. This year will be even less, as pelts of 3 to 4 week old “beaters” that make up 95% of the catch are selling for between $6 and $33.
Think about it — does a measly $6 that many would spend on a daily specialty coffee justify the brutal death of a pup seal that has yet to take its first swim, let alone eat its first solid food?
The $6-million sealers get from the hunt is far outweighed by the tens of millions Ottawa spends backing it, let alone what the DFO shells out for license issuers, accountants, typists, file clerks, inspectors, quota setters, regulation drafters, “scientists,” “statisticians,” “economic analysts,” speech writers, media relations officers, anti-boycott propagandists — the list goes on.
The DFO says 5,000 to 6,000 people (a number which others estimate to be less than half that) are averaging $1,000 a year from killing 275,000 seals.
Sealing creates less than 1% of the value of the sealing provinces’ fishery, and the $5.2-million of raw seal products constitutes less than 1/1,000 of what we export to Europe.
Is all of this barbaric blood-letting really worth it to anyone?
Check out the article at the National Post to learn more of the chilling numbers of where tax-payer funds are going and dollars spent to counter bans on the importation of seal products, which has also been posted in the comments by Dianne, a reader below.
One organization for which many might not be aware is Kind Translators who “offer their services to people and organizations dedicated to protecting animals and developing charters and laws with the aim of giving animals rights and abolishing the Roman law legacy of animals as possessions and giving them the status of living, feeling beings.”
Visit their website to learn more.
IFAW Seal Hunt 2008 Day 3 – Graphic Footage
Graphic footage of seal pups being killed by rifle fire on the third day of the Canadian commercial seal hunt. In Canada, these marine mammals are classified as “fish”. Please donate to the International Fund for Animal Welfare at stopthesealhunt.org to help end this cruel hunt.
Seal Hunt – Graphic Footage
Canadian Coast Guard Rams Farley Mowat / Sea Shepherd
I.M.O. (International Maritime Organization) — MARINE ORDERS PART 30 -prevention of Collisions at Sea: #All vessels Masters & Crew Must by all means possible avoid a collision at sea, all vessels MUST give way to their RIGHT. #An overtaking Vessel MUST give way to a vessel it is overtaking. Neither was done by the Canadian vessel in this incident.
Sealers Attack Sea Shepherd Crew
Sea Shepherd
Paul Watson, environmental activist, was asked to leave Greenpeace because he yanked a club out of a hunter’s hand to protect a baby seal. He decided that protecting the environment was so important that he started his own organization — Sea Shepherd.
Sources: AFP Update: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iMxfTBv-pgwBs0IespMtGqFZjheg
HSUS, Daily Mail, Canoe and Wikipedia
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Palm Oil Risks Orangutans Existence
Save Our Whales – Sea Shepherd
I feel pity for the seals that will be killed.
Although seals can give benefits, but they should not be haunt and killed.
When i saw the picture, i felt very sad
The poor seals. They should not be haunt and killed!!!
That is very sad and hard to look at. I do not like to see any sort of animal brutally harmed. There is no reason to hunt seals. It is a sad and pathetic excuse to pump up one’s own self esteem.
I feel much more than pity for them, Martin, it actually wrenches my stomach.
Definitely, Tina, but at the very least, kill them humanely with a bullet.
It’s extremely difficult to look at, Malcom. Many do it to earn a living, but it’s a revolting method that they practice.
shame on you which kill the nice animals !!!
It makes me ashamed to be a human. I am glad some people care, but we need many more to stop this insanity.
I agree with you 100 percent, Dogru.
Me too, Rose. Especially a Canadian which I am! There are many activists that continually do battle, and recently it appears they may be making some headway with bannings of imports in foreign markets.
Why would somebody do that?
Ugh. It is the saddest and grossest thing ever.
How would they like to have somebody stronger and far more powerful than them come to their home and slaughter and torture their family?
Because they earn their livings from it, Jake. I highly doubt they give a second thought about the lives of the poor creatures and how barbaric their slaughter is.
What an utterly appauling and barbaric situation, i can not believe what those poor creatures go through, i feel sick and really disgusted that this actually happens. What on earth can be done to stop this terrible situation?
Now could you go to a cattle slaughter house or a pork slaughter house and do the same story. Oh that is right, they are not so cute.
Exactly, Emma. Well for one, you could follow the humane society who actively pursues getting regulations passed to ban such practices, and imports as a result of their slaughter.
Lil, I think you’re missing the point here, which is the barbaric manner that these seals are being slaughtered. Even pigs and cows are slaughtered humanely, if you can even call slaughter humane.
