For the Animals Truth about Canada's Commercial Seal Hunt

Some Proud Political Moments for the Canadian History Books: In Plain English: Is there a gas line with a slow leak somewhere that needs to be fixed? East Coast Sealers and Canadian Government have no respect or compassion for Seals The Seals show more love and compassion for their pups, eachother and life than some People John Efford from Newfoundland, Then, Minister of Natural Resources displays an image and words that could make any Canadian ashamed.... "Mr. Speaker, I would like to see the 6 million seals, or whatever number is out there, killed and sold, or destroyed or burned. I do not care what happens to them.... What [the fisherman] wanted was to have the right to go out and kill the seals. They have that right, and the more they kill the better I will love it." John Efford shown as he stands in his baby seal skin coat.
Our Governor General of Canada, her Royal Majesty's Representative knaws on a raw baby seal heart, she herself gutted from the seal. Is it tribute to the Inuit's culture or her way of mocking the worldwide protest against the commercial seal hunt. Meant to be symbolic, another example of the attitude we face in our Government. It would have seemed more sincere if that's what she was going for, if it had of been done off camera. We still would have heard about it all the same and it would have been less of a spectacle. I can't complain, it was an act that reassured European Union of their decision. These words were spoken as she licked the blood from her fingers. "Reminds me of the time I was protesting the government's placing wolves on the endangered species list (and lifting and placing again). I was eating wolf hearts left and right--those were the days." European Union Offical Representative said only few words in response to that spectacle " It was too bizarre too acknowledge!"
Gail Shea Canadian Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans On the very website belonging the DFO, which contains disturbing numbers of Total Allowable Catches (TAC) for the millions of seals killed year after year. The very department who not only allows the tragic extermination of these marine mammals on Canada’s Ice Floe’s but also standardizes the brutal way in which it is carried out… Heading Displays a News Bulletin: Government of Canada Protects Canadian Oceans and Wildlife Is this a revelation in the world of the Canadian Seals? Or Is this some sort of bad joke? Gail Shea, in honor of World Oceans Day has announced “two Areas of Interest for potential designation as Marine Protected Areas under the Oceans Act” as well as three new National Wildlife Areas. It is a sick joke and here's the punhline: This comes from a woman who is considering turning Sable Island in Nova Scotia, a National Park into a Seal Nursery Holocaust. Minister’s plans are in debate to slaughter over 220,000 gray seals which currently live on the Island. This includes pregnant females, males, young pups and nursing whitecoat pups. To meet their untimely demise by means of shooting, clubbing, the use of heavy loaders, mobile crematoriums and modified tree harvesting equipment (wood chippers). Why is this? So what exactly does this mean? This protection does not apply to seals. According to DFO's seal expert Don Bowen, a park designation would not prohibit a seal cull on the island. At a public meeting earlier this year, Bowen said "whether a hunt occurs or not is not a scientific decision, but a political or economic one." The 2009 study, obtained through an Access to Information request, examined the costs and logistics associated with "managing" the grey seal population on the fragile island, a whelping ground for the world's largest grey seal colony. Read more from *The Coast* a local Halifax News Website Furthermore on the above story
For it - the hunt - against it A Personal Choice We All Have The Right To Make I am Canadian and I get a say !

A seal, that was perhaps out fishing, returns to what use to be a Seal Nursery overflowing with playful & chattering seal pups and their parents. To find only remains of bloody slaughtered carcasses. Not a soul left alive. As she grieves alone she will also need to find a new place to call home. His coat makes him fair game, but he is very much still a youngster If we put a Stop to Seal Hunting in a Country. We will have the strength to stop it all over the World. This is very important, as long as Canada allows Seal Slaughtering, then the other 4 countries in the world who also hunt their seals, feel like nothing is changing and they are still 5 Countries strong. To eliminate 1 from the equation weakens their system, and so on. 4 then 3 then 2.... Seal Pups in Namibia South Africa, face the same carnage as our Canadian Seals. Please support this important stand for them. The world needs to work together and we can stop this! Their cruel slaughter was caught on film in 2009. These precious creatures suffer such a torment, how can people be so savage. Seals are peaceful & docile beings who deserve to live in peace. Read More Sign Petition to save Namibia's Seals from Seal Hunters. Follow the link here to watch a 3 minute video of Francois Hugo in Hout Bay South Africa raising 3 young seal pups that were orphaned after the Nimibia Seal Hunt & were found starving to death. They follow him around like puppies. It will give you some insight on what we are fighting for. Link to go to YouTube channel LORRRi100 Direct Link To Namibia Seal Video with Francois Hugo Seal Hunt Countries of the World Over 900,000 Seals are slaughtered each year in the most disturbing & barbaric ways imaginable In the order of highest numbers killed (as per wikipedia 2007) 1. Canada 234,000 2. Greenland 90,000 3. Namibia 85,000 4. Norway 29,000 5. Russia 5,476 Jaw Dropping Info It is believed that the number of harp seals killed each year is underreported by an