Canadas seal hunt to close early after low harvest
Sydney Morning Herald Online
by Michel Comte
A lack of sea ice in one of the warmest Canadian winters on record and a European boycott have ruined what was to be a banner seal hunt off Canada’s Atlantic coast this month, according to officials and sealers.
Canada’s Fisheries Minister Gail Shea last month increased by 50,000 the allowable catch of harp seals this season to 330,000, in defiance of a ban on seal products by the European Union.
But most of Canada’s 6,000 sealers stayed home, unable to find buyers for their catch or stymied by a lack of ice floes for the first time in 60 years on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, which usually host hordes of seals birthing pups.
“The European boycott was devastating to the industry this year, as was the lack of ice on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence due to an exceptionally warm winter,” Jean Richard, Canadian fisheries department conservation chief for the Quebec coastal region, told AFP.
“The hunt, as a result of reduced market demand, has been scaled back substantially,” added Larry Yetman, fisheries resource management officer for the Newfoundland and Labrador coastal region.
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12 Comments
On April 15, 2010, Rev. Ericka Shimkonis wrote:
All I can say is “YIPPY! For NOT buying Canadian!”
On April 15, 2010, Valerie Wehmueller wrote:
“Amen to that!” I say, this is Divine intervention, as well as more & more people rediscovering their kinder, & more compassionate side. Bless all the baby seals that DID lose their short, gentle lives to human greed & vanity!!
On April 15, 2010, Lori wrote:
Hope all the sealers remain home from now on!! Hopefully we will finally have a ban to this horrific barbaric act!
On April 15, 2010, Atia wrote:
How tragic that so many seal pups had to lose their lives, but Mother Nature and climate change accomplished what logic and reason could not do in persuading those defiant seal murderers to give up before filling their increased quotas. It’s important to continue boycotting everything that comes from Canada, but it’s even more important to let them know that we’re not buying their products!
On April 15, 2010, Barry Faires wrote:
As a Canadian, I ask everyone to continue to boycott all Canadian sea food products until our fascist Prime Minister and the seal murderers get the message to ban the “hunt”.
[Blog editors’ note: FoA’s emphasis isn’t to consume the ocean’s fish from any area, but we do appreciate applying economic pressure on Canadian
travel and other goods. Moreover, Canadian residents must get and relay the message that any seal slaughter is unjustified — that all seal products: fur, oil, flesh, ad nauseam should be shunned, prohibited. It’s also up to Canadians to object to the fur salons and repulsive seal flipper concoctions passed off as food. Plant-based cuisine should be advanced at every opportunity. Thanks for writing.]
On April 15, 2010, Bev Klayman wrote:
Finally, one major positive benefit of global warming! I’m sure the loss of ice floes is not good for the seals in general, but if it has managed to put a crimp in the industry’s annual massacre, it has done at least some temporary good.
Now, why can the EU manage an effective boycott and the U.S. cannot. I am ashamed to be an American. Why does capitalism and economic “freedom” trump compassion to the point that we can’t unite against this horrific practice?
[Blog editors’ note: The U.S. banned imports of seal products around 1972, so don’t be ashamed for that reason. ]
On April 15, 2010, Suzanne wrote:
Yay for the seals!!! And God bless the EU for seeing the light. No one needs to wear fur these days or eat exotic meats. I have some compassion for people who are losing their way to make a living but they should’ve been learning something else long before this. How about tourism? Whatever - things must change.
On April 16, 2010, Marella Williams wrote:
SHAME ON Fisheries Minister Gail Shea for increasing the amount of seals to be slaughtered by 50,000. It is bad enough that there were little to no ice flows to birth and raise their pups, but this political-agenda, and who knows what else, Gail Shea makes it much harder for this species to not just live but survive at all. .. SHAME ON YOU for the slaughter of the INNOCENT AND DEFENSELESS. SHAME ON YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO CONSCIENCE OR COMPASSION FOR A CREATURE OF THE CREATOR. SHAME ON YOU!
On April 18, 2010, Patti Olsen wrote:
THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY HUNT AT ALL…DON’T THEY GET IT?????
On April 24, 2010, bloortier wrote:
Greetings - Simple Question….How much do you care about people?
FoA comments:
Simple Answer…We care a great deal about people as well as for all the other beings on this Earth, and for the Earth itself.
The killing of seals in Canada, the consumption of animal flesh, the wearing of fur, diminishes every being on this Earth.
On May 3, 2010, Sharon DuBois wrote:
Try ecotourism, folks. Instead of killing baby seals, you’ll make LOTS more money for your economy and improve your public image !
On May 24, 2010, Diane wrote:
I buy NOTHING that comes from or made in CANADA…..