Seal kill not senseless or frivolous — Canada

Press, 28 March 1979, Page 15

Seal kill not senseless or frivolous — Canada

Seals are not killed senselessly or frivolously but are killed by men who have to make a living from the resources of the sea doing dangerous work, says the Canadian High Commission, in a supplied statement. The statement says: The livelihood of Newfoundland and fishermen for instance, depends on seals and fish, just as the livelihood of workers in the cattle industry — meat-counter workers, the shoe salesmen, and of the farmer — depends on the slaughter of cattle. That people make a living from killing animals may not be pleasant but it is a’ fact. Seals are killed not only for their fur, but for their skin (to make leather), their fat (to make edible oils), and their meat (consumed widely in Newfoundland). These products, ano the processing industries they ‘support, are a vital means ‘of supplementing the low • income of the fishermen in this region. Uncontrolled expansion of both the harp and hooded seal population (the two types involved annually) would seriously threaten the other means of livelihood in this area — fishing. Seals consume up to one ton of fish per year, and are in direct competition with the fish-

ermen for valuable resources. The annual seal cull performs the important function of controlling the size of the seal herd, thereby permitting adequate fish catches and in the long term the very survival of the species. The killing of any animal — whether a seal, a lamb, a calf, a deer, or a pig — understandably arouses strong emotions. The sight of the seal hunt as it appears on our television screen is espe-. daily upsetting because in today’s modern society the fact that other animals are killed in far greater numbers to satisfy human wants is usually hidden from our view. Every year millions of animals are butchered in slaughter-houses or killed for sport. The grim spectacle of frightened animals slaughtered on conveyer belts would undoubtedly provoke just as strong a reaction if the cameras were trained on it year after year, as is the case with the seal cull. The method of clubbing used in killing seals is certainly not pleasant to watch and is upsetting to many people. However, what must be of concern is whether the method offers a quick and painless death to the animal. Animal pathologists,

biologists and veterinarians who have studied the actual cull agree that seals are killed more humanely than most domestic animals in any civilised country. The method used renders the seal insensitive to pain instantly. The annual seal culling is closely regulated in the presence of fisheries officers. Independent observers and humane-society representatives, Canadian and international, are invited to help ensure conformity with the regulations. They prepare reports each year which are readily available to the public. Considerable misinformation has been distributed regarding the humane aspects of the north-west Atlantic harp seal hunt. These statements have produced common misconceptions, for example, the harp seal dam grieves the loss of her pup as do dogs or domestic cattle during the first week of the young animal’s life. Veterinary and scientific observers have concluded that dam-pup relationships in the seal are predominately hormonal in nature and cease rapidly with either the weaning or loss of the pup.

Most females have weaned their pups by the starting date of the hunt,

and with rare exception, those that have not done so leave upon the approach of the sealers and do ncrt return to the whelping site. The harp seal is not an endangered species and is not so classified by Canadian or other governments. It is, in fact, the second most abundant species of seal. The Canadian Government has an excellent and acclaimed record of wildlife resource conservation and management. As with the Canada goose, salmon, polar bear, and caribou, the. Canadian Government is committed to ensuring that the seal herds never become threatened. There is no credible scientific report which would indicate that the original population of harp seals in the northwest Atlantic was 10M, indeed a recent thesis written at the University of Guelph suggests that the original figure was probably about 2M. It is the published scientific consensus of the standing committee on research and statistics of the International Commission for the North-west Atlantic Fisheries that the present harp seal population in the north-west Atlantic numbers between 1.3 M and 1.4 M animals (not including pups) and is increasing.