estimated 38-89% ~ In 2001, it was official government trade statistics revealed that only 51% of Canada's 2 million pelts from harp and hooded seals killed between 1982-1999 were sold. ~ In Canada, harp seals are also at-risk of entanglement where an estimated 17,000 are killed in lumpfish gillnets in Newfoundland each year. Additionally, in the northeastern United States about 400 harp seals are estimated to be killed each year by entanglement in multispecies sink gillnet fisheries. ~ There have been reports that many whitecoats in Russia are not properly killed and are transported while injured to processing areas. In January 2000, a bill to ban seal hunting was passed by Russian parliament 273 votes to 1, however it was vetoed by President Vladimir Putin. ~ Great information included here, reports and pics can be found at MARINE BIO	It's hard to make a choice when you don't know that there is a choice to be made Today my son rushed into my office, remote in hand. He turned on the tv and said “look what’s on tv, you’ll like this.” For the first time in my life, I saw information in protest of the Canadian Seal Hunt on the screen of a television. It was a commercial from United States Humane Society advocating for the seals in Canada. It is great, absolutely. But it actually made me sad, as I thought “United States to the rescue and why haven’t our own Animal Protection Groups, Ontario SPCA or anyone ever ran anything like that before? Years ago or now? ” The seal hunt makes me question the integrity of everything I thought I knew about my own country and our Government. I grew up not knowing a thing about the seal hunt, not knowing that it even existed. I was in elementary school in 1984 when the Annual Seal Hunt ended. We learned nothing of this as kids, I didn't know anything about the event - I'm sure the world celebrated that day. Huge victory for the seals, a chance for generations to just be seals, in Canada. There were no commercials or advertisements. I don't ever recall over hearing adults talking about it, nor did anyone ever speak to me about it. But, it's not exactly a tale to tell a kid. In passing to hear something like "Bob went hunting, turkey season opened" - to me, I would hope inside quietly that he was a lousy shot that week, but it's those types of hunting activities that we know exist, they always will. I've tried to remember if I ever heard someone say those 3 words "the seal hunt'" and for the life of me, I couldn't have. Somewhere along the way, I learned that there is dear hunting, moose, turkey hunting. Not of the seal hunt, I guess it's just so shameful! I can remember clearly, around grade 7 almost everyone I knew had an identical Christmas Tree ornament. It was a large glass ball made by Hallmark, on it sat a white harp seal pup and I think it said "we heart our seals" on it, or something to that effect. I just thought everyone had them because the seals upon them were so cute, I'm sure most kids thought that. As a matter of fact, I recall many items having a harp pup on it come to think of it. If anyone my age knew anything about the real meaning of such a monumental icon, they kept it to themselves. If only these items quoted something like "Stop The Seal Hunt" or even "Visit the Coast and join the seal hunt this year" would more Canadians know. The hunt was not ever to taught or spoken of in school, I recall touching on the subject in high school in history but it was seriously just with " Centuries ago... Our Native people hunted seals... wore the fur...caught fish with spears...feed their family's..." and on to a new a new lesson. If this was something of a proud Canadian tradition, why doesn't this get put in the ciriculum for Canadian Schools. The first time I looked up information on it I was horrified. I could not believe what I was reading, what my own Government was allowing. I felt the blood rush to my head and I felt ill. I kept on reading page, after page, after page. Before I knew it 4 1/2 hours had passed, I was in disbelief. My eyes were foggy and sore from crying and a part of me had wished I never typed those words. This wasn't a one time hunt, it had been an annual event in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia like the CNE in Toronto - for centuries. It's not a hunt at all..... they kill baby's in Nurseries... while they're nursing and skin them for fur, then their parents...take the penises even if they don't want the adults coats or meat...then toss them in the water... why is it still happening?....Where is the government when this is going on?...Why hasn't the rest of the country stopped it? I think it's evident that this could be expected from some other places in the world, like countires that slaughter their dolphins - but not us, not Canada! Today, there are advocating sites, pages, groups, pictures and petitions are all over the web, most from people who live out of country, but more awareness is being made through internet social networking that is providing the people of this country with the awareness very much needed. I am pleased to see that more teenagers and older kids are learning about this Canadian dark cloud that hangs over us. It's not comforting when you feel you were kept in the dark about such a noteworthy topic for so long. It's important that they know things that happen in their country. Things that we are responsible for whether it's sending aid to Haiti or beating to death & slaughtering our very own newborn wildlife by the mass numbers in which it's done. Both of my own kids have learned nothing of it still in high school, and the hunt has been resurrected for 16 years. I wanted to be level headed and unbiased, so I went looking to hear from Sealers themselves, I wanted to see how the hell they could do this - not that the images or stories could ever be unetched from my brain. I found some quotes, some DFO statements, court