Canadians - Are you ashamed of the commercial seal hunt?

Question

The commercial seal hunt is viewed by many people as cruel and barbaric. As Canadians, are you ashamed that Canada still allows this seal hunt to continue the way it does each year?

Answer 1

Not in the slightest.

Although my family hasn't been connected with the seal hunt since my great Grandmother's generation,  I still live in one of the seal hunting provices. The seal hunt is part of my history and it's taught in school. I've been lucky that I have had more then pictures on the internet to form my opinion on.

However I am ashamed that people buy into the rubbish some of these animal rights groups are spewing. I am very upset that members of the EU are even considering banning Canadian seal products. There are nations in the EU that have their own seal hunts or culls. Political members in Scotland are calling for expantion to their seal cull. Yet at the same time some people In the UK are shocked that we hunt seals and use them to make various products.

There is so much bad information going around about the hunt. Baby seal language for example really upsets me. It's illegal to hunt a white coat seal. Seals are cared for by their mothers for a very short time in their lives. Harp seals only see their mothers during feeding time and she only feeds her young for about two weeks. After that the young are abandond and moult their white fur. After the moult they are on their own and have to fend for themselves.

The seal population is no where near at risk. Harp seals are holding steady in the north atlantic with a population of 5 million, and that is with hundereds of years of hunting.

Most seals are shot not " clubbed". When used as intended the hakipik kills quickly. It's hard to miss at close range like that. It's also against regulations to skin alive. Not to mention really hard to do.

I think the only reason some people are shocked with the hunt is they do not associate killing with their food. Slaughter houses are behind closed doors not outside in the snow and ice. When you consider the seals are being both killed and prepared on the ice floes the blood isn't as shocking.

The seal hunt is one if not the most tightly regulated hunt of its kind in the world. Although I do fully support tighter regulations. For example there is talk of mandatory formal training.

So no I am not ashamed of the seal hunt. But I hate the c**p that goes with it.

I'm tired of tourists askng me if they can or I will club a seal when one is spotted at the site I'm working.

I'm tired of reading posts on YA about baby seals

I'm tired of turning on the news and journalists giving more air time to anti-seal hunt people then scientists or sealers themselves. Especially when these people have no idea what they are talking about.

And I'm tired of people complaining about the hunt then going home and eating hamburgers.

Answer 2

It is a Inuit tradition, for survival. Are Americans ashamed of occupying 120 Countries around the world, and killing millions of people.

Answer 3

Should America be ashamed of allowing sports hunting? Should all nations that allow legal private fishing be ashamed? After all ripping a hook out of a fish's mouth is cruel. What about slaughterhouses? Some are barbaric. Should we be ashamed every time we buy a Big Mac or some KFC chicken. And what about the way animals are killed for Kosher (Jewish) or Halal meat (Islam). These are cruel and barbaric as well. And then we can question PETA's elimination  of unwanted pets. There are controversies there as well. So we're all guilty.

Just because an animal is cute (i.e. seals) doesn't mean that we can ignore how other animals are killed.

Answer 4

Good for you, Concerned Canadian!  Not only is it a traditional food source for the Inuit, Newfoundlanders use the annual hunt as a part of their seasonal income.  The number of seals killed from both of these cultures is minimal.  What is unacceptable are the huge foreign factory ships that come over from various countries and slaughter seals in huge numbers.

Now if we can just get the US to stop slaughtering innocent civilians (men, women AND children) we'd be on the right track.

Answer 5

No.

Have you ever eaten chicken? My God! You hacked off an animal's head and devoured its insides! You should be ashamed of yourself...

Do you live in a harbour where seals cause massive problems? I do. If you don't, then you have no idea what they can do... Seals are not cute and innocent. They are pests, and should be dealt with as one would deal with an ant problem.

A lot of the people who view the seal hunt as "barbaric" are simply hypocrites. They will rant about it, and then go home and eat their eight oz. steak dinner. Whats the difference?