Shame on Canada
I am generally quite proud of my country, and I will usually defend it against its critics, but our seal hunt leaves me disgusted and ashamed.
Whatever the excuses for it — its supposed economic benefits, the alleged need to control the seal population — there is simply no good reason for it. We’re talking about the killing, the brutal killing, of 325,000 seals, most of them babies.
Shame on Canada for allowing this to take place year after year. And shame on Prime Minister Harper for defending the hunt with the ridiculously stupid statement that Canada is the “victim of a bit of an international propaganda campaign”. The mass slaughter of seals is reality, not propagandistic fantasy. We need the leadership in Ottawa to end it for good.
(The BBC has more here, our own Globe and Mail here.)
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23 Responses to “Shame on Canada”
Michael Stickings..
Wait….let me get this straight..
It is okay to abort and kill thousands of human babies a year….it is a constitutional right.
BUT its WRONG to kill baby seals?
Don’t worry, I am sure there are many people who agree with you and support your opinion.
I have said it many times before and I will say it as many times as I have to…
There is something seriously wrong with this country.
So your response to the seal hunt issue is to bring up abortion? Does the continuing legality of abortion mean that no other issue can be discussed on its own merits? And that assumes that this is even a fair analogy. I’m not sure it is.
…and the seals aren’t bundles of undifferentiated cells
Precisely, Janine.
Look, I’m sensitive to the pro-life case, I really am. I don’t like abortion. I wish it weren’t necessary. But in this case it’s just not the same as clubbing baby seals in the head.
Michael, I’m just curious what the actual situation with the population is.
I grew up in rural northwestern Wisconsin and saw the deer overpopulation and how overpopulation could be bad for everyone involved, especially the deer. Now that I’m in an area of the state where most people know much less about the deer population and hunting, I keep hearing some fringe people saying that “the population control claim is ridiculous” and that hunting deer is so inhumane. The truth as I have seen first hand is that the population control “claim” is anything but ridiculous and it’s much less humane to watch the deer starve to death during difficult winters than it is to control the population through hunting.
Interesting timing. A cynic might wonder why the seal hunt hasn’t make headlines like this for the last few years, but suddenly is news now. Had the seal hunt been called off by the Liberal party? Or did certain news organizations make the conscious or unconscious decision to not embarrass their party with the story?
The main problem have with killing seals or even deer is that they are “cute”. If you were killing rats or snakes by clubing them to death then many of the same people opposed to seals would be in favor of it. No real difference
re:BereanWorkman
As a woman (and soon to be mother) who believes in the right to choose there is a huge difference between abortion and the seal hunt. Women who have abortions make that choice to do so…who the hell asked those mother seals if they want their babies clubbed in the head?
The only reason the seal hunt continues is becasue China wants the pelts and penises. The rest of the body is left to rot causing MAJOR environmental damage. Canada could make just as much money by promoting ecotourism (such as we did with whales)
It’s sickening.
Killing baby seals is brutal and ugly. So is the slaughter of cattle, pigs, chickens, etc. More ugly is abortion of human beings. There is nothing wrong with the present government. Finally, I can hope to be proud of my country after years of shame under the previous government. Let us keep our priorities straight and quit this nonsence. Maybe the only reason for your argument is the cute face of the baby seal. Watch out, they may bite you.
Michael,
you still seem unable to keep up with the most basic of loyalty rules. Don’t slam your own country to foreigners.
I can see how conservatives Americans would be totally annoyed at left wingers for repeatedly doing the same thing.
It’s no different for Canadians.
You got a problem with something your own country is doing, you keep it internal. You have your own blog.
Are you really a fifth-column whiner?
I’m *not* asking for patriotic posts here, just to be sure.
According to my Canadian friends that live near the region in question, 90% of the seals are killed with bullets. Also, baby seals are not killed, only mature seals. They’ve also stated that all the seal is used, there is little to no waste. The meat supplements the local populations protien needs during the off-season of cod fishing. The omega-3 oils of the seals are used in dietary supplements found in your local stores. The furs go to Russia and China. It provides food and income to the local population and therefore do not need as much federal assistance.
“Actually, baby harp seals haven’t been hunted for some 15 years.
And harp seals are the ocean equivalent to rats. Nobody complains about using rat poison to get rid that nuisance. Especially since they’re not nearly as cute.” A quote from a friend of mine in Nova Scotia.
“There are over 5.8 million seals on the ice of eastern Canada. The World Wildlife Fund has sent a letter to the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador specifically stating that this is not a conservation issue and that they support the cull for environmental reasons. It is a highly regulated and viable industry with very little waste. Most importantly for me, 90% of the killings are with a bullet, not a club!” A quote from another friend in Canada.
