Seal Time Again
In the northwest Atlantic, five million harp seals are positioning themselves to feed, whelp, breed, and moult, as they have for centuries. In 1998, however, after some thirteen years without appropriate annual harvest, they are not doing as well physically as they were during the early 80's, when a much smaller herd of 1.8 million existed in harmony with an annual take of some 180,000 animals.
This year, various human factors, including pelt subsidies from government, a resurgence of market interest in hair seal pelts, seal leather, and new interest in seal oil for human consumption coupled with tremendous overpopulation, has resulted in a quota of over 200,000 animals. The renewed harvest is taking place amid great excitement and hope for renewal.
The harvest today is being undertaken because of both government and sealer concern. The seal herd has to be skillfully managed again, and quickly, before it is too late to save the seals, their environment, and the people whose lives have for so long, been so closely intertwined with them. This spring's herd monitoring and seal pup counts in both the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the Front, will tell the story, and subsequent quotas will be adjusted to achieve the best possible balance between seals, sea, and human use. When the European market banned the import of whitecoat pups, the seals were not saved. Quite the contrary. They have since multiplied to the extent that they need to be harvested for appropriate management. Overcrowding is itself, a cruel consequence of ignorant, albeit well-meaning, interference. The instigation of anti-hunt campaigns appears to have at once been financially rewarding to the organizations yet destructive to seals.
The bottom line is this; the best future for harp seals in the north Atlantic involves humans using seal products in a sustainable manner over the long term.
Twice this sustained and balanced use has been halted, and twice, the herd has grown so large that the animals have suffered, due to their own social and dietary stresses.
Sealers know their animals, and they want to be sure that the harvest is appropriate to the population dynamics churning the herd. The mixed history of seal use and neglect can now be taken into account as quotas are based on documented herd reaction to its own numbers. The talk now is of better management through controlled and renewed use; of seal oil capsules and the promise of human health benefits, and the excitement of new garment and leather fashions. Canadians are to be congratulated on their new plans for "Sealing the Future" through renewed seal management.
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http://www.iwmc.org/seals/seals01.htm