Canadian Seal Slaughter - Myths and Realities



Myth: The commercial seal slaughter is sustainable and no threat to the harp seal population.

Reality:

Scientists agree current kill levels are not sustainable. A study published by Professor Stephen Harris from the School of Biological Sciences at Bristol University concluded the current management strategies of the Canadian government do not use a precautionary approach and threaten the North Atlantic harp seal population. Notably, since that report was published, the Canadian government has ignored the advice of scientists - including its own DFO scientists - and increased kill levels, allowing for even more seals to be killed each year.

Research published in the journal PLoS Biology expressed concerns for the future of the harp seal population given deteriorating ice conditions over the past 30 years. Seals rely on sea ice to birth and nurse their young. In recent years, ice melted early, resulting a large number of pups drowning. In some areas, pup mortality has spiked to in excess of 95%.

Because seals do not reach breeding age until approximately six years, the effects of over-hunting and climate change are only now beginning to be apparent. DFO has an appalling track record for marine conservation. DFO has been accused of making decisions based on political expediency rather than conservation. It is feared that by the time DFO acknowledges the harp seal population is in trouble, it will be too late.

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Myth: The commercial seal slaughter is an economically sustainable activity

Reality:

Canada's commercial seal hunt has always relied on subsidies from the federal government - via the Canadian taxpayer - even when it was considered a "profitable" industry. In recent years the profitability of the commercial seal hunt has plummeted. The total value of seal fur exports in 2011 was a mere $848,177, down from nearly $6.5 million in 2008 and $8 million in 2007.

A 2001 report by the Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment (CIBE) found over $20 million in government subsidies provided to the sealing industry over a seven year period 1995-2001. Since that time the Canadian government has continued to subsidize the commercial seal hunt each year by providing Coast Guard support to sealing vessels, helicopters for spotting seals, funding government trips abroad and international media junkets to sealing communities to promote the commercial seal hunt. In recent years the government of Canada and Newfoundland have given money to sealing organizations, processing companies and fur industry marketing representatives.

In 2012 the Newfoundland government announced it would grant a $3.6 million "loan" to Carino Processing Limited to stockpile pelts in anticipation of possible future markets. This, despite the fact sealing industry representatives had admitted there were already 400,000 seal skins stockpiled due to shrinking markets.

After claiming Carino had repaid the 2012 loan in full, the government of Newfoundland gave that company a further $3.6M loan in 2013 to make possible a 2013 commercial seal hunt. Coincidentally, Newfoundland's Department of Tourism's budget was cut by $4M at the same time. To remove important funding from Newfoundland's tourism industry and give it instead to an unviable industry which employs a tiny percentage of the population of Newfoundland does not make economic sense.

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Myth: The commercial seal slaughter is an important contribution to the annual income of people living in coastal communities.

Reality:

Sealers are commercial fishermen who earn less than 5% of their annual income from killing seals. The bulk of their income is derived from other fisheries such as crab, shrimp and lobster. In Newfoundland, where more than 90% of commercial sealers reside, revenues from the hunt account for less than one half of one percent of the province’s economy.

A 2010 poll revealed 50% Newfoundland sealers holding an opinion supported a buyout of the commercial sealing industry. Under a buyout, sealers would receive immediate monetary compensation for the end of the seal hunt, and funds would be invested in economic alternatives in the communities involved in commercial sealing.

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Myth: The seal hunt is humane.

Reality:

The commercial seal hunt has been the subject of many studies and it has yet to be given a passing grade by experts. In fact, past studies have expressed grave concerns regarding animal welfare.

In 2007 a report was released by an international panel of veterinary and zoology experts who had studied the commercial seal hunt. This report detailed widespread disregard by sealers for the Marine Mammal Regulations and non-statutory regulations, extremely high wounding rates, wounded seals left to suffer for protracted periods of time, widespread failure by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans to monitor the hunt effectively and/or enforce the Marine Mammal Regulations, and a marked lack of willingness and/or ability of Canadian authorities to address welfare concerns.

In 2001, an independent veterinary panel performed postmortems on seal carcasses abandoned on the ice floes. Their report concluded in 42 percent of cases, the seals did not show enough evidence of cranial injury to even guarantee unconsciousness at the time of skinning.

A report published in 2012 by independent experts concluded "The evidence, which continues to be available year on year, through observer data, video material, and veterinary study is clear: Canada’s commercial seal hunt adopts procedures, and has measurable outcomes that do not meet internationally recognized standards of humane slaughter. There are unacceptable (and unlawful) things being done to animals for profit in this hunt." They further stated: The evidence presented in this analysis leads us to the conclusion that both shooting and clubbing of seals in the context of commercial sealing should be viewed as inherently inhumane, and that the current methods seen in the commercial hunt of very large numbers of animals compares extremely unfavorably with the societal and legal expectations for commercial slaughter conditions`."

These reports are corroborated by eyewitness testimony of independent journalists, parliamentarians and scientists who observe and document the commercial seal hunt each year. Video footage of the commercial seal hunt annually shows conscious seals impaled by large hooks and dragged across ice or up the sides of boats, beaten across the face and body with hakapiks, clubs and gaffs, wounded pups shot and left to suffer on the ice for protracted periods of time, and live seals being cut open.