I live in Iowa. We have white tail deer. The deer population is very high. The natural predator of the deer is absent in the region due to human habitation. Although some big cats and wolves have started to move back into the area. The herds *need* to be culled for the herds’ benefit. If they get to big, there is not enough food for them and they will get sick and die. There is a wasting disease that has shown up in some of the deer and it is because the herds are too big for the land to support.
Most of the hunting done around here is for the meat and secondarily the sport. The hunting of deer keep some of the smaller local meat houses open during the ‘off season’ of cattle and hog slaughters. Many of the hunters give the meat to the food pantries so that those in need can get fresh protein.
Someone has actually been listening to the bullshit of the Canadian Government. ” Hitlers of the Seals”
Deer populations get out of control, due to lack of predators like wolves and mountain lions, they are over hunted or run out by humans taking over their habitat.
Seals can’t possibly overrun Canada, They live in the water, they don’t overfish, the Canadian government did that themselves.
The canadian goverment has not completed a population estimate since 1992. Want that bit of information Call Greenland , they’ll not even just give it to you it will be translated! Canada has been saying 6 million seals since 1995. They must be counting every Seal in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are suppose to millions of Seals, trillions of Fish, There habitat is vast and there is plenty of room for them. Last time I checked the Planet is 30 % LAND, 70% Water. Think about it.
Mary,
This is why I asked the question. I didn’t know. However, some of your statements leave me wondering if you’re overlooking some issues related to population.
You say we can’t overrun Canada because they live in water. Well, can’t they overrun the water if their natural predators are no longer there?
You say they don’t overfish, people have done that themselves. While I’m sure that’s true, should that mean we just allow the fish population cease to exist by doing nothing to protect that population, causing the seals to lose their food source and resulting in a significant portion of the seal population starving to death?
These population issues are complex. There are many species of animals for which we have depleted both their natural predators and their natural food sources. If the populations of these species are not controlled, they could exhaust their already depleted natural food sources and as a result starve themselves to death.
I’m not saying this is what is happening in this case. However, when I see people speak out against hunts, I often find that this is an issue that they haven’t considered.
Hi Ryan,
There has been a fishing moratorium on Cod fishing in Canada since 1992. That collapse was initially blamed on the Seals. Infact I was not clear in my first note and it has been long and complicated finding the facts. Cod fish is actually 2% of a Seals annual diet, they dine deeper on crutaceans and capelin. The other matter as to why they should not be killing them off is directly related to the hunt. The Fishermen take the Pelts and Penisus and leave the rest behind to sink after the ice melts or discard directly in the water. They are not using all of the Seal as an Inuit person would do. For decades all of the discarded carcasses has caused overwhelming Rot in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, creating a condition called “Hypoxia”. No oxygen in the water where gill breathing fish cannot survive in and will never recover. Live Seals could help to correct the water condition, sharks would be the perfect eating machine, but they are endangered due to ignorance, fear and the shark-fin soup atrocity. When your on line again check out Debbie Mackenzies research on Hypoxia. called ” Something is Rotten in the Gulf of St. Lawrence” http://www.fisherycrisis.com/seals/hypoxia.htm
It’s abit of a read but very informative.
The other reason I am beating the Population drum is this, Between 2003- 2005 Canada reported 975,000.Landed Seals, they always always fail to factor in “Struck and Lost”,” Shot and Lost” ,Natural mortality and Natural predation. The equation is count one seal for every landed seal, which really means they killed closer to 2 million Seals over that three year period.
This same Harp Seal herd also gets hunted in Greenland, Iceland, Arctic. There just is not 6 million seals, and this year with no ice, the mortality has probably surpassed what the (TAC) is set at (325,000). Now the fishery minister just announced the hunt into 2010, taking 350,000 per year before finishing this year and doing a population count> That is staggering and irresponsible. If you have seen any video of this years hunt, you can maybe see a hundred or 10 seals here and there, the people documenting the hunt fear most of the pups have drown. Usually you can’t see the ice for all the seals.
I am against the Fur Trade and that is what all this hunt is for “Fur and aphrodisiacs for Asians “who should probably lay off that stuff as look at their own population.. Not food. I am not against a person hunting for sport/personal food, not an endanged species mind you, I know people are always going to eat meat. Americans stopped a similar Seal Hunt decades ago, and we do not have a Seal Population Problem.Other problems yes.
We Humans have screwed enough up in the Oceans, trying to fix it makes it worse. I believe if we leave it alone, allow it to recover, it will.
Mary, that is all very iformational. I am definitely familiar with hypoxia, as many of Wisconsin’s 15,000+ lakes are small lakes that are suffering from the same thing caused by fertilizers from farm fields and suburban subdivisions running into the lakes.
I hope you didn’t take my inquiries the wrong way. I have just seen people attack Wisconsin’s hunts (deer, bear, duck, whatever else) with claims like I’m seeing here but they don’t have anything to back up those claims. I see you do, which makes this an obviously different situation.
