Seal Clubbing
In Canada, the Gulf of St. Lawrence the ‘Front’
area of Newfoundland remain the largest hunting ground
for harp seals, accounting for the cruelest mass hunting
of marine mammals in the world. The most important reason
for the clubbing of harp seals is the commercial value
of their attractive white skin when they are just born.
In 2006 alone, more than 98% of harp seals killed were
less than three months old.
Most commonly, sealing is an off-season commercial
activity by the fishermen from Canada’s East coast,
accounting for a small fraction of their yearly income.
Every year, more than 4,000 fishermen from Newfoundland
aggressively participate in seal clubbing. Seal clubbing
at Canada is regulated by the Canadian Marine Mammal
Regulations. The laws require that the sealers use large
ice-pick-like clubs (hakapiks), wooden clubs and guns
for killing seals.
In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, clubs and hakapiks are
most popularly used while guns are widely preferred
at Front. In spite of the prevailing regulations over
the method of seal hunt, the process remains highly
cruel. The sale value of the skin decreases with every
bullet hole. Therefore, the fishermen shoot them only
once and leave them to suffer in agony and bleeding.
Besides, quite a many seals slip into water and die
slowly without being recovered. In cases where the clubs
are used, the fishermen strike them with a deathblow
and quite often do the skinning even as they remain
alive.
Over the past three years alone, more than a million
seals have been clubbed. When several animals just slip
beneath the water and face a slow death without recovery,
several killings are never reported. Thus, the number
of seals hunted can still go up higher.
Seals are killed mostly for the commercial value of
their fur used in fashion garments, shoes, and hats.
Sealfur is also used as bait in the fishing industry.
Seal oil is used for industrial and human consumption
in some circles. However, there is no market value for
the seal meat and therefore, once they are skinned,
the seal carcasses are just left to rot on the ice.
In the form of market research and development trips,
salaries for seal processing plant workers, and capital
acquisitions for processing plants, the Canadian government
has been spending a considerable amount of funds. In
addition, a Norwegian company imports more than 80%
of the sealskin produced in Canada.
Fishermen circle at Canada’s East coast blame
seals for the depletion of fish stock in the region.
However, scientists have found that only three percent
of harp seals food is cod while it consumes several
other species. In addition, they also feed on several
predators of cods. In fact, some scientists claim that
sealing can even affect the recovery of certain commercially
valuable fish stock in the region. Dramatic increase
in seal clubbing has resulted in a rapid decrease of
seal population, necessitating a stringent measure to
stop this cruelty with immediate effect.
|
