The Canadian Annual Seal Hunt

The Canadian seal hunt is underway for another year. Total Allowable catch for 2008 is 275,000. The landed value of the hunt in 2007 was pegged at $12 million last year, according to federal officials. The hunt this year on started March 28 and will last until mid April. There is a great many people objecting to this seal hunt worldwide.

Since 1978, the harp seal numbers have trippled. The Candian gov. has their conservation status listed as "least concerned." Several animal interest groups see no reason to oppose the seal hunt. ( WWF) The young white furred seal pups that we all see on the websites and posters, has not been hunted since 1978. They use the white seal pup photos to get more money out of you.

With the launch of the seal hunt, so too is the launch of animal rights fund raising events. The seal hunt provides much needed money to the many animal rights groups that protest it. Millions of dollars are raised worldwide and the animal rights groups are scrambling over top of one another to get a piece of the action. And now, the third and fastest growing sector of the seal business: the protest industry, worth well into the millions, and still growing. Just like Christmas is to department stores, the Canadian seal hunt donations enables some animal rights groups to survive for one more year.More money is raised using the seal hunt protest, then protesting any other animal out there. If the seal hunt was stopped, I am not sure how many animal protest groups would survive to spew forth their propaganda messages.

Now don't get me wrong here, I don't like the seal hunt either. But what I hate even more , is animal rights groups using it for getting donations. Is there even one group out there that actually helps out Canadian seals in any way? The anti-sealing group the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society certainly makes it's presence known by getting itself in the newspapers almost every day. But other then making all of us more aware of the plight of the seals, do these people really do any good? If the Canadian seal hunt was to stop, the Sea Shepherd Society would be finished.

Statement by Loyola Hearn Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans-

"This organization is known to use these tactics to generate photo opportunities, which generate publicity and bolster their fundraising efforts — an action I find despicable,” Hearn said."
"a bunch of money-sucking manipulators"

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