Ban The Canadian Seal Hunt

The ever controversial Canadian seal hunt shouldn’t really be controversial at all; it must be banned or at least extremely limited. First of all, seal hunting will result in a serious decline of the seal population. In 2007, government scientists estimate that 165,000 seals can be killed while still maintaining its population, yet the Canadian government has allowed 275,000 seals to be hunted. Nearly 1 million seals have been killed (95% of them pups) over a 3 year period and the last time seals were killed at this rate (1950’s-60’s), seal populations were reduced by two-thirds. Secondly, seal hunting is often done in an inhumane way. Seals can be hit on the head with a hakapik (a club with a large metal spike attached) or shot with a rifle. Since prices of sealskin are deducted by $2 for every bullet hole, hunters often shoot only once from boats far away, leaving most seals only wounded and conscious. Hunters are also trying to compete for the most seals and often don’t knock seals fully unconscious before dragging the seals across the ice and skinning them alive. A study by a team of scientists showed that 42% of seals were skinned alive and regulations for humane killing were not being enforced, nor followed. Finally, the Canadian seal hunt is insignificant to the Canadian economy. Fewer than 6000 people annually work for the seal hunt. 95% of these workers are fishers and 90% of them live in Newfoundland. They account for 1% of Newfoundland’s population; their profits are 0.1% of the provincial annual income and are one-twentieth of the worker’s annual income. Not only are the economic benefits insignificant, the government has also granted over 20 million dollars of subsidies to the sealing industry in a variety of forms over a 6 year period. This comes at Canadian taxpayers’ expense. So really, there are little to no reason why the Canadian seal hunt should continue and plenty of reasons why it should end.