Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,
As in previous years, we are sending you a letter telling you that Canada’s seal hunt is cruel, economically unviable and does not contribute to fish population recovery. It is time to finally listen to the voices of millions of people worldwide who have urged you to ban seal hunting immediately and indefinitely. It’s time to #sealthedeal.
The new Canadian Fisheries Minister has even argued in the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans for an expansion of hunting. According to her, the seal is a product that should be exploited. Among other things, she wants to market the animals’ meat as a delicacy. The animal’s fur is also mentioned as a valuable product.
We want to remind you that the claim that seals are responsible for the decline in number of fish in the seas was proven to be false once again. Research by the Canadian Department of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coastguard, in June 2021, has shown that mass killing of seals will do little to nothing to restore the fish population.
In 2022, 26,281 seals were clubbed or shot to death for their fur. This number is the result of the downward trend we’ve seen over the last 14 years, mainly thanks to the import ban of seal fur from the commercial hunt in 35 countries globally. The seal fur market in countries where there is no ban seems to have collapsed as well. The number of hunters has since declined, and with revenues of only $27 per seal killed, hunting has ceased to be economically viable.
In 2023 the Ministery of Fisheries and Oceans did not disclose the numbers of seals killed in the Landing & Landed Values reports for the first time. The argument given was the protection of the privacy of the hunters, but this information has always been anonymous and not traceable back to individuals. However, the biggest incomprehension from us and supporters globally comes from the question why the hunters are protected, but not the seals. These defenseless pups of barely two to three weeks old die a gruesome death only to end up as fashion accessories. The immense animal suffering involved in this hunt is in stark contrast to the world’s growing demand for ethical and sustainable production.
The Ministery of Fisheries and Oceans ensures that the seals must be dead or unconsious with a single hit or bullet on top of the scull. Can you explain how you guarantee “success” with an animal that is desperately trying to flee and is not lying still? The first hit should also cause the seal’s skull to be crushed. This will almost never be the case, leaving the animal in severe pain and stress shortly before its death. It is impossible to call this hunt ‘humane’.
We will continue to speak up for the tens of thousands of seals that get killed every year and we once again urge you to put an end to this. This hunt serves no meaningful purpose.
