Seal hunting

Sealing redirects here, for other uses, see sealing (disambiguation).

Seal hunting or sealing refers to the practice, history and industries associated with both "personal" and "commercial" hunting of seals.

History

Historically, seal coats have been prized for both their beauty and their warmth. Seal oil was often used as lamp fuel, lubricating and cooking oil, for processing such materials as leather and jute, and as a constituent of soap. The meat was an important source of protein, vitamin A and iron for the Eskimo. Reports from modern-day seal-meat connoisseurs vary: some reports praise its delicate flavour, others claim it is unfit for human consumption.

Archeological evidence indicates that the Native Americans and Native Canadians have been hunting seals for at least 4,000 years. There is also evidence that seals were hunted in northwest Europe and the Baltic Sea more than 10,000 years ago.

The first commercial hunting of seals is said to have occurred in 1515, when a cargo of fur seal skins from Uruguay was sent to Spain for sale in the markets of Seville.

Sealing began to become more prevalent in the late 1700s when seal herds in the southern hemisphere began to be exploited by whalers. In 1778, English sealers brought back from the Isle of Georgia and Magellan Strait as many as 40,000 seal skins and 2,800 tons of elephant seal oil. In 1791, 102 vessels, manned by 3000 sealers, were hunting seals south of the equator. Most of the pelts taken during these expeditions would be sold in China.

The peak of the sealing industry occurred in 1821, when Lloyd's Register had 164 sealing vessels on their records. However, by 1830, most seal stocks had been seriously depleted, and Lloyd's records only showed one full-time sealing vessel on its books.

Seals have been hunted in Atlantic Canada since the early 16th century. The Newfoundland seal hunt became an annually recorded event starting in 1723. By the late 1800s, sealing had become the second most important industry in Newfoundland, second only to cod fishing.

Since then, a number of nations have outlawed the hunting of seals and other marine mammals. Today, commercial sealing is conducted by only five nations: Greenland, Namibia, Norway, Russia, and Canada. The United States, which had formerly been heavily involved in the sealing industry, now maintains a complete ban on the commercial hunting of marine mammals, however, indigenous peoples are allowed to hunt a small number of seals each year.

Modern sealing

Hunting is now controlled by quota regulations based on international recommendations by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

Canada

In Canada, the season for the commercial hunt of harp seal is from November 15 to May 15. The majority of sealing, however, occurs in late March in The Gulf of St. Lawrence, and during the first or second week of April off Newfoundland, in an area known as "The Front". This peak spring period is generally what is referred to as the "Canadian Seal Hunt". In 2006, the St. Lawrence seal hunt officially started on March 25. This date was initially uncertain, due to thin ice conditions caused by the year's milder temperatures.

In 2003, the three-year harp seal quota granted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans was increased to a maximum of 975,000 animals, with a maximum of 350,000 animals in any two consecutive years. In 2006, 325,000 harp seals, as well as 10,000 hooded seals and 10,400 grey seals will be killed. An additional 10,000 animals are allocated for hunting by Aboriginal peoples.

The Canadian seal hunt is monitored by the Canadian government and animal rights groups. However, although approximately 70% of Canadian seals killed are killed on "The Front", the vast majority of private monitors focus on the St. Lawrence hunt, due to its more convenient location.

The 2006 St. Lawrence leg of the hunt was officially closed on Apr. 3, 2006. Sealers had exceeded the quota by 1,000 animals by the time the hunt was closed.

Regulations

• Marine Mammal Regulations, SOR/93-56

Canadian sealing regulations include, among others:

• The minimum and maximum dimensions of both the clubs and the hakapiks that can be used;
• The minimum caliber of rifle and minimum bullet velocity that can be used;

And the following stipulations:

• “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”;
• “[A] seal is dead 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”;
• “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 legally once they have started moulting (from 12 to 15 days of age for harp seals), as this coincides with the time when they are abandoned by their mothers. These pups, who have not yet completely moulted are known as "ragged-jackets". Once the pups have completely moulted, they are called "beaters".