testimonies, a couple of stories not much though. Some of the comments saddened me further. My dad's side of the family is from Newfoundland, nicest people you could ever meet, Can't even imagine my father running from baby seal to seal crushing their heads with a spiked club. I have good friends from Nova Scotia, lived their all their lives until a couple years ago. They have a huge family and don't know anyone who participates in this annual mutilation. They are sickened by it, say there is work to be found there, If you go out and try. Also mentioned the ratio to cost of living out east versus the income average. They purchased a home out there for $38, 000.00. So if that's the case, given Ontario homes on average 8 to 10 times that, I would think the salary to cost of living ratio would be balanced and out, so economically we here are in no better position than Canada's East Coast. I've only read 1 single quote that didn't sound criminal to say the least. He's just a fisherman who looks at seals like most do to bass or trout. He actually feels there is nothing wrong with what he does. Another story I found, Is now a book I am reading, I was so disturbed after I read about the briefing of it. I was in complete disbelief "Over The Side, Mickey" A Sealers first hand account of the 1997 Newfoundland Seal Hunt. He confesses about the realities of cruelty of the seal hunt. He admits his own unspeakable behaviors and the complete lack of humane treatment and compassion that the seal hunters inflict upon these very much living & feeling beings. I didn't think I could stomache continue reading it, but I felt I had to. read more about it in our FB Page discussion board Another seal hunter quoted I believe it said "... doesn't matter much if there's buyers in the market for the pelts or not. Some of us look forward to it, we just go every year 'cause we enjoy it. It's tradition." I 've read thousands of posts online from Canadians, news articles, websites, documents, petitions from people that are just as disgusted as myself. But since there are over 33,000,000 people in Canada and stats do say the majority of Canadians want the hunt to end, then why? Why the lack of the lack of movement? Is it believed "They'll never stop it" so it seems like a waste of time and effort? Trying to save any amount of lives for these seals could never be a waste of time. Is it upsetting to talk about and that's when the swept under rug motion takes over? I know I don't want this still taking place when I have grandchildren. If you know, you are against it and simply turn the other way; what will you say when your Grandchildren ask you about the cute seal in the picture and why there aren't anymore left? Is it shameful to people, like I find it? Although It seems most who find it shameful are furious about it, and act to end it. Are the Canadian people afraid of the Government? This is Canada baby and the truth is not illegal to talk about or to stand up for. Keep it honest and civil. Protestors to thousands of causes have been around for generations. Do Canadians feel that to make a stand against the hunt, it means we hate the East Coast or we will isolate Atlantic Canada? It by no means should. The seal hunt represents a fraction of income to them, they will still fish most months out of the year. We don't need to abandon the coast we need to help eachother find new resolution, positive resolution. We can save the wildlife, that were actually here before we were. Other countries have offered to help to implement new ideas to replace this industry (an industry that is on it's way out anyway). President Obama promised himself, back when he was a Senator, he vowed to work with us to find every fisherman alternative employment and implement new ideas for our country. We are Canada, we are resilient. We will be fine. We may not be fine if the boycott of Canadian Seafood continues, that will hit the country hard and fast. And you can trust, as long as this hunt continues so will the boycott. The world backs those of us who want it to end. Regardless of who has what opinion we all have the freedom to choose. Or atleast, we should. Don't shelter your kids from it. I wish I had the choice years ago. The next time you join a friend for coffee, ask them their opinion. If they happen to know little about it, inform them. Tell them to go online and look it up. If the Seals have to endure it, we atleast need to learn about it. If you are Canadian and you are against it make it known. Make a page, write a letter, support Senator Harb, sign a petition, join a blog or just advocate verbally. Visit our You Tube Video END THE CANADIAN SEAL HUNT FOREVER It is not recorded video footage of a suffering seal, which are most definately vital evidence to the true cruelty endured by these gentle creatures. For the very sensitive or queezy this video contains still shots and packed full of key points pertaining to the hunt, organization support, contacts & numbers of seal losses for many years. A great way to inform others summed up in 10 minutes. We are now 30 strong! European union should be proud of their Decision A total of 30 countries now refuse to allow the sale of seal products. In March 2009, Russia announced a ban on the hunting of seals less than one year of age, effectively ending its commercial hunt for harp seal pups in the White Sea. The United States has banned Canadian seal products since 1972.The Netherlands and Belgium also banned seal products. Belgium was the first EU country to place a ban in all seal products on 25th January 2007. Holland was the 2nd countryin 2007. EU countries (Luxemburg, Germany, Austria, UK, and Italy) have already taken steps to ban the trade in seal productsThe US, Mexico and Croatiahave banned the trade in seal products. The US in 1972followed by Mexico (both through a Marine Mammal Protection Act, which prohibits the import, export and