WHY DO YOU HAVE PICTURES OF WHITE COAT BABY SEALS ON THE SITE; THESE ARE NOT KILLED DURING THE SEAL HUNT, IF YOU ARE GOING TO PUBLISH SOMETHING GET WITH THE FACTS
CTW, many of these photos had the seals named as harp seals by reputable news sites, taken at the Gulf of St. Lawrence this year. Nonetheless, it doesn’t change the fact of the horrors of how seals are being slaughtered.
The Canadian harp and hooded seal hunt is contrary to international law. As a party to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), Canada obligated itself to “[c]onsider and undertake any … action that may be required for the achievement of the purposes of this Convention …” Article 23 4(i). The goal of the CBD is to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss as decided by the Conference of the Parties in Decision VI/26. The spirit and the content of the Convention is concerned with the intrinsic value of biological diversity together with the moral and ethical aspects of its protection, The government of Canada should bring an immediate halt to the seal hunts that are not only cruel but also comprise a threat to global biodiversity, thus contradicting the 2010 goal as determined by the parties to the CBD.
The rate of biodiversity loss is increasing at an unprecedented pace. In order to meet the 2010 goal of halting biodiversity loss, parties must ensure that their national policies do not endanger biodiversity. This is something that Canada has failed to do. Reports show that the effects of climate change on the habitats of harp and hooded seals are causing a dramatic reduction in sea ice cover and, consequently, endangering harp and hooded seal populations. The 2007 quota of 250,000 seals and the 2008 quota of 275,000 seals as set by the government of Canada is unsustainable. The total amount of seals killed exceeds even this enormous quota. Many seals shot during these hunts escape beneath the ice where they die slowly and are never recovered. These seals are not counted in official kill statistics, making the actual kill level far higher than the level that is reported.
There is an international outcry against the cruelty and the over-exploitation of the commercial seal hunts in Canada, A report of an independent team of veterinarians invited to observe the hunt by the International Fund for Animal Welfare in 2001 concluded that the seal hunt failed to comply with basic animal welfare regulations in Canada and that government regulations regarding humane killing were not being respected or enforced. The above report found that as many as 42% of the seals studied were skinned while alive and conscious. Furthermore, 95% of the seals killed over the past five years were pups between the ages of 12 days and 12 weeks.
In order to fulfill its obligations under the CBD, Canada must bring an immediate halt to the seal hunt because it is cruel and threatens global biodiversity. Canada’s actions with respect to the seal hunt contradicts the 2010 goal of reducing biodiversity loss as agreed upon by the parties to the CBD. Canada must end the seal hunt to comply with its international legal obligations.
Thanks so much for your comment, Cynthia.
“The above report found that as many as 42% of the seals studied were skinned while alive and conscious. Furthermore, 95% of the seals killed over the past five years were pups between the ages of 12 days and 12 weeks.”
This statement just makes me ill to my stomach.
That’s really pathetic so many cute animials being killed for satisfying human’s material luxury, if the protection for animals eventually put into real practice and getting the effect, the conception of human should be changed and the business referring to killing of animal should be punished seriously!
The more that people adopt that same opinion as yours Yolanda, the more chances there are to this being put to an end.
Unfortunately, it’s been going on for centuries and a means of earning a living for some. If enough countries ban the imports and sales of any sort altogether, it will become entirely unprofitable to make a living at.
The National Post Exposes the Truth About the Economics of the Seal Slaughter
Finally, at least one media outlet in Canada has the guts to print the truth about the economics of the Canadian seal slaughter.
Most of the Canadian media have been bullied into parroting the Canadian government party line that the seal slaughter is sustainable, humane and good for the economy. Mike Duffy on CTV has been so biased in his support of this ridiculous position that he has lost all pretense to objectivity as a journalist. And of course the CBC or the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has for years been referred to by seal defenders as the Controlled By Canada network.
And for years the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been saying that the seal slaughter is a burden on the Canadian tax payer and little more than a glorified welfare project.
Finally the National Post has published an article on the economics of killing seals in Canada and this article details the funds the Canadian government is spending to keep the sealers in the barbaric style they have become accustomed to.
The article below is reprinted from their website and can be found online here.
The millions Ottawa spends subsidizing the seal hunt
By Murray Teitel
April 17, 2008
Whether you think killing seals is a bad thing or a good thing, whether you think it barbaric or humane, you should oppose Canada’s annual seal hunt.
According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) the justification for the hunt is to provide economic opportunities for Canada’s coastal communities. Last year, according to its Web site, this entire economic opportunity amounted to $12-million, the value of all seal pelts landed. They fetched on average $52 a pelt. According to evidence given to Parliament’s standing committee on fisheries and oceans on Nov. 6, 2006, half of that is eaten up by expenses, so we are talking, at most, $6-million that flowed to the sealers themselves: one-tenth of 1% of Newfoundland’s GDP. (This year it will be even less, because pelts of three to four week old “beaters” that make up 95% of the catch are selling for between $6 and $33.)