Export

Pelts: Canada's biggest market for seal pelts is Norway. Carino Limited is one of Newfoundland's largest seal pelt producers. Carino (CAnada-RIeber-NOrway) is marketing its seal pelts mainly through its parent company, Rieber Skinn A/S, Bergen, Norway.

Canada sold pelts to 11 countries in 2004, with Norway, Germany, Greenland, and China purchasing the largest quantities. Other buying countries were Finland, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Greece, South Korea, and Russia.

Meat: 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.

Greenland

Although official figures for the Greenland seal hunt are not available, the government of Canada estimates that 20,000 to 25,000 seals are killed in Greenland annually.

In Jan. 2006, the government of Greenland banned imports of Canadian seal skins, citing fears that Canadian seals are brutally beaten to death. The boycott, however, may just be an effort to distance Greenland's own seal hunt from Canada's, and spare themselves negative press in the process. The ban may further serve to protect Greenland's domestic sealing industry. This ban was then rescinded in May 2006 with the Greenland Home Rule Government noting that the seal hunt in Canada has sensible regulations on hunting methods, drawn up in close cooperation with biologists, veterinarians, weapons experts and seal hunters. It further noted that seal-hunting in Canada is subject to strict and extensive control measures, which has led to the use of effective and humane killing methods.

Namibia

More recent figures for Namibia are also difficult to obtain, however in the year 2000, the Namibian government approved a quota of 67,000 Cape fur seals, including 60,000 pups and 7,000 bulls.

Norway

The Norwegian sealing season runs from January to September.

In 2005, approximately 15,000 seals (including 10,000 harp and 5,000 hooded seals) were harvested.

In 2005, Norway began, controversially, to allow foreign hunters to take part in the annual seal hunt.

Norwegian seal-hunters are only permitted to use the rifle to kill adult seals, while young seals are put to death with a hakapik or rifle. The hakapik is also used on seals which have been shot in order to make sure they are dead.

Russia

The Russian seal hunt has not been well monitored since the break-up of the Soviet Union, however, it is known that the annual seal harvest quota in 1998 was 35,000 animals.

There have been reports that, in Russia, many whitecoat pups 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.

The sealing debate

Due to Canada's comparatively large size of seal hunt, Canada has become the center of the sealing debate.

Cruelty to animals

Sealing opponents such as UK anti-fur group Respect For Animals often claim that the method used to kill seals is inhumane. According to recent studies done by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), however, a hakapik, when used properly, kills the animal relatively quickly and painlessly. Several American studies carried out from 1969-1972 in the Pribilof Islands of Alaska came to the same conclusion. The Royal Commission on Seals and Sealing in Canada claims that properly-performed clubbing is at least as humane as the methods used in commercial slaughterhouses. According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), these studies "have consistently proven that the club or hakapik is an efficient tool designed to kill the animal quickly and humanely."

Videos recorded during Canada's annual seal hunt have revealed sights of seals seemingly killed in ways that violate government regulations, and claims have been put forth that the seals are often skinned alive. However, CVMA and Malouf Commission studies have stated that seals have a swimming reflex, which causes their bodies to move after death. They concede, however, that not every case can merely be dismissed as a "swimming reflex". The CVMA admits that 87% of the hunters they observed "failed to palpate the skull or check for the corneal reflex before proceeding to hook or bleed the seal or go to another seal." This is a violation of Canada's sealing regulations.

A study of the 2001 Canadian seal hunt conducted by five independent veterinarians came to the conclusion that although the hakapik, when properly used, is humane, many hunters were not using the hakapik properly. This was leading to "considerable and unacceptable suffering". In 17% of the cases they observed there were no detectable lesions of the skull whatsoever. In numerous other cases, the seals had to be struck multiple times before they were considered "unconscious".

Contrary to how the report is sometimes interpreted, however, it does not indicate that the seals were skinned alive. The still-conscious animals had been bled out before skinning. Although bleeding out conscious seals is a violation of regulations in itself, they were dead before skinning began. Neither did the report recommend disuse of the controversial hakapik. Rather, it recommended more training, mandatory blink-reflex tests and the cessation of open-water hunting. The report also recommended that seals be bled out immediately after clubbing, in order to ensure that the animals are dead and do not regain consciousness, as is sometimes reported to happen.