marketing of all marine mammal products), Croatia in 2006. The European Parliament has passed a motion banning the import of seal products and sets as a larger goal an EU-wide ban (That is where we need to press the issue now!), and if possible make it for all seal products, including from Namibia, Russia, Norway and Greenland. The European Union introduced in 1983 a ban on seal products derived from whitecoats (newborn harp seals, less than 12 days old) and bluebacks (young hooded seals, less than one year old). Unfortunately, this ban is not effective in order to stop the current trade of harp and hooded seal pelts in Europe. Seals are hunted when they are few days older and their pelts can be legally traded in the EU, which happens to be one of the largest market for seal products. In December 2005, the Dutch Parliament iniciated a legislative proposal to ban the import, export and all marketing of harp and hooded seals and their derived products. The Resolution asks the European Commission to produce a legislative proposal for a seal ban. In October 2006, the European Parliament adopted another resolution on the Animal Welfare Action Plan which calls for an EU wide ban on seal products. Italy introduced in 2005 a temporary ban on seal products. A governmental proposal for a permanent ban is awaited. Last year, the German Parliament voted unanimously on a motion urging the government to ban seal products. In September 2006, the European Parliament called for an end to the trade in seal products. A total of 425 (of 732) Members of the European Parliament signed a Written Declaration setting a record for the highest number of signatures on any single Written Declaration. The Resolution asks the European Commission to produce a legislative proposal for a seal ban. In October 2006, the European Parliament adopted another resolution on the Animal Welfare Action Plan which calls for an EU wide ban on seal products. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called in November 2006 on its Member States to introduce national bans on seal derived products. Information found at : *For all living beings in need, abused or forgotten by humans* Interesting Reading: Seal swims to rescue of drowning dog Chris Hinds, a court warrants officer, was out walking his own dogs when he saw An alsatian-cross injured and whimpering at the water's edge. As he approached, it panicked and plunged into the River Tees only to be swept away by the fast-flowing tide on Tuesday evening. Ran to call the fire brigade and RSPCA from his mobile phone in his car parked nearby. Mr.Hinds stayed on the bank beneath Newport Bridge, Middlesbrough, to follow the path of the injured dog. As the dog yelped 30ft out and he shouted, a seal popped up and began to circle the stricken animal. Then to Mr Hind's amazement it swam up behind the dog and used its nose to push it by the backside on to mudflats. "I just couldn't believe what was happening in front of my eyes, it was a truly amazing experience I will never forget," said Mr Hinds, of Middlesbrough, who had been out walking his own two dogs. I thought the dog would die because there was nothing I could do to get to it. When the seal suddenly appeared from nowhere I wondered what it would do. It took a matter of seconds to save the dog. I don't know why the seal did what it did. I can't explain it." The rescued dog, thought to be aged between five and eight, had a gashed head and an injured rear leg. It had no collar and police are now trying to trace the owner. Sub-officer Mark Baxter of Stockton fire station said: "It is one of the strangest things I have ever heard. By the time we arrived the dog was on dry land and there were three common seals bobbing in the water keeping an eye on him." Laura Glover, of the RSPCA, said: "The dog owes its life to the seal." Common seals were instinctively protective animals and, unlike grey seals, rarely aggressive, said Dominic Waddell, an expert in seal behaviour and senior aquarist at Scarborough's Sealife and Marine Sanctuary. He added: "The seal might have seen the dog as something unusual which should not have been in the water. They are highly inquisitive, it would circle the dog and then push it to the river bank sensing it should be on land." He compared the rescue to dolphins guarding shark attack victims to keep them from harm. "Whatever, it is an amazing story and shows how intelligent seals are." See full story at Telegraph UK NO SHAME for some Nova Scotian’s: Nothing Short of Heart Wrenching More proof Seals are not Respected as Wildlife In Our East Coast Beaten to death for fun, 2 gray seal pups beaten with boards and left for dead in Nova Scotia. Suffering for many hours, one still barely alive,when the 2 pups were spotted authorities were called to investigate and to tend to the one surviving pup laying on the shore. The entire incident is not as important as that cup of coffee being drank on the other end. Government accusations of the seals in the east being responsible for the cod collapse angers the sealers. They believe what they are told, although no scientific evidence backs the theory up. Evidence points to the contrary in fact. But in the meanwhile, the seals suffer yet again. DFO's Arthur LeBlanc claims seals may have died "from natural causes." These are authoratative representatives of my Country, I am beyond ashamed. I passed ashamed 50 idiots ago. Eye Witness Tells Story: There is a deep-seated hatred of grey seals in the fishing industry. Seals are blamed for the collapse of the cod fishery and its failure to rebound.This theory is not supported by scientific evidence and is out of touch with reality.Fishermen maintain because there are more seals, that means less fish. *They will not admit that perhaps the fact that there are more fishing* boats, there are less fish! >>>> go to original story and help the gray seals, they need us desperately.