This $6-million costs Canadians at least 10 times as much and does so year after year. First of all, there is the cost of deploying the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) to the seal hunt for seven weeks each year. Last year it involved 10 vessels, many of them icebreakers, helicopters and patrol planes. Nobody in government knows, even less wants to know, what this costs. DFO claims it costs nothing because the boats and aircraft are owned and the crews are on salary. Does it cost nothing to put out fires in Toronto because it owns the trucks and firefighters aren’t on piecework? Toronto hires firefighters and buys trucks based on the anticipated number and severity of fires. A significant part of what CCG does is rescue sealers. Some 24% of its 2003 fishing vessel rescues derived from this hunt. Without it, CCG’s annual budget could be significantly reduced. One hunt-deployed icebreaker, the Amundsen, costs $50,000 per day to operate in winter. Given DFO’s lack of transparency, one can only estimate the annual CCG cost attributable to the hunt at $5-million.
Secondly, every year some disaster occurs. Last year, it was heavy ice that trapped sealers for days on end. Some even ran out of cigarettes! DFO calculated the extra CCG costs due to heavy ice at $3.41-million. It also paid $7.9-million to owners of boats damaged by ice. This year, it is the drowning of four sealers and the near drowning of two while being rescued by CCG. This resulted in the cost of an unsuccessful week-long 2,800 nautical square mile search for one of the drowned and his boat involving patrol planes, helicopters and three icebreakers. The inevitable lawsuits and legal bills will easily cost more than $6-million.
Thirdly, millions are spent every year trying to counter bans on the importation of seal products. Our NAFTA partners and four European countries have imposed bans. Four countries have announced intentions to do so. Italy and Luxembourg have suspended imports. The European Parliament resolved to impose an EU-wide ban. The Council of Europe has called on its 46 members to do so.
Canada has taken Holland and Belgium to the World Trade Organization in Geneva. Aside form being terribly expensive, it jeopardizes a relationship with two countries with which Canada has a trade surplus. $5.2-million of raw seal products constitutes less than 1/1,000 of what we export to Europe.
The DFO, since at least 2003, has been flying high-level delegations to Europe to argue against the bans. Last year, there were at least six such junkets. For example, on March 27, 2007, a 17-person delegation was dispatched to the British Parliament for a meeting attended by only five British MPs. Last month, seven Canadians, including Loyola Sullivan, ambassador for fisheries conservation, the Premier of Nunavut and a Newfoundland Cabinet minister flew to four European capitals for a week.
Unfortunately, they seem to use a travel agent who excels at finding the most expensive fares available. When Mr. Sullivan flew on seal business to five European capitals this January, the airfare alone was $10,270.80. The DFO’s Kevin Stringer flew to Paris for $4,459.65 on Sept. 5, 2007. Of course, this is nothing compared with the $16,025.25 spent on airfare to Australia and New Zealand by the DFO’s director general of economic analysis whom I wish would do an economic analysis of his own expense accounts. With hotels, wines, meals and support staff, this adds up.
They have as much chance of stemming this tide as Germany did of stopping the Allies after D Day. The battle is lost. But because of ideological fanaticism they keep fighting, secure in the delusion that the Canadian taxpayer, like the cod, is an inexhaustible resource that will forever fund this foolishness that only benefits the high-end European tourism industry.
Fourthly, there is the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) led boycott that is largely responsible for the inflation adjusted $465-million drop in the value of Canadian exports of snow crabs — the main seafood export to the United States from Canada’s sealing provinces — since April, 2005. The value of 2007 snow crab exports is 44% lower than it was in 2004, the year prior to the boycott.
HSUS has to date persuaded almost 3,600 U.S. businesses to participate, including heavy hitters Publix (annual sales $24-billion), Whole Foods ($7-billion), WinCo Foods, Lowe’s Foods, Harris Teeter ($3-billion each) and smaller, seafood-driven ones like Legal Sea Foods ($400-million). Sealing creates less than 1% of the value of the sealing provinces’ fishery. Sacrifice 99% for the sake of 1%. Now there’s a business plan!
Finally, there is the cost of the DFO seal-hunt bureaucracy, which alone has to cost more than the sealers earn: license issuers, accountants, typists, file clerks, inspectors, quota setters, regulation drafters, “scientists,” “statisticians,” “economic analysts,” speech writers, media relations officers, anti-boycott propagandists, writers of replies to angry letters, arrangers of tours of European journalists (when the seal hunt is not taking place), all in the service of what DFO says is 5,000 to 6,000 (more like 2,000, I believe) people averaging $1,000 a year from killing 275,000 seals. There is a conflict of interest in the DFO having jurisdiction over the Coast Guard. If it were controlled by the Minister of Defence, he’d immediately see that for what he is spending on the seal hunt, he could outfit an artillery regiment.
