There is a distinct possibility that a seal hunt off Cape Breton will be cancelled as the market for the pelts has been lost, sealers who rely on the income await word.

The seal hunt off Cape Breton has not yet been cancelled as both members of the Humane Society International who oppose the hunt and sealers, who rely on the income derived from the hunt await the final word.

Members of Humane Society International intended to observe and document the grey seal hunt on Hay Island.

The hunt has not yet been officially closed by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) , however, sealers learned Tuesday that they don't have a buyer for their pelts.

"I think it is highly significant," said Mark Glover, director of the Humane Society International-U.K.

"There is a demand for these products around the world…. If we can close down the market for these products, obviously you take away the motivation for them being killed, and that's certainly part of our plan."

Approximately, 30 sealers from Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island anticipated beginning the harvest last week.

The sealers were waiting for the weather to improve when they found out the seal processing co-op in Newfoundland won't buy their pelts because the co-op lost its market in Norway.

"If you can go out for a week or part of two weeks and make a couple of thousand dollars at that time of the year, it means a lot," sealer Robert Courtney said.

DFO had approved the harvest of 2,200 grey seals on Hay Island, a provincially protected area off Louisbourg.

It is estimated that there are 300,000 grey seals in the region.