Once again, caught by my own lack of proofreading: “iformational” = “informational”
Hi Ryan,
No I didn’t take inquires the wrong way, I enjoy the debate. It is a complicated one and I have been ticked about this Seal Hunt for 3 decades. I’ve lived in Florida for the past 20 years and I grew up in Canada. My family is direct decendents of Mikmac Indian. Spent a lot of time writting letters to the Government of Canada to no avail. This Hypoxia is occurring all over the world. The Gulf of Mexico is in serious trouble as well. It is Ironic that it will/may be left up to the Seals to improve the St. Lawrence. The Belugas, Sturgeon and a myriad of other species are at risk, reproduction rates are low or nil.
I can only hope it will change everywhere for the better. Coincidently there was an acticle today on the Science &Nature news about Hypoxia and how its starting to get more attention from the science community, so thats encouraging.
The question is will the Gov’t of Canada ever listen to anyone?
If I was an unemployed fisherman,due to a collapsed industry, I would convert my boat into a safe pleasure day cruiser and take people out to the Ice Floes to see the Sea Life. Since I am a North Atlantic Fisherman,I know the Ice, when it would be safe, the weather etc. These guys could make boat loads of money without even swinging. As far as Capitol, the Canadian Gov’t should give them grants to get started as they are the ones that mismanaged their industry in the first place and basically forced them into the Hunt because they cannot or will not create jobs. Instead the Gov’t took an Inuit tradition, capitalized on it, used it, and made an Inhumane Mockery of it. The Aboriginal people are also Victims of this Outrageous Hunt. It is their way of life , their reputation being ruined. All for Russia/China, these countries kill enough animals of their own for Fur.
i just hope canada will have to pay for this someday!! and i wish those fishermen will die some horrible death like the seals do by their hands! a few days ago , i actually started to hate canada and i wish those responsible for this massacre will have to pay!! i loved canada before , great country , but in fact .. you’re just a cruel barbarian country who’s got the excuse “the fishermen need to feed their families” for the killing of 350’000!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seals! you’re barbarians!! all you want os the seal’s skin!!!
but everyone get what he deserves sooner or later!
It’s O.K. to be angry. Be angry with the Gov’t of Canada. Not so much the citizens as they do not want this hunt to continue either. Unfortunately the only thing that anyone seems to listen to is “Money”. We have to support the Boycott on Seafood and other products. When your in a restaurant make sure you know where the Seafood is coming from before you order. In this Boycott we have to include Russia, China, Norway.
Canada’s “outsources” all the Seal Pelts to Norway, go figure.We must write to these countries as well and ask them to stop this Trade of Seal Fur.
90% of the kill are Pups(babies) they like to call them”Independent Juveniles”.Most of them are Clubbed rather than shot as shooting will lessen the value of the pelt. The reason they kill so many more pups is because once they shed their white coat their Fur is Perfect and Pristine which is required by the Fashion Industry. All Fur bearing species go through a “Grading Process”. It starts at One and Goes to Five.Ones are perfect, Two’s are near perfect hides. Anything below a Two gets to be Trim. 3′s, 4′s, and 5′s. are basically worthless. The Adult Pelts are not as valuable because they are not pristine or perfect. Holes from injuries, parasites etc.
About the “World Wildlife Fund”, Go to their Website. They have never endorsed or condoned this Seal Hunt. They are a Conservation group. The only time they would get involved in any situation is when there is “Species at Risk” or on “The Brink of Extiction”. Premier Danny Williams of Newfoundland said on Larry King Live that they were behind them. World Wildlife Fund has made this correction on the first page of thier Website.So that is more bullshit, spin , twist from the Canadian Gov’t. No animal group is behind this atrocity.Only the Vets that probably get paid to say what the Gov’t wants them to say.
We need to call Paul Okalik The Premier of Nanavut Territory, we must tell him he and his constituents need to separate themselves from the Federal Governments Commercial Slaughter. It is their Reputation going down the Toilet.
Paul Okalik Phone Number> 867-975-6000.
I and millions of people do not have a problem with the Inuit ‘s Traditional Way of life.They kill humanely, take only what they need, use everything,and they are not on a Quota Kill. They do not need a licence to hunt Seals but the Feds think they are trowing them a bone giving them an Alottment of 10,000 Seals per year.
They really need to take their Tradition Back and their Art.
E-mail adress for The Honorable Patterk Netser,
In Charge of Natural Resources Nanavut.
environment@gov.nu.ca
Try and be as polite as you can as The Inuit people are not directly involved with the Fed. Commercial Slaughter of the Seals. Their tradition and way of life is being victimized. Not only is their way of life threatened by Global Warming I do not believe they benefit in any way monetarily by this Hunt.
honorable! LOL yeah he’s pretty honorable encouraging canada to keep on with the massacre!
It’s just a title.
a basrbarian like him doesnt deserve a title!