Is it legal to kill seals in Canada?

It is illegal in Canada to hunt newborn harp seals (whitecoats) and young hooded seals (bluebacks). When the seal pups begin to molt their downy white fur at the age of 12–14 days, they are called “ragged-jacket” and can be commercially hunted. In 2009, Russia banned the hunting of harp seals less than one year old.

Why are seals clubbed in Canada?

Why do hunters club seals? It’s safe and easy, and it preserves the seal’s valuable pelt. Federal laws in Canada give a sealer three ways to hunt his prey.

Why is seal hunting a good thing?

I am a huge supporter of the Canadian fur industry (read about my reasons here) but I’ve been less vocal about the seal hunt, primarily because I didn’t have enough information to make an informed opinion about it. Well, now I do, and I would like to share it with you because I think it is important. 1.

Why is seal hunting bad?

Seal hunting is extremely cruel. To make sure the fur stays intact, sealers often hook seals in the cheek, eye, or mouth. Once a seal is hooked, he or she is dragged across the ice and is skinned. What’s more, sealers do not take the time to check if the seals are alive before skinning them.

Is clubbing seals illegal?

While hunting baby seals is illegal in the United States under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is completely legal in Canada. According to the Humane Society International, the seal pups are mainly killed for their fur, often in inhumane ways, while their carcasses are left behind to rot.

What animal kills seals?

Land Predators In the Arctic region, polar bears and Arctic wolves are the natural predators of the seal. The seal is an important part of the of the diet for both species, due to the nutritious insulating layer of blubber seals have under their skin to help keep them warm in the cold climate.

Why do they club seals instead of shooting them?

Why do hunters club seals? It’s safe and easy, and it preserves the seal’s valuable pelt. By law, you have to keep clubbing the seal in the forehead until you know for sure that it’s dead. Sealers are supposed to “palpate” a pup’s skull after they’ve clubbed it, to feel the caved-in bone beneath the skin and blubber.

Why do Canadians bludgeon seals?

Each spring, the Canadian government gives commercial sealers the green light to shoot and bludgeon to death hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals. The Canadian government recognizes that “young harp seals provide the most valuable pelts.”

Why do Inuit people eat seal?

Hunting beliefs Borré explains that through this alliance “both hunter and seal are believed to benefit: the hunter is able to sustain the life of his people by having a reliable source of food, and the seal, through its sacrifice, agrees to become part of the body of the Inuit.”

Is seal hunting cruel?

Mary Richardson, a Canadian veterinary expert in humane slaughter methods, concluded that the commercial seal hunt is inherently inhumane because of the environment in which it operates and the speed at which the killing must be conducted.

How do Inuit catch seals?

Inuit also used nets to catch seal and in recent times, they used rifles rather than harpoons. When possible, Inuit hunted seal in open waters from kayaks, using a harpoon equipped with a sealskin float [68]. Central Inuit, including Copper, Netsilik and Iglulik, hunted year-round with techniques suited to the season.

Can you eat seal meat?

Seal meat is the flesh, including the blubber and organs, of seals used as food for humans or other animals. It is prepared in numerous ways, often being hung and dried before consumption. Historically, it has been eaten in many parts of the world, both as a part of a normal diet, and as sustenance.