IWMC  World Conservation Trust

Florida, 11 April 2004

Re: April 10 coverage of the Canadian Harp Seal Hunt

Dear Editor:

Your April 10 coverage of the Canadian Harp Seal hunt was a disservice to readers. Animal rights and environmentalists protested the hunt from the 1960s through the '80s, but ongoing investigation by biologists and veterinarians revealed that none of their allegations were true. Seals were killed humanely, only after they were weaned and abandoned by the mothers. The herd was never endangered. When the hunt ended in 1983, it had reached 1.8 million. Seals were a staple for Quebecois and Newfoundlanders for three centuries. Pelts, fat and meat were supplements to the economy and to local diets. Those organizations that made millions of dollars from seal hunt protest were found to have entirely misrepresented all facts of the hunt. Harp seals eat fish and krill. They have grown to over 5 million animals and that abundance is bad news for them, for their prey, and for Canada's fishermen, who have no other source of livelihood. Canada's officials have authorized an expanded hunt to regain ecosystem balance, as well as to give their fishermen/sealers opportunity for a decent living. Americans and Europeans need to show more respect and tolerance for those who are sustainably using their resources.

Sincerely yours,

Eugene Lapointe