Seal Time Approaches Once Again

In the western north Atlantic, harp seals are going to be born about the 1st of March. On the ice fields off Norway, it's apparently somewhat earlier, since the Norwegian seal hunt begins before that in Canada opens. It is apparent that the seals have been managed more intensively in Norwegian waters than near Canada, because the size of the quota for them is so vastly different; Canadian fishermen will be taking the last third of a huge 3 year quota that is close to a million animals. Norwegian sealers and some foreign tourist seal hunters will be allowed to take only 2100 animals this season.

In each case, the nation's fishermen are glad that their governments are taking steps to control seals for the sake of ecosystem balance among seals, fish, whales, sea birds, and fishermen. The trend is now to "make it right" so that the abnormal ups and downs of seals and fish are smoothed out. Of course, critics of sealing debunk this as nonsense, because they want the world to believe their claims that seals wouldn't harm the fisheries and should be left alone, to thrive until nature "herself" causes them to crash catastrophically. This, they claim, is preferable in order to avoid inhumane treatment. One question for them would be "is hunger and starvation preferable?"

During World War II, seals were not hunted much, compared to the pre-war years when the seas were safe from foreign threats. Seals grew to herds that began to outstrip fish resources. After the war, they were hunted again on a regular basis, and in Canada, the herd was holding steady at 1.8 million in 1983. At that time, Brian Davies of IFAW instigated the ban in Europe of the import of the products of seals under the age of one year. The Canadian seal fishery collapsed without that major market. Seals went forth and multiplied, unimpeded. Fish stocks did suffer, as did fishermen. Since the "humane" IFAW intervention, the harp seal population off eastern Canada grew to more than five million animals. (Please note that seals are not vegetarians.) Something had to be done. Canada declared that a three year quota of nearly one million animals would be taken over the next three years. This is the third year. Now there is a willing market for seal pelts and seal fat and oil, in places other than the EU. Russia, China, South Korea and Japan all consume seal products.

What do the critics say? This is interesting. First, many outright lie, and give their readers and web site visitors the impression that "innocent babies" are being "slaughtered" in the various seal hunts. In actuality, the more mature animals are worth more than whitecoats would be, so that old standby of seal hunt protest is an egregious lie. Whitecoats are not targeted. Some of those more mature animals are still young of the year, but that is no reason not to take them. They are active swimmers and fish eaters, and the environmental argument for controlling them is to prevent further ecological imbalance. They were whitecoats six weeks ago. They matured rapidly, after having been nursed for only ten days. They are fish eaters, and if not hunted, they will be breeders.

Most seals are shot in the head with centerfire rifles while they lie on the ice. Death is instant. Seals are not skinned alive, and indeed, this was never the practice. Such a feat would be next to impossible, since movement would ruin the pelt. Bravo to the Norwegian government for opening the seal hunt to foreign hunters.

Greenpeace Norway has tried the laughable ploy of insisting that tourists "would be frightened" of the idea of a sporting seal hunt. This weak-kneed claim is entirely unfounded. Environmentalists tried a similar line regarding Iceland and their whaling resumption. Last year, Iceland had more EU tourists than any time in history. It's even possible that hunters, knowing the blow they can deliver to the animal rights faction, may be signing up for the Norwegian hunt just to prove them wrong.

IWMC supports any nation that takes control of the future of sustainable resource management in its waters and on its territory. The world's nations are eating more and more marine fish and other seafood. This indisputable fact leads us to believe that more and more nations are going to take steps to protect the sustainability of the ecosystems from which their main resources are derived. And this is as it should be.