Enough already. This is a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money. And the sealers? Sealers should prefer these monies be used to train them for jobs in the 21st-century economy, rather than to preserve them as relics of a hunter/gatherer one.
http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_080418_1.html
To CTW:
This is a hunt for baby seals.
In each of the past five years, over 95% of the harp seals killed have been pups between the ages of about two
weeks and three months. The killing of whitecoat seals is prohibited, and so is the sale of their pelts. However, it is legal to kill harp seal pups once they have begun to moult their white pelts, as young
as about 12 days of age. In 2005 and 2006, 98% of the
seals killed were pups between 2 weeks and 3 months of
age. These seals have not eaten their first solid food, and many have not yet attempted to swim at the time they are slaughtered, these animals can not be considered anything but ‘babies’.
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/dimages/custom/2_Publications/Seals/sealsandsealing2007.pdf
It’s absolutely gut-wrenching, Diane. If anyone cannot agree after watching the videos, I hope there’s a very special place for them in the after-life, particularly for those who are the cause and contributors.
I would never be able to live with myself if I made my living by killing defenseless creatures for no good reason.
Thanks so much for your comments and information. I’ve updated the post to include some of it, as well as linked to the full article online.
Slaughter of any animal is not humane. That’s the nature of slaughter. Whether clubbed or shot (like 90% of the seals killed) it’s hard to watch, even for me (I eat seal meat). That’s why those devils that slaughter pigs, cattle, and chickens are protected by law from being observed and filmed. These animals are not killed “humanely” either. Killing is not fun to watch by softies like us, even if the species is extremely overpopulated, like the seals. I just wish somebody would protest the devastation of codfish by trawlers; they are on the brink of extinction. Then again, they’re not really cute- that could make for a boring photo op. Slaughterhouse protests wouldn’t be much of a cash cow for the protestors, either. Pun intended.
Very true, Jeff. Few are motivated when it’s not happening to a ‘pretty’ creature. Any kind of slaughter is inhumane IMO. It’s why I have such a difficult time eating meat, and have since childhood. If I stop to think that I’m eating an animal, I simply can’t eat. Oddly, fish isn’t doesn’t affect me the same way, but I’m not a fish fan to begin with. Other than seeing them in their waters
I’m really glad you said that Jeff because this is something I’ve wondered about a lot. Does the creature have to be a pretty one for people to sympathise with it? What about sea life? Why – for example – don’t animal activists ever say anything about the way crabs or lobsters are cooked alive? Is it because they can’t whimper the way land animals do? Cruelty is still cruelty whatever species its done to. Beauty should have nothing to do with it. Goes to show how low the human species actually is. First we hunt for out pleasure, then we feel bad over the “inhumane killing”, then we protest the killings of the prettier creatures. What hypocrisy! It’s disgusting!
You’re right M, it’s sad when people respond to inhumane treatment of ‘pretty’ creatures and don’t when they aren’t.
That’s a very good point about the process with cooking shellfish live. I was invited to a crab dinner once where they cooked them live. I couldn’t even fathom the thought of eating after witnessing that, I was mortified.
IF YOU ARE FILMING IT, WHY DONT U TRY AND STOP IT, INSTED OF WATCHING PEOPLE BEAT THEM, why not get out on the ice and try to save them?!?!
Sadly Emma, these people are lucky if they can even manage to capture film of this. The hunters are protected by laws and have far more legal rights than the poor seals losing their lives. Sea Shepherd does a lot to try to battle this, and even they have their hands tied by laws and regulations which don’t permit them to get very close.
We also have to remember that there is a huge threat to the seals; namely starvation from overpopulation. This brings back my point about saving an species that is actually in danger, like cod. That’s what they need to sustain such a burgeoning population, and there’s simply not enough. Otherwise- it’s ironic but true- the only solution to curb this problem would be to cull the population. I’m not a killer, but I am an eater; until the protestors start showing equal vigor when it comes to killing “ugly” animals (or fish), I can’t come down on the men that are sealing for wages. As it stands, how could you tell a sealer that he’s wrong but cattle farmers are ok? Neither species is endangered. This is not conservation issue- it’s about treating an animal the same as a human. Ironically, the silence of seal hunt protestors when it comes to the human plight (like abused women in Pakistan)is deafening and rivalled only by their indifference to other non-marketable gimmicks such as fish protection. Sea shepherd? The amount of bycatch of other endangered species while the trawlers catch the cod is astronomical! What kind of person could sit back and watch that? The kind that’s found his marketing niche, I guess. But please. Stop calling yourself a shepherd. It makes shepherds look bad.