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Cold facts about the hunt Seal Killers brutalizing adult Seals and their Seal pups but … ”It’s okay! It’s a part of our Heritage, our Culture” What is the Seal Hunt? In Canada the Annual Seal Hunt is the Government approved killing of hundreds of thousands of male & female Seals & their newborn Seal Pups. Some refer to it as being more like a holocaust among marine life, a slaughter or a massacre rather than a hunt. The reason for these terms is that the hunters make their way onto the ice floes and into the nurseries [areas where the seals have nested to give birth to their young, a.k.a. whelping grounds]. Very large groups stay in these nurseries. Mothers who have just given birth may be disadvantaged and slower to move than normal, newly born pups that are still nursing are left abruptly without means to survive, pups that legally are considered “Fair Game” are usually just 14-20 days old but aren’t familiar with swimming until weeks later. They begin by playing & splashing in the puddles on the ice floes. Unlike a hunt that would take place when dear or moose season opens, there is no chase, speed or skill necessary. Nowhere for the seals to go other than the water since this takes place in an open area and pups move slowly as they learn to adjust to life. The terms also are used due to the massive numbers of seals being killed annually in the same areas. Is the Seal Hunt done for Food? Not exactly. The commercial seal hunt provides minimal food for anyone, although flippers of the seals are eaten as a delicacy in the East Coast. The seals are skinned for their pelts, and males for their penises [said to be aphrodesiac in Asia] for export to other countries that but them for fashion products. Quoted from an article and stated by a sealer, although not the point he was trying to make. This is an admission that seal pups have little meat and harvested for simply their fur “It is not a well known fact, but it is accurate that the great majority of seal meat is fully utilized. It angers me when I see on the TV pictures of whitecoat seal carcasses just left on the ice. There is very little useable meat on an animal of that age.“ Considering 98% of seals killed in the hunt are pups under 90 days old this is a serious concern to the world. Traditional Inuits do not participate in commercial hunt, they hunt ringed seal mainly and do use entire seal for food and other necessities. Are Seals fish? No seals are not fish. Although the Canadian Government and seal killers would like the world to believe that they are no different from a fish that they haul out of the Atlantic, seals are mammals who express clear emotions. Males and females reach sexual maturity between 4-6 years. This gregarious species gather together during the breeding season to form dense breeding grounds that contain up to 2,000 seals per sq km. Male courting rituals include calling, blowing bubbles, making pawing gestures, and chasing females on the ice. Pups are born from late February-April. Canada's types of seals earless seals, known as pinnipeds and are placed in the Caniformia group (dog like), generally as a superfamily. Eared seals like the fur Cape seals of Namibia in South Africa are also in this group. When divided into the groups of super families they are done so as follows - Odobenidae – walruses Otariidae – sea lions, eared seals, and fur seals Phocidae – true (earless) seals How many Seals do they kill and what species? The seal hunting Industry allows for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seals in different areas each year. Quotas are established in the early spring of each year. Numbers shown below show Total Allowable Catches to range annually from 250, 000 to 390, 000 seals to be killed per season. Although Harp Seal pups [note these are baby seals who have molted their first coat, at age 10- 14 days] are the Primary target in the Canadian Seal Hunt, Seals and pups of all species are hunted in these manors. Harp Seals, Hooded Seals, Grey Seals are the seals hunted in this particular hunt. Canada is also home to Ringed Seals, Bearded Seals and Harbor Seals, numbers are also established for TAC for these animals, noting that the market for these types of pelts is very little, Inuit in Nunavut hunt mainly ringed seals. Species Year TAC Total Killed Harp 2002 275,000 312,367 2003 289,512 289,512 2004 350,000 365,971 2005 319,500 329,829 2006 335,000 354,867 2007 270,000 224,745 2008 275,000 217,636 2009 280,000 74,581 2010 330,000 68,000 Species Year TAC Total Killed Hooded 2002 10,000 150 2003 10,000 151 2004 10,000 389 2005 10,000 20 2006 10,000 2007 8,200 2008 8,200 533 2009 8,200 10 2010 Species Year TAC Total Killed Grey 2005 10,000 575 2006 10,400 2000 2007 9,000 887 2008 12,000 1,472 2009 50,000 254 2010 220,000 Cancelled (small victory, oh yah!!) Bearded Seals between 1996-2005 670 Harbour Seals between 1996-2005 632 Ringed Seals between 1996-2005 11,266 What area does the Hunt Take Place? Canada's commercial seal hunt occurs on the ice floes off Canada's East Coast in two areas: the Gulf of St. Lawrence (west of Newfoundland and east of the Magdalen Islands) and the "Front" (northeast of Newfoundland). What weapons are used? Tools enforced for slaughter our seals included in The Canadian Marine Mammal Regulations, which govern the hunt, stipulate sealers may kill seals with wooden clubs, hakapiks (large ice-pick-like clubs) and guns. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, clubs and hakapiks are the killing tool of choice, and in the Front, guns are more widely used. It is important to note that each killing method is demonstrably cruel. Because sealers shoot at seals from moving boats, the pups are often only wounded. The main sealskin processing plant in Canada deducts $2 from the price they pay for the skins for each bullet hole they find—therefore sealers are loath to shoot seals more than once. As a result, wounded seals are often left to suffer in agony—many slip beneath the surface of the water where they die slowly and are never recovered. How many Canadian Hunters are there? Sealing is an off season supplement conducted by fishermen from Canada's East Coast. They make, on average, a small fraction of their annual incomes from sealing—and the rest from commercial fisheries during the rest of the year. Even in Newfoundland, where 90 percent of sealers live, the government estimates there are less than 6,000 fishermen who actively participate in the seal hunt each year. Is the seal hunt inhumane, do the animals suffer? Opinions vary, of course many sealers declare they don't suffer. However, according to Federal Law Journalists have a constitutional right to observe the hunt that was affirmed under a 1989 Federal Court of Appeal ruling. The federal Government have a right to issue observer permits, to prevent