Ecological feasibility

According to the DFO, the harp seal population is now stable at about five million animals, three times as many seals as in the 1970s, and the annual quota of roughly 325,000 animals does not significantly impact the harp seal population. Protestors often respond that this figure represents only a fraction of the total number of seals killed, because many seals' bodies fall into the water or under the ice and are not counted. The CVMA has replied that this is untrue for the Canadian seal hunt, and that the Canadian seals that have been "struck and lost" is less than five percent (16,250 animals) of the total harvest. They suggest that this is because, in Canada, the majority of seals are killed on the ice, not in the sea. Animal welfare groups point out that the population increase is due to the population recovering from the decimation of the 1970's.

Greenpeace has further stated that the quota is an unreliable estimate of the total kill, not only due to "struck and lost" statistics, but also because seals with pelt damage are discarded and not accounted for.

Objections to fur

Main articles: Fur farming and Fur clothing

Animal welfare advocates object to fur, when many synthetic "faux fur" alternatives are available. On the other hand, fur advocates will tout the material's superior warmth, style, and the fact that it's a 100% renewable resource. It is often argued that real is superior to synthetic fur that is petroleum based product and can release heavily toxic prussic acid in to the environment. Real fur is completely biodegradable and lasts longer. Others counter that the chemicals used to process fur are highly toxic and therefore negate any environmental advantage of fur over synthetic products but recently great strides have been made in producing commercially tanned pelts using more environmentally friendly processes.

Economic impact

According to Canadian authorities, the value of the 2004 seal harvest was $16.5 million (CDN), which significantly contributes to the income of thousands of fishermen and First Nations peoples. For some sealers, they claim, proceeds from the hunt make up a third of their annual income. Critics, however, say that this represents only a tiny fraction of the $600-million Newfoundland fishing industry. Sealing opponents also say that $16.5 million is insignificant, compared to the funding required to regulate and subsidize the hunt. Although Canadian authorities deny that any such subsidizing exists, some unsubstantiated reports from protest groups have gone as far as to say that the hunt costs the Canadian people between $825 million and $1.65 billion per year..

Some critics, such as the McCartneys (see below), have suggested that promoting that area as an eco-tourism site would be far more lucrative than the annual harvest. However, as the seal watching season would be short and the area is frozen for many months, there is also some doubts whether such idea is feasible. There is also no reason to suggest that tourism and renewable resource harvesting are incompatible economic ventures.

The seal hunt as a cull

In March 2005, Greenpeace asked DFO to "dispel the myth that seals are hampering the recovery of cod stocks." In doing so, they implied that the seal hunt is, at least in part, a cull designed to increase cod stocks. Cod fishing has traditionally been a key part of the Atlantic fishery, and an important part of the economy of Newfoundland and La****or.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans have responded that there is no connection between the annual seal harvest and the cod fishery, and that the seal hunt is "established on sound conservation principles".

Protests

Many animal-protection groups, such as the IFAW, and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) encourage people to petition against the harvest. Seal hunt protests have recently been organized in a number of countries but attendance was small in comparison to the protest's heyday in the early 1980s.

Some protestors use images of whitecoats, despite Canada's complete ban on the commercial hunting of suckling pups. The HSUS, explains this with saying images of the legally hunted "ragged jackets", can be nearly indistinguishable from those of whitecoats. Also, they report official DFO kill reports show 97% of the seals killed over the past five years have been under 3 months of age, and the majority has been less than one month old. [3]

On Mar. 26, 2006, seven protestors were arrested in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for violating the terms of their observer permits. By law, observers must maintain a 10-meter distance between themselves and the sealers. Allegedly, the protestors violated this condition.

On Mar. 31, 2006, as part of a counter-protest, Newfoundland and La****or Premier Danny Williams encouraged people in the province to boycott Costco after the retailer decided to stop carrying seal-oil capsules. Costco has stated that politics played no role in their decision to remove the capsules from shelves. On April 4, 2006 Costco had again decided to place the seal oil capsules back on store shelves.