Of course there are other species that deserve attention, Jeff, and you make some valid points, but to say that until others are given their due vigilance it’s not well and good to give seals the attention is utterly unfair to the creatures.
And yes, the plight against abused women in Pakistan and other countries is deplorable. But this topic was about seals, and to cover all of the injustices in the world in this one article is impossible.
What you appear to be failing to see here is the manner in HOW these seals are brutally murdered, having their heads bashed in repeatedly until they die, and MANY are skinned ALIVE. Would you skin your dog alive? Likely not, but some cultures do. That alone is deplorable, but again, another topic altogether. How anyone can watch the videos and not feel this is inhumane treatment of an animal is beyond me.
I have no idea where you get the impression that I’m calling myself a shepherd, never once have I uttered those words. I suggest you read what’s been written here before you start throwing mud.
Sorry Deborah- that was directed at the Sea Shepherds!
I guess I shifted gears halfway, and went into a monologue. I wasn’t referring to you as a hypocrite. My apologies, Madame.
Thanks for clearing that up, Jeff
the seals didn’t do any thing why should they do this
I find it very disturbing that in the year 2008 there is a supposedly civilized nation such as Canada allowing these sickening and murderous hunts to take place for the perverse reason of FASHION!! That is the main reason of these barbaric bludgeonings, is simply so selfish and vain humans can wear these helpless animals skins as part of their wardrobe!
And to use the excuse that the seals are depleting the Cod population?? A seal eats the ONE Cod that it catches before going after another one. On the contrary, a fishing trawler’s net can haul in thousands on one trip. So…as usual, it’s humans that are doing the real damage, not the Seals.
This is a sickening practice that needs to stop! I’m sorry that this is all these “fishermen” know but maybe it’s time for the government to step up and instead of subsidizing this horrific event (which we know they do) they could spend that money on the re-educating of these people for jobs that are more in step with living in a CIVILIZED world??
And..FYI a really permanent fix to all this would be to stop eating any and all meat!! Humans are actually NOT carnivorous and our digestion systems weren’t designed for meat or it’s by-products.
I’m with you, George, and for a measly few dollars per skin to boot. It’s a very small percentage of the fishermen’s income as it is.
I’d be all for using my tax dollars to re-educate a fisherman for another trade if they were to make their living nearly solely from seal hunting.
Seals are precious animals and have not done ANYTHING to himans in the past. Seals are extreamely smart animals and its almost like killing a human when you kill a seal. These murderers (the hunters) deserve to be skinned for cheap furs and see how they like it.
They are extreamely smart; they occasionally spell better than himans as well…
Hehe, good one Jeff
Thanks Deborah- I was trying to funny it up a bit- I noticed that you’re pretty slick in the old spelling department, though…
It was actually nice to see something light brought to this article, Jeff
Well, I do have a pretty good command on spelling for the English language, but I still have fumble fingers that gets me at the best of times. That’s what spell checkers are for when it comes to writing
for one thing the hakapik is hardly used any more
another thing is we dont kill white coats
another thing is when done quickly the hakapik leaves the seal unconscious for a few seconds then they die
and i don’t think you guys should complain you try being a poor fisherman and struggle to feed your family’s in the winter, the only people who complain about it are rich vegetarian asswipes who want to think they are making the world a better place
Well, the truth is- the farther removed a person is from the hunt, the harder it is to watch. Some facts can be distorted, as well. Most seals are shot. Seals don’t get skinned alive- they twitch for a while after death, like chickens. Catfish are terrible for that. Misinformation makes the whole issue murky. Bottom line: remove all impassioned propaganda about torture and the message that the protesters should theoretically try to promote would be “Don’t kill any animals, they are the same as people”. Humans have always been a part of the food chain; any fair thinking person knows that humans are indeed animals. It’s a recent social turn of events that has distanced a few people from the concept of killing animals. It’s not a moral decision by the protesters to get outraged at the Newfs; these people are a product of an urbanized society- a nation of shopkeepers. Of course they would be shocked. However, at some point, should they not lament the loss- or dulling- of an instinct that has allowed our species to evolve through the ages? Eh, b’ye?
And- off topic- Deborah looks terribly pretty!
Mike, your comment about rich people combined with being a poor fisherman leads me to believe your statement is more out of disdain for someone who has had an easier life.
I certainly ‘get it’ about struggling to make a living. The main issue that I personally have with this is the use of a hakapik. To watch the process live on video is undeniable that these creatures are in dire agony and dying a slow and painful death. They are not dying within seconds of being struck. Just the thought of smashing any animal’s brains in chills me to the bones. Why not use a gun???