the ice from being overcrowded with observers. A Seal Fishery Observation Licence in 2008 cost $25, and regulations on who is eligible for a license, were found in the Marine Mammal Regulations. Shocking and disturbing images of extensive animal cruelty and prolonged suffering of these mostly newborn seals have created the uproar with animal cruelty organizations, entire countries, individuals and veterinarians since. Evidence that the cruelyu still exists is exibited each year. Parliamentarians, journalists, and scientists who observe Canada's commercial seal hunt each year continue to report unacceptable levels of cruelty, including sealers dragging conscious seals across the ice floes with boat hooks, shooting seals and leaving them to suffer in agony, stockpiling dead and dying animals, and even skinning seals alive. Documentation and eye witness acounts of such verify this. Although DFO has amended regulations to the Seal Hunt, it is apparent nothing much has changed regardging how the hunt is carried out. Some say "Old habits Die Hard". In 2001, a report by an independent team of veterinarians studied the hunt and concluded that governmental regulations regarding humane killing were neither being respected nor enforced, and that the seal hunt failed to comply with Canada's basic animal welfare standards. Shockingly, the veterinarians found that in 42 percent of the cases they studied, the seals had likely been skinned alive while conscious. In defense of some Sealer's, there are bound to be sealer's out there who do abide strictly by regulations and are as humane as possible, it is not known what percent that may be. However, it is the hunt of the seals itself that at best is inhumane. Parliamentarians, journalists, and scientists who observe Canada's commercial seal hunt each year continue to report unacceptable levels of cruelty, including sealers dragging conscious seals across the ice floes with boat hooks, shooting seals and leaving them to suffer in agony, stockpiling dead and dying animals, and even skinning seals alive. Grey seals today are persecuted in a number of ways. Fishermen are allowed to shoot "nuisance seals" (ie seals that eat what the fishermen consider to be "their" fish and lobsters). There have been reports of seals being shot by fishermen and left to suffer for days before succumbing to their injuries. There are reports of seals being killed by underwater leg-hold traps snapping shut on their snouts and holding them prisoner until they drown (a long, protracted and in extremely inhumane manner to kill seals, according to the European Food Safety Authority). The commercial grey seal hunt in Nova Scotia is completely unregulated, unmonitored and the humaneness of the killing cannot be verified by DFO, by its own admission. A DFO official in February of 2007 admitted to a Coalition founding member that the annual slaughter of grey seal pups in Port Hood, Nova Scotia is unregulated, unmonitored and very likely inhumane. For details of that statement, please see the related press release. DFO does not guarantee that quotas are not exceeded (DFO relies on "hail-ins" from sealers, wherein sealers will call in and *tell* them how many seals they have killed) and does not monitor the killing ("We don’t look over their shoulders as they work"). Nova Scotia fishermen are given free reign to kill as many grey seals as they can find and kill them in any manner they see fit. Animal advocates groups make there way to the east coast each year during the hunt in protest of the event and bare witness to the slaying of the seals. It has even been suggested that the sealers become excessively cruel when these witnesses are in view, in hopes to have animal advocates step in or intervene with the torture. As the hunters or sealers know they are protected by Canadian Federal Laws and the Coast Guard, and it is illegal to interfere with any part of the hunt, or approach the sealers. Do they make use of all seal parts? No. Actually, most of the seal goes to waste. The fur is sold to high-end retailers like Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Prada. Some of the penises are sold as aphrodisiacs in Asia, and the oil is sold as a health supplement. The blubber is sometimes collected, but a 2006 study by Memorial University discovered that 80% of it is simply discarded. Meanwhile, the meat of the seal rots on the ice, as it is generally considered inedible and unfit for human consumption. On its website, the Canadian government admits that "finding a market for seal meat outside of Newfoundland continues to present a major challenge for the sealing industry." Stated by a sealer, although not the point he was trying to make. This is an admission that seal pups have little meat and harvested for simply their fur “It is not a well known fact, but it is accurate that the great majority of seal meat is fully utilized. It angers me when I see on the TV pictures of whitecoat seal carcasses just left on the ice. There is very little useable meat on an animal of that age.“ Considering 98% of seals killed in the hunt are pups under 90 days old this is an interesting admission is unsettling. I have heard that the Seals are eating all of the cod resulting in a depleting fishing industry in the east coast, is this true? The DFO, Government of Canada and Sealers continue to insist that this is true. Seemingly, one of a handful of reasons attempted to justify the hunt as a necessity for the well being of our Canadian fishermen and Canada’s fishing Industry. Many determinations to prove this is false have been brought to the table. Multiple reports from scientists, wildlife protection organizations, even Sealer's association itself . It seems that when these determinations are presented, other reasons then become the focus on why the hunt is essential, then presented by the above parties to justify the seal hunt. Some facts presented include, cod is only a small fraction of the seals' diet and that seals also prey on species that in turn, prey on cod. Thus a larger cod population may accompany a larger seal population. Visit here to learn more on the fishery crisis and overfishing issues Is the seal hunting a source of income that Canada depends on, is it economically important? The commercial seal hunt is an activity that the federal government could easily replace with economic alternatives, should it choose to do so. One option is a government buy-out. The HSUS and HSI advocate that the sealers ask the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to buy back their sealing licences. This will ensure that the sealers receive fair compensation for the additional income they make from participating in the commercial seal hunt each year. When Canada ended its commercial whale hunt, it did so through exactly this sort of license buyout scheme. As sealing licenses are sold by the