Canada's Seal Slaughter 2008

Click here for BACKGROUND TO PREVIOUS YEARS OF THE CANADIAN SEAL HUNT

2008 Canadian Seal Hunt
is on again

March 25, 2008

Today the news from Canada remains bleak. The Canadian government has ignored findings from independent scientists and veterinarians and set the kill quota even higher than last year -- an astonishing 275,000 seals, almost all babies just days or weeks of age, will be clubbed and shot over the next few months. Scientists warn that the seal hunt poses a threat to the survival of seal populations, particularly as harp seals now face the added threat of global warming. And veterinary panels have concluded that the slaughter results in "considerable and unacceptable suffering," noting that sealers often fail to comply with anti-cruelty laws. We need your help to send a strong message to the Canadian government to end the seal slaughter.

The hunt is opposed by the overwhelming majority of people in Canada and around the world, and governments are increasingly taking action on behalf of their citizens. In 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a unanimous resolution calling on the Canadian government to end the commercial seal hunt. In recent years, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, France, Croatia, Italy, Mexico and Panama have either ended their trade in seal products or announced their intentions to do so. In 2006, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for an EU wide ban of seal products, and the Council of Europe called on its 46 member states to promote initiatives aimed at prohibiting the trade in seal products.

The Minister of International Trade, Mr. Emerson is in a unique position to stop it. But he must be convinced that the seal hunt damages Canada's economy and international reputation. Contact the Canadian Minister of International Trade, David Emerson, and urge him to end the seal hunt.

As the slaughter continues, many people are expressing their opposition by boycotting Canadian products. To date, half a million individuals and over 3,500 restaurants, grocery stores and seafood distributors have pledged to avoid some or all Canadian seafood to pressure Canada to end the seal hunt, costing Canada's fishing industry many times the value of the seal hunt. Notably, Canadian seafood exports to the United States alone bring in about $2.5 billion to the Canadian economy, which stands in sharp contrast to the roughly $12 million in landed value contributed by the commercial seal hunt in 2007.

Live from the ice - Rebecca Aldworth, HSI’s Director of Canadian Wildlife Issues, documents her tenth trip to the ice floes of Canada. Through her journal, witness the cruelty of the seal hunt and the devastating effects of diminishing habitat to the harp seals, and find out why this slaughter MUST be stopped.

Click here to read more on what you can do to help

Donate to help HSI continue the fight to end the cruel Canadian seal hunt