“the farther removed a person is from the hunt, the harder it is to watch.” Very possibly, Jeff. It absolutely wrenches my stomach to watch the videos to lengths I could never put to mere words.
But this is the first that I’ve heard that the majority are shot. If such was the case that ALL were being killed by a bullet, I don’t think that this would be such the major issue that it is.
My father was a hunter, so I actually grew up with it in my family background. But even as a very young girl, I had great difficulties with it due to my love for animals.
I used to literally beg my father to bring home a baby deer for a pet each time he would go hunting. I would wait anxiously for his return in the hopes that he had, and run to see him when he did, only to find a dead creature in the back of his pickup which would make me cry like a baby for it.
I couldn’t enter the garage where they hung, let alone help to carve the meat. Eating it for dinner after witnessing that? Shudder! I couldn’t possibly count the many times I was forced to sit at the table in tears until I ate the meat. But I would always find ways to dispose of it after everyone left the table without eating it.
To this day I have difficulty eating meat when I stop to think that I’m eating what was once a live creature, feasting upon its flesh and muscle, and can’t do it. But that’s just me. I don’t condemn anyone who eats meat, and have to cook it daily for my husband, or I have one very cranky man. Although it’s said that it isn’t healthy for people to eat more than several servings of red meat per week
I can eat meat in disguise of a hamburger or chili as long as I don’t think of what I’m doing. I try to get my protein by eating foods such as cashew nuts, beans, etc.
My major concern is the manner that seals are killed with these hakapiks. One would have to be up close and personal to know for certain that these seals aren’t being skinned alive, although your comment makes some sense about how they would twitch after they were already dead. If none were permitted to kill a seal in any other manner than a bullet, it wouldn’t be such an ordeal.
But the hair on my neck rises over killing of creatures in general that are near extinction. When it happens in the wild, it’s sadly a natural course of events, but not by man. But I digress from the issue at hand … I could go on forever when it comes to creatures that mother nature blessed us with
I’m off of my soapbox for the night.
Hehe, thanks for your added comment, you make me blush
Vi prego facciamo qualcosa x fermare qs scempio assurdo di sangue!ogni anno che passa è un’agonia..mi si riempie il cuore di dolore nel vedere quei poveri cuccioli uccisi a colpri di arpione!continuo a firmare petizioni..ma ogni volta si ripete lo stesso identico massacro..e la colpa è soltanto nostra!Le bestie siamo noi…
The above comment translated from Italian to English:
Please do something to stop x qs scempio absurd blood! Each year that passes is un’agonia .. I fills the heart of pain at seeing those poor puppies killed in colpri of arpione! Continued to sign petitions .. but every time repeats the same massacre .. and is only our fault! The beasts are we
Thanks Debbi
we should all stop the seal hunt together!
i love you all seals!
I dunno… I think I kinda like Debbi’s monoloques better.
I belive seals rights must be respected!! this cant happen anymore..we ned to act now! when I saw the videos and pictures I really started crying!please we ned to do something to help them!
WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WEAR A DEAD CARCASS ON YOUR BODY… BLOODY IDIOTS.
I prefer cotton… or 100% bamboo cotton around my body.
SEAL products… eesh~
I cried when I saw this, is there anything I can do to help???
Well, Linsday- geographically speaking, you’re a little far from the hunt. But you could start at the nearest place- slaughterhouses, or even grocery stores. You could protest the slaughter of cows- young and old- and the sale of their products. I don’t fancy you as a meat eater. Even stores specializing in leather would be good place to stage a protest.
Jeff, thanks so much for your comment to Lindsay. It’s been a little difficult as of late for me to reply to comments, which will not be the case so much in the near future
HOW ABOUT WE F***ING BEAT YOU LIKE THAT.
I HOPE YOU GUYS F***ING DIE.
THIS THING YOU CALL “MAN” HAVE NO F***ING HEART.
Whew! Good to see you’re back, Deborah. I was starting to wonder if you were okay!
Thanks Jeff
I had actually gone through a couple of surgeries in August and September, and it’s been a very slow recovery. It’s surprising how something like that puts a tax on your entire system, and for so long.
I was unable to get to the computer for a while after each surgery, and by the time I was able to respond to comments it was rather pointless
Even now it takes everything I have to publish something regularly and I’m too tired to reply to more than a few comments. I feel badly for that, but I do read and enjoy the comments people write. There’s only so much one can do over the course of a day 
I enjoy receiving your comments and visits, so please keep them coming
I’ve heard it said many times here that seals are skinned alive, in fact that excuse is being used by animal rights activists daily. Does anyone here think that skinning a living seal would be easy? Seals are strong animals and they are very hard to hold onto, so the person skinning the seal would not be able to get a good cut. Each bad cut devalues the price of the pelt significantly, so it’s not in the fisherman’s best interest to skin seals alive and destroy the pelts they worked so hard for.
