What do you know about Canada's seal hunt?

Question

Please share...I know enough about it from my speech, but I want to see what the general opinion on it is.

Answer 1

They hunt seals every spring. The seals are hunted for skins. The skins are used for warm fashionable clothing. The meat is sold as food. The train oil is used as a lubricant and was traditionaly used for light and cooking.

Unlike synthetic materials used for clothing, seal skin is a renewable resource; lots of seals.

The argument that the seals are reducing cod stocks is specious. When Cabot came exploring cod were pulled from the sea in baskets.  This at a time when the only seal hunt was by indigenous peoples.

The method of hunting is ugly and considered inhumane. Seal pups are clubbed to death to prevent marring the skin.

The work is very dangerous. It involves men going out onto the sea ice on foot. There have been several instances of multi person tragedies over the years.

Answer 2

It is horrible! And the Canadian Government subsidizes it. They kill baby seals for their pelts. You can sign a petition to end the seal hunt. See link:

Answer 3

All I know is that if it's done by First Nations people, others should keep their noses out of it.  Tribal sovereignty.  

In other words, Native people don't need non-Native people always telling us what to do ;)

Answer 4

the hunting of baby seals ( White coat) harp seals has been banned since 1987

The majority of seals are shot not clubbed.

It is against regulations to skin a seal alive. Not to mention near impossible to do.

The seal oil, meat, and pelt is used.

Seal meat is rich in omega 3 and 6. Which is good for people with heart problems.

Seal hunting has taken place for thousands of years for First Nations and hundereds of years for Euro-Canadians

the seal hunt can make up 25% of the income of a sealer. many sealers are fishers during the other seasons.  

Animal rights activists claim that they will not protest against first nations hunting. however if the seal hunt was closed First nations would suffer the most. Both First Nations and Euro- Canadians hunt seals for the same reasons.

The population of Harp seals off the coast of Newfoundland is over 5 million. And that is with an annual seal hunt.

A seal ban in the EU would be very hypocritical considering Europe traps more animals then Canada and many nations in the EU also hunt seals.

Scotland allows the killing of seals during salmon season but nothing is done with the dead animals.

Green peace was divided on the issue of the Canadian seal hunt. Many did not want to protest the seal hunt.

Many videos and reports made by animal rights activists are fabricated.

Seals are not endangered and killed quickly and humanely.

If it wasn't out in the open no one would care.

Answer 5

The site linked below can give you some accurate information on the seal hunt.  It's from the Government of Canada.