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Myth: Changes to the Marine Mammal Regulations in 2009 further enhance the humaneness of the annual seal harvest.

Reality:

The three-step process does not satisfy international veterinary standards for humane slaughter. Interestingly, two years after its implementation, then-Fisheries Minister Gail Shea admitted most sealers did not even know how to do the process properly and required more training.

The three-step process was implemented by the Canadian government simply as a ploy to stave off the impending European Union seal product trade ban, and does nothing to guarantee so-called "humane harvesting."

In a study written in 2012 Andrew Butterworth, Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, and Mary Richardson, veterinary expert in humane slaughter methods, concluded "both shooting and clubbing of seals in the context of commercial sealing should be viewed as inherently inhumane, and that the current methods seen in the commercial hunt of very large numbers of animals compares extremely unfavorably with the societal and legal expectations for commercial slaughter conditions."

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Myth: The commercial seal slaughter is closely monitored and tightly regulated.

In past years, the number of seals killed by commercial sealers has exceeded the Total Allowable Catch. Every year videotaped footage from the commercial seal hunt shows clear violations of Marine Mammal Regulations. Charges and convictions for these violations are few and far between.

In its 2007 report an international panel of veterinary and zoology experts who had studied the commercial seal hunt found, among other concerns, a widespread failure by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans to monitor the hunt effectively and/or enforce the Marine Mammal Regulations, and a marked lack of willingness and/or ability of Canadian authorities to address welfare concerns.

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Myth: Seal pups are not killed in the commercial seal slaughter.

Reality:

85% of Canadians define a baby seal to be under one year of age. In contrast, the Canadian government considers a 12-day old seal pup to be a "self-reliant, independent animal."

The hunting of whitecoat pups was banned in 1987 after the 1983 EU trade ban on whitecoat harp seal pelts effectively shut down the sealing industry. To resurrect the industry, the government instructed sealers to simply wait a few days before killing the pups. Pups can legally be killed once they begin shedding their white coat, usually at just 12 days of age. Most seals killed in the commercial seal hunt are between the ages of 12 days and three months. DFO's statistics show 98% of pups killed at the commercial seal hunt are younger than three months. At the age they are slaughtered, these pups are not yet eating solid food, cannot swim, nor can they escape or protect themselves from the sealers. These young pups are targeted because their pelts are in pristine condition and in the past have garnered higher prices.

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Myth: Scientific research suggests grey seal predation could be responsible for depletion of fish stocks, particularly Atlantic cod.

For many years the Canadian government tried in vain to find evidence seal predation has caused groundfish stock depletion. Even today no credible scientific evidence exists to suggest seals are to blame. According to Canadian government scientists, human overfishing led to the collapse of groundfish stocks. Further, human overfishing and destructive commercial fishing practices are preventing groundfish stocks from rebounding. Seals have been scapegoated by the Canadian government which is keen to win east coast votes.

In studying seal predation, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans looks only at the "negative impacts" of seal predation on fish stocks. DFO refuses to consider the positive impacts of seal predation. Seals as top predators play an important role in our marine ecosystem. Less seals does not equal more fish. In actual fact, less seals would likely mean less fish.

It is important to note DFO scientists state quite clearly there is no evidence that killing seals will aid in fish stock recovery. Notably, leading marine biologists warn against removing large numbers of seals from our oceans, warning such a reduction could have unexpected catastrophic repercussions and could result in the final collapse of fragile groundfish stocks.

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Myth: Seal populations are increasing exponentially, and it is necessary to cull the herd.

The Canadian government and commercial sealing industry claim seal populations are increasing exponentially, making a cull necessary. This is simply not the case. Commercial over-hunting from the 1950s to the 1970s reduced the harp seal population by as much as two-thirds. The grey seal population in the east coast of Canada was considered extirpated due to over-hunting. The populations began to recover with a sharp reduction in commercial hunting in the 1980s. Notably, today's kill levels are exceed those of the 1950s - 1970s.

Aside from commercial sealers, seals are hunted by whales, sharks and polar bears, and are now falling victim to climate change. Research published in the journal PLoS Biology expressed concerns for the future of the harp seal population given deteriorating ice conditions over the past 30 years. Seals rely on sea ice to birth and nurse their young. In recent years, ice melted early, resulting a large number of pups drowning. In some areas, pup mortality has spiked to in excess of 95%.

Marine biologists have told us seals are capable of regulating their own reproductive rates without the need for human intervention. Further, scientists have concluded the rate of increase of the grey seal herd has slowed and the population has stabilized.

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Myth: Canadians support the commercial seal hunt.

Reality:

Polling consistently shows the majority of Canadians oppose the commercial seal hunt and object to their taxes being used to subsidize the annual slaughter.

In a 2010 poll conducted by Environics Research Group for IFAW, 77% of Canadians holding an opinion stated pups under one year of age should be protected (according to the Canadian government's own statistics, pups under one year of age have comprised the entire commercial seal hunt in recent years). 65% of Canadians agreed the manner in which seals are killed is inhumane, and 62% disagreed with government and industry claims there are too many seals.

Polls conducted by Environics Research and 2005 and Pollara in 2007 also found the majority of Canadians opposed the commercial seal hunt. Yet in 2013 the annual slaughter continues, funded by Canadian tax dollars!

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