George said: “FYI a really permanent fix to all this would be to stop eating any and all meat!! Humans are actually NOT carnivorous and our digestion systems weren’t designed for meat or it’s by-products.”
George, show us proof that the earth can support a vegan/vegetarian only lifestyle….
Well Geoff- the good old “skinned alive” argument is easier for the activists to sell. It sounds shocking. It’s a lot harder for them to flog the point of “don’t kill anything!” to a world of leather-wearers and hamburger-eaters. I really do think that most people realize that they are not skinned alive. That fallacy may help publicity-seekers/fund-raisers get names on a petition, but will it change the law (as in, canceling the seal hunt)?? Definitely not- For a legislative change, they would have to look at the facts. Question- Is it an environmental issue? Rebuttal: Yes, but in the other sense. They are dangerously overpopulated; they numbers must be culled to prevent unnecessary suffering. Question- Is it cruel that they skinned alive? Rebuttal: No. They are not skinned alive. Question- Is the hakapik cruel? No, it kills them immediately. Also, 90% are shot. Question: Is it wrong to kill animals at all?? Wrong- that’s a subjective term, depending on your inherited value system. I think everyone from most societies, however, can agree that it is wrong to kill an endangered species.
hi guys
Hey Michael old boy- What’s up?
they shouldn’t kill the seals
hi jeff judjing by your personalaty i bet your HOT!
OH AND JEFF HOW OLD ARE YOU?
I’m probably old enough to your Dad, Cutiepie. I’m 38, but I age well (I like to think so??!!)
Sorry- typo. …old enough to BE your Dad, Cutiepie.
Hahaha, I got a good chuckle reading both your comments, Jeff, as well as Cutiepie’s. Seems you have a fan-following
I’m not sure if you’re aware Jeff, but we publish new articles regularly … links to the most recent stories are available from the right sidebar towards the top. The reason that I mention this is because this is the only story that I see your comments
If you have spare time on your hands some days, please do read some of our other stories, you may find something that you enjoy 
EmmaIf i could have a chace to film hunting seals… i would take a gun with me to kill the people who kill these innocent animals.
I do not know where these people will re-born in their next life after doing such _____ things…
I want these hunters to feel how it will be.. when some one remove their skins.!!!!
Its fun to see that a couple of you people are nutjobs and phyco killers and pagans many of the animals dont live or feel the pain it just looks like that.besides its important for the people who live there . Would you rather have a couple dead animals or people starving for weaks on end because they have no money or access to food?!!!! besides fur is enviremental unlike many alternatives which are made with petrolium. I mean it would be better if they killed a few thousand less and killed the occasional living seal with a lethal injection. besides many of this is overhyped many have painless deaths. IF your going to complain heres my email John.amccafferty@yahoo.com so you dont waste the memory on this page but if you do it might seem like hate mail and thats preety easy because im cuban and my mom was an imigrant . By the way bamboo does not make a good mass produced item because it is an invasive species and destroys many habitats its exposed to.
sorry for any offense to you and you obbsesive ways and for the awful grammer im in 8th grade.
thanks for no responses i was testing to see how you reply and at least none of you are scornfull in the people who hates fce i hope you have a nice day
Hi John,
No response does not mean that your expression of your views holds no value or that you are being ignored. I think that it’s quite clear as to my point of view which I’ve shared extensively here, so let’s just agree to disagree, OK? We’re all entitled to our own views and values. It doesn’t lessen the value of either side.
While today has been a very difficult one for me after losing my best friend in my dog, and I’m far from being up to commenting today, I am to you so you do not feel slighted. I don’t say this out of fishing for sympathies, merely to hopefully open an awareness for you that there may often be numerous reasons for not receiving responses, and to validate your comments to you. Take care John.
Hmmm… maybe it was the namecalling that distanced people from you, John. Look at those opening statements! Wow!
I hope that everything that those STUPID SHAMELESS hunters do will be punished.
How would they feel if I hit them in the head until they are half alive and they skin them while they are still concious?
I hate with all my soul those people, ubdertood? HATE!
See, John? you don’t want to come across with too much emotion- look at Kurozumi, calling the hunters stupid (spelling errors and all). Kurozumi- like I repeated- they are not alive when they are skinned. The nerves make them twitch. Like all other animals- chickens, pigs, cows, humans etc, they twitch like crazy after a bullet is put into their brain. People who try to argue this, say that they believe the seals are merely unconscious, but still alive. You actually take it a step further by stating that they are conscious!! Ever try to touch a conscious seal? They can chew your arm off…
Sick!!! So inhuman!!!
this is the worse thing i have ever seen it made me want to cry..:[[[
This is ridiculous, there is no point doing this to the porr seals, if they were the “men best friend” they wouldnt be brutaly killed, this shouldnt be done to any animal, I wanted someone to do this to this idiots to see if they like.
