Harp Seals
The harp seal is native within the northernmost Atlantic
Ocean and the adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean. They
grow to approximately 5.5ft long and will weigh around
115-180kg, with the male being distinctly larger then
the female. The harp seals name originates from the
large horseshoe shaped band that is on the back of the
male.
Harp Seals tend to separate into three populations
in relation to their breeding locations. These are the
White Sea, the West Ice between Jan Mayen Island and
Greenland and the Northwest Atlantic near Newfoundland
in Canada. Seals that breed within the Northwest Atlantic
represent the largest population and are genetically
different from the harp seals that breed within the
other areas, which are not proven to be genetically
different from each other.
They are however visually indistinguishable and to
some degree there may be mixing between the groups.
The diet of a harp seal will vary depending on the time
in its life but in the main they eat a huge variety
of fish and sea creatures.
Sadly all three of these populations are widely hunted
for commercial purposes for their pelts in Canada, Norway,
Russia and Greenland. In Canada, the season for the
commercial hunt of is from November 15 to May 15 and
is primarily for harp seals, with many of these being
just weeks or even days old. The main hunt in Canada
takes place in two different areas and depending in
which of these two areas you are in will determine when
the main hunt takes place. In the Gulf of St Lawrence
this is in late March and in Newfoundland, or “The
Front” as it is commonly known, this is during
the first or second week of April.
The height of the hunting in the spring period is
what is referred to as the Canadian Seal Hunt. The seal
hunt in Canada is monitored by the Canadian Government
and there are many regulations that exist, including
specifying the minimum and maximum dimensions of clubs
used and the minimum calibre of rifle and bullet velocity
that can be used.
However many animal welfare agencies would argue that
these are not being adhered to. Commercial hunting of
infant harp seals has been banned in Canada since 1987
and only those from 12 to 15 days of age are legally
allowed to be killed. Despite this, the Harp seal is
not believed to be threatened.
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