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CBC reports that the main “front” of the seal hunt opened today. I’ve been reading up on it ever since an acquaintance sent me an e-mail last month about the Humane Society of the United States’ (HSUS) opposition of the annual hunt. What I read on their website shocked and appalled me — but not for the reasons you might think.

The seal hunt is a controversial issue across Canada and draws negative attention from abroad. Before I go and stir up further controversy, let me clarify my own views:

• There is no excuse for the inhumane treatment of any animal, including humans.
• Hunting animals solely for their pelts or other trophies in the name of either economy or sport is a tragic waste.
• Hunting should be conducted in a sustainable manner that minimizes waste, reduces ecological impact and preserves animal herds for the future.

With that out of the way, I think that groups, such as the HSUS, which actively campaign against the seal hunt do a terrible injustice to folks whose livelihood depend on fisheries, to all Canadians and to the very people that fund these groups. Another CBC.ca article points out how facts are distorted in the war of words and images that surround the seal hunt:

The bloody images, the heated rhetoric, the impassioned defences – they all combine in a familiar rite that pits governments and sealers against animal rights groups that decry the hunt, even as they use it as a primary fundraising tool.

The Cute Factor

The main hook of the anti-hunt media campaign centers around images of cute, fluffy white seal pups with their big innocent eyes. One could easily argue that the seal hunt garners a lot of publicity because baby seals are far cuter than the domestic animals that are slaughtered to stock grocery store shelves. But the real problem is that the pictures used are of newborn “whitecoat” seals, which have been banned from being hunted since 1987. Check out the HSUS link I posted above, and this HSUS slideshow — all feature images of fluffy white pups designed to tug at your heartstrings, yet protected from hunters. If you want to represent a cause, please use images that reflect that cause!

Homework exercise: How many seals shown in the slideshow are legal to hunt?

Inhumane Slaughter

The other key to the anti-hunt campaign is the inhumane killing of seals. You’re treated to gory backdrops of red-stained ice floes, but I think your stomach would truly turn if you saw the inside of a typical chicken processing plant or cattle slaughterhouse. Imagery is powerful and only helps to lend credence to the anti-hunt argument.

But there are enough conflicting reports to make this a difficult call. Obviously, groups such as the HSUS cite rampant inhumane treatment while sealers argue the opposite. The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, charged with overseeing the hunt have continually sided with the sealers. Objective reports also disagree:

In 2001, an independent team of veterinary experts studied Canada’s commercial seal hunt. Their report concluded that in 42% of the cases they examined, the seal did not show enough evidence of cranial injury to even guarantee unconsciousness at the time of skinning.from HSUS.org

A 2002 report in the Canadian Veterinary Journal found that “the large majority of seals taken during this hunt … are killed in an acceptably humane manner.” This study found that 98 per cent of hunted seals it examined had been killed properly.from CBC.ca, cited by the DFO

When watching videos or listening to testimonials, you also need to take into consideration that seals — like many other animals — are subject to post-mortem reflexes that can result in the appearance of being skinned alive. I fervently hope that this hunt is being conducted in a humane manner, but I’m sensible enough to read both sides of the story and to take each with a grain of salt.

Boycott Canadian Seafood

This is what really galls me. The argument appears to be that sealers participate in other areas of the fishery, so let’s hit them financially. The geniuses at the HSUS seem to think that it’s okay to attempt to cripple an entire industry that supports many people outside of sealing. I’m surprised that a supposedly responsible organization could advocate financial ruin for people living in one of Canada’s poorest regions.

A sensible argument would be:

1. Seals are being hunted for their pelts.
2. Seal pelts are in very high demand.
3. Reduce the demand for seal pelts and less seals will be hunted.

Obviously the current demand for seal fur is driving the continued hunt. Attack the problem at its source and you will eliminate it without harming other innocent parties in the process. The HSUS and other groups should be asking, “Why is the current price of seal pelts so high? Have we failed in our anti-fur campaigns? What other animal populations are being affected in the same way and why don’t we publicize those?”

What You Can Do

• Don’t fall for persausive arguments. Research the issue and make up your own mind.
• Look at the world around you. Is one non-endangered population worth your support at the cost of bigger injustices that you are ignoring?
• Rather than blindly following boycotts, become an ethical consumer. Choosing products that are produced responsibly will have a far bigger impact than “saving” just one animal population in a remote corner of the world.

If you’re like me, then the plight of a neighbour’s abused pet is just as important as a seal on an ice floe. And the steady degradation of the planet we live on desperately needs more attention than this two-day hunt.