Why does this isidious hunt even go on? And no, i don’t buy the “only life they have ever known” crap. The govt. can re-educate them to learn more…uhm…human jobs? No one eats these seals. Their lives are brutally brought to a painful end simply for fashion. that’s all!
It’s sickening and must stop!
Hi Jeff and Deborah,
Why you are always chuva chuva there?
They should kill all ugly seal faces so that no ugly creatures remain.
Ang mo react patay jud together with seals.
hi Jamal,
What are you doing here? Ive been searching for you for how many years. I’m here with salim…so whats up..u?
Please don’t comment on this issue…idiot…
Please change your mind go for not killing seals. Its better to kill you than killing seals.
thanx and god bless….
Your X
Latica
Hi friend
My group is “NO HUNTING FOR A LIVABLE WORLD”
Thanks for blog. It is consciousness
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40689880457#/group.php?gid=55021451750
Let me start off with saying I am a hunter and Part Native, that being said. I feel this act is a waste of our wildlife and is done in a manner of disrespect for the life of the creatures it effects. I can understand if the act is done to feed ones family but to be done for profit is a disgrace.
How we as Canadians let this go on year after year leaves me with the feeling of being ashamed to be part of such a great Nation, i thank everyone that puts an effort forward to at least reduce this act if not stop it all together.
Cheers.
CHUVA CHUVA?!
I would very much like to go kill everyone single seal hunters babies by beating them to death. This is gruesome and horrible
The protesters are are so lucky to have you as a spokesperson, Zoe. I hope nobody tracks you down for comments like that.
I understand that it’s brutal and looks disgusting but you cant just come to an assumption without looking at all the known facts. Native people need those seals up north to feed their families and guess what. they eat the whole thing and use almost all of it. Another thing, when they hit the seal in the head with the hakapik it kills them immediately its just their nerve system responding to the shock same as if you got hit with a taser your limbs tense up. I totally agree that its brutal and all but honestly you cant just go on listening to one side of the story and denying all the rest exists.
You truly are a smart kid
Hey everyone
I am not a hunter. I have no issues with anyone hunting, so long as they are following the protocols and all is done correctly.
Absolutely with emphasis on ‘done correctly’. For example, here we are overpopulated with deer…endangering the population does not enter into it…at all. If someone shoots a deer and it runs away rather than dropping dead, ‘done correctly’ says they must track and find and kill that deer rather than behaving irresponsibly and going home, leaving a suffering wounded deer to die a slow death. ‘Good’ hunters simply don’t do that. Are there
hunters among us (of every kind) who can’t be bothered to follow
these protocols and be sure that their activities are ‘done correctly’? Yes, certainly…and there can be no defense for their behaviour. Having said that, let me say that the actions of ‘bad hunters’ ought not be viewed as a viable reason to persecute all hunters as a whole and all hunting as a whole.
I use no seal products and would not miss them if they all became unavailable. Nevertheless, when a hunter passes a test, buys a permit and satisfies the legal requirements to pursue his activity, he is acting in accordance with the established LAW and as such, ought not to be interfered with, simply because of some ‘bad’ hunters that do not follow the protocols ‘correctly’.
Those of us that are convinced that the established LAW is in dire need of revision ought perhaps to focus our energies and attentions on the appropriate legislators and seek to have the appropriate laws revised. To interfere with a hunter’s lawful activity on a one-on-one independent basis is to break the LAW.
Paul Watson ( Founder of Sea Shepherd) found the truth of that the hard way when Greenpeace kicked him to the curb because he chose to ignore the proper protocols. He went from the status of ‘asset’ to ‘liability’ by doing just that…breaking the LAW.
When we resort to what can only be called vigilantism, we cross the line from ‘activist’ to ‘terrorist’. Make no mistake, the changes that are viewed by ‘activists’ to be so necessary will never be accomplished by terrorist activity…the LAW is on the side of the lawful, whether their lawful activities meet with our personal approval or not. Sensationalized reports and emotionalized propaganda will not change legislation.
And…that’s all I have to say about that.
Rick
Well said
Look, there are some bad hunters and people think the bad hunters are every hunter. Stop blaming all of the good ones. :s
i hate animal killers how would it feel if someone clubed you until you died just to use you for a cheap coat you would hate it. think about the animals not for yourself.i think animal killers should go to hell.
I think the seal hunt is a great thing, it is environmentally friendly provides a great living and controls the seal population to a healthy level. One thing that can be done is give out the seal meat to the needy free of charge all over the world. See http://www.usedfish.com rant 7 for info on the seal hunt.