There is a new petition to boycott Costco for reneging on its promise not to sell seal oil and supporting the seal slaughter.

Celebrity involvement

Numerous celebrities have opposed the seal hunt, such as: Richard Dean Anderson, Charles Aznavour, Kim Basinger, Juliette Binoche,, Sir Paul McCartney, Heather Mills McCartney, Mick Jagger, Martin Sheen, Pierce Brosnan, Sara Quinn,, Loretta Swit, Robert Kennedy, Jr.,, Rutger Hauer [4], Brigitte Bardot, Franz Weber, John Paul DeJoria, Ed Begley, Jr., Dave Foreman, Farley Mowat, Linda Blair, Berkeley Breathed, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In March 2006, actress Brigitte Bardot notably spoke out against the seal hunt. Also in that month, Paul and Heather Mills McCartney toured the Gulf of St. Lawrence sealing grounds, and spoke out against the seal hunt, most notably as guests on Larry King Live where the two debated with Danny Williams, the Premier of Newfoundland and La****or.

On 2006-03-27, singer Morrissey released a statement saying that he will not include any dates in Canada on his current world tour, in protest of the hunt.

Canadian actress Pamela Anderson also spoke out against the annual seal hunt. She had hoped to visit Ottawa on April 1st, to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss the issue but the meeting was rejected. The prime minister also turned down a similar request by Brigitte Bardot, who traveled to Ottawa in March to protest the hunt.

Seal hunting advocates are often critical of the involvement of celebrities, on the grounds that hunters depend on the seals for their livelihood, while the anti-hunting celebrities have ample incomes.

Demand for seal products

Before the hunt in 2000, the sealing industry admitted that the demand for both seal meat and seal pelts was down. In 2001, Canadian government trade statistics revealed that 51% of Canada's two million pelts from seals killed between 1982-1999 had been sold.

Of late, high prices have been obtained for seal pelts at auctions in Canada ($70 per pelt up from $15 in the mid-1990s) and prices are even higher now than before the protests of the 1980s. Recently, high-end fashion designers such as Donatella Versace and Gucci, as well as a number of high-profile graduates from major fashion schools, have begun to use seal pelts.

External links

Pro-sealing views

• TheSealFishery.com
• Canadian Sealers Association
• Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Anti-sealing views

• HarpSeals.org
• HSUS Protect Seals Campaign
• IFAW: Seal hunt
• Respect for Animals Boycott Canada Campaign
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
• Boycott Canada Article

Various

• Atlantic Canada Seal Hunt Myths and Realities, produced and/or compiled by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
• A Response to the Canadian Department of Fisheries "Myths and Facts", by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
• "Animal welfare and the harp seal hunt in Atlantic Canada", copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, site is maintained by the U.S. Government.
• Canadian Seal Hunt History website is part of the International Marine Mammal Association, inc. (IMMA)
• Harp Seal Info. & History, produced and/or compiled by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
• History of World Fur Sealing, Fahan School, Australia
• ICES/NAFO Working Group on Harp and Hooded Seals, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
• Internet Guide To International Fisheries Law, OceanLaw is an independent initiative focusing on international law of the sea and international fisheries law research, resource development and consultancy.
• Offshore/Inshore Fisheries Development - Harp Seal, Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland.
• Sourced Facts, news articles and opinion pieces on the Seal Hunt [SealHunt.net].
• Transcript of a Larry King Interview with The McCartneys and Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams
• CBC Digital Archives - Pelts, Pups and Protest: The Atlantic Seal Hunt

News articles

• BBC News Article, "Canada seal cull gets underway"
• Canadian Press, "Seal hunt supporters in Quebec and La****or confront animal-rights protesters" (April 13, 2006)
• CBC News - Seal Hunt FAQ
• Paul McCartney urges the Canadian Prime Minister to stop the seal hunt
• "Seal hunt helped us survive", Toronto Sun
• "The shame of seal hunting", American Chronicle