DFO, only the DFO can buy them back. The DFO is the only entity that can bring an end to the commercial seal hunt. Senior officials from DFO have made clear that the only condition under which it will end the commercial seal hunt is if and when the sealer/fishermen ask for it to be ended. For this reason, we are working hard through the ProtectSeals boycott of Canadian seafood to provide adequate motivation to Canada's sealer/fishermen to retire their hakapiks and rifles and focus exclusively on fishing in the future. In 2008, only 1.3 percent of the landed value of seafood in Newfoundland came from the seal hunt. The rest came from seafood. Many organizations around the world support this approach of the seafood boycott, this will inevitably result in financial crisis for the entire country. These effects will be felt from Province to Province and will result in far greater loss to our economy than the seal industry, fur products of all types are quickly diminishing in todays world. Perhaps only then will the government listen to the Canadian people [anti-sealing Canadians] and act upon the need to end the hunt for the sake of their country. Does the Government spend money or subsidize the hunt? They continue to deny that they do. However, with the decline in seal pelt demand prices have dropped significantly yet their expenses regarding the hunt are rising. It is said that the seal pelt industry over the last couple of years has actually cost money to the country. The Government fails to comprehend that just because they do not directly place a pay cheque in the hands of the sealers, they are indirectly spending immense amounts of money on the hunt, annually. According to reports from the Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment, more than $20 million in subsidies were provided to the sealing industry between 1995 and 2001. Those subsidies came from entities such as the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Human Resources Development Council, and Canada Economic Development–Quebec. These subsidies take a variety of forms, including funding the salaries for seal processing plant workers, market research and development trips, and capital acquisitions for processing plants. In 2004, more than $400,000 was provided by the Canadian government to companies for the development of seal products, and as recently as April 2007, the Canadian Coast Guard—at the taxpayer's expense—broke through the ice for the sealing vessels as it does each year. In 2007, the Canadian Coast Guard estimates that it spent an additional $3.5 million rescuing sealing vessels. Moreover, Canada's commercial seal hunt is also indirectly subsidized by the Norwegian government. A Norwegian company purchases close to 80% of the sealskins produced in Canada in any given year through its Canadian subsidiary. These skins are shipped in an unprocessed state directly to Norway, where they are tanned and re-exported. The Norwegian government provides significant financial assistance to this company each year. Which positions do the political parties in Canada have regarding the Seal Hunt? I have heard & read many different opinions on this. It has been stated on more than 1 occasion that no political party wants too be the one (Green Party aside, and Mac Harb) to end the hunt. If financial crisis was to follow it would implicate them as the cause. Conservatives – Yes, support the hunt. Obviously. Liberal party of Canada- Are in support of the hunt not the way its currently operating, Liberals cast blame to the Conservative party for the drop in the seal industry. I think they are missing the big picture that NO ONE WANTS FUR ANYMORE or products retrieved from such a cruel ritual. - March 3, 2009 OTTAWA - The Liberal Party of Canada supports a sustainable and humane seal hunt, said Liberal Fisheries Critic Gerry Byrne. The Liberal Party of Canada’s support of Canada’s fully sustainable and humane seal harvest is solid,” said Mr. Byrne. “Our party’s position has not changed. What has changed is the Conservative government’s refusal to protect this industry from to the recent barrage of attacks by the anti-seal hunt lobby. In the three years that this government has been in power, the market value of this natural product has dropped by more than 85 percent and yet the Conservative government has done nothing to protect this industry. This is yet another example of the Conservative government being asleep at the switch during our worst economic challenge in two decades.” Continues to say “Unlike the Conservatives who don’t allow members of their caucus to have differing opinions, Liberal MPs and Senators are allowed to vote freely on private member’s business,” said Mr. Byrne. “As the Official Opposition, the Liberal Party of Canada will continue to support a balanced and sustainable approached to the seal hunt. We will continue to work hard to ensure the hunt is conducted in a safe and humane manner.” IMPORTANT: In reference to the above The Honorable Senator Mac Harb, of Ottawa, Canadian Senate has made history as the 1^st Canadian Senator in history to call upon the Government to end the seal hunt. He has the support of millions, yet the Can Gov laughed him off. A bill was read and no other Senator would stand behind him, for fear of controversy within the Senate. Mac Harb continues to fight for the Seals, the Residents of Canada who want this event to conclude, and the outraged organizations throughout the world. Support Senator Harb on this much needed change. NDP – Yes, The NDP Party do support the Seal Hunt. Green Party of Canada- Initially the Green Party was like millions across the country misrepresented by Government mumbo jumbo and knew nothing of the true facts about what takes place during the torturous weeks on the coast each year for our unfortunate seals. The Green Party changed its position thanks to Newfoundland anti-sealing activist Rebecca Aldworth who attended the Green Party Convention in August 2004. She presented a unsettling video of footage that was taken by herself from the front at the seal hunts and talked with delegates. In the vote that followed, the Green Party condemned the hunt by a vote of 98 to 7 becoming the first Canadian political party to oppose the seal slaughter. The Newfoundland delegates have vowed to fight this new policy at the 2005 convention. This means that now, Canadians do have an alternative if they choose to not support a political party that endorses the horrific mass slaughter of seals. So NO, The Green Party of Canada does no longer support the Seal Hunt. Canadians should re-assess their political party of choice and look further at their options. Integrating support for a party such as the Green Party could bring many beneficial changes for the people, animals & wildlife and the environment. Bloc - Yes, they do support the Seal Hunt. What countries oppose or support the seal hunt? In the past, largely due to considerable international pressure, several measures were taken to show Canada the time had long time been here to end the hunt, thus affecting the Canadian seal hunt exported materials and products. United States - In 1972, the United States prohibited the import of seal products under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In 1987, the Canadian government prohibited the hunting of the harp seal pups, at the “whitecoat” stage. (Alleged evidence declares they remain hunted). The Continent of Europe -More recently, there has been a movement implementing a trading ban of seal products altogether from the European Union. The union consists of 27 European Countries See European Union [Wikipedia] Officials from EU have heard abroad the complaints and opposition from concerned Canadian Citizens and Organizations throughout the world. The EU provided Steven Harper an opportunity to support the claims of Canadian Government in their continued appeals that the Seal hunt is infact carried out in a humane way and monitored thoroughly. EU Officials strategically, announced with rather short notice, that they were sending a team of independant experts on a "FACT FINDING MISSION" to view the 2007 Canadian Seal Hunt. Harper rejected this. "If a team of experts wasn’t able to look at what is happening, and how it is being conducted, why do they (the Canadian government) claim that other evidence is not correct?” said Dimas, to Canwest News Service. Who also said he will present legislation soon to ban all seal product imports into Europe. This sealed the deal. Ban went into effect under a month ago, thus exempting seal products sold by groups including the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which represents Canada's 53,000 Inuit, and Greenland's Inuit. April 17, 2008: EU official criticizes Canada for blocking seal hunt observers "Canada fumbled its chance to prove once and for all that its critics are wrong in asserting that the seal hunt is cruel and inhumane." read story Seals are “sentient beings that can experience pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering,” reads the EU law, passed by 550 to 49 in the European Parliament in May 2009. Janez Potocnik It has been said by the Government that the ban from Europe would be unfair to the Inuit Communities and would hurt their livelihood. Is this true? No, This is false. As the Canadian Government has been made very aware of. Inuits would be exempt from such ban. In essence no one opposes the Inuit communities continuing their hunting for substinence. This is the Inuits who live traditional and cultural lives, and rely on seals for food and a means of life. It is that of the Commercial Harvest of the Seals which is the outrage worldwide and the outdated hunt itself. Why is that? This is so in light of the fact the Inuit population make use of 98% of each animal that they harvest. Also, they do not participate in the Commercial Seal Hunt they hunt seals as they always have, it is their Heritage. Their harvests are used to feed their family’s, for warmth and light, food for their pets, and for trade for the necessities of life that the animal cannot provide. They waste nothing and appreciate their harvested animal. Important note: Inuits hunting seals make up less than 3 % of seals killed annually in Canada. It should be noted: See Inuit Culture - Wikipedia Greens' anti-sealing stance doesn't apply to Inuit: Ittinuar The green party’s Candidate in Nunavut speaks to his fellow Inuits to clarify the Issue. The Green Party's candidate in Nunavut says his party's position against Canada's sealing industry does not include Inuit sealers, adding that his party would create a certification program for Inuit-harvested seal products. Peter Ittinuar said such certification would exempt Inuit seal products from international bans on Canadian seal exports. "The world still loves Inuit," he told CBC News in an interview. "If we isolate ourselves as a unique culture and from a unique place, I think their prejudices and discriminations on things like seal products will go by the wayside." Ittinuar, a former NDP and Liberal MP in the 1980s, said he and national Green leader Elizabeth May agreed that the party would support seal hunting by Inuit, even though the party opposes the sealing industry on Canada's East Coast. "I said, 'You know what? The Inuit have got to detach themselves from that," he said of the East Coast seal hunt. Inuits driven out of the East Coast of Canada It seems Canada's Inuits are only given consideration when they needed for a cause: like fighting issues like keeping their commercial Seal Hunt going Canadian Strategy Map 'leaves out' Inuit Communities The head of Canada's national Inuit organization has slammed the design of a map — released with fanfare this week by three federal ministers as part of a report showcasing the Conservative government's Arctic strategy that "leaves out" the Inuit communities of northern Quebec and Labrador. The map is a centre piece of the slickly produced, 44-page document titled " Canada's Northern Strategy: Our North, Our Heritage, Our Future" that graphically illustrates the large number and widespread distribution of populated places throughout Canada's Arctic frontier, one of the strongest expressions of the country's sovereignty in the North. But while dozens of communities are identified in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, the map does not pinpoint any of the 20 Inuit towns and villages in northern Quebec and Labrador. "Inuit find it unacceptable that a map labeled 'Canada's North' on pages six and seven leaves out all the Inuit communities in Nunavik (Northern Quebec) — where I live — as well as those in Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador)," Mary Simon, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said in a statement issued early Tuesday. Later in the day, the Canadian government acknowledged the oversight and revealed plans to make corrections to properly reflect the Inuit presence across Canada's northeastern Arctic coast. "Nunavik and Nunatsiavut are in fact included in the Northern Strategy, and we agree with Mary Simon's point that the residents there are mainly Inuit, Arctic people," the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs said in a statement sent to Canwest News Service. "We are in the process of revising the maps in the Northern Strategy document and website to more clearly reflect that the two regions are included." Read Full Story

The head of Canada's national Inuit organization has slammed the design of a map — released with fanfare this week by three federal ministers as part of a report showcasing the Conservative government's Arctic strategy that "leaves out" the Inuit communities of northern Quebec and Labrador.