History Repeats Itself: The Seal Hunt Comes Full Circle

Sadly, commercial sealing for pelts and oil has been an ongoing activity in the Northwest Atlantic for several centuries. Few people knew it existed, however, until television first brought the hunt into homes around the world in the 1960s.

IFAW was established in 1969 with the explicit goal of saving the harp seals from the cruelty of the commercial seal hunt in Atlantic Canada. At the time, there was widespread scientific concern over the declining harp seal population and the sustainability of the hunt.

The 1970s: Seal Hunt Devastates Seal Population

Prior to 1971, the seal hunt off eastern Canada was largely unregulated. Annual catches of harp seals often surpassed 300,000 animals. Typically, more than 80% of the catch was made up of whitecoated pups.

By 1971, scientists estimated that the harp seal population had declined by as much as two-thirds. Quota management was finally introduced to limit the number of animals killed.

By that time, images of nursing whitecoats being skinned in front of their mothers had permeated the public consciousness, and the outcry about the inherent cruelty associated with the hunt was growing.

New Hope for Seals in the 80s

IFAW’s most significant achievement for the protection of harp seals occurred in 1983 when the European Community imposed a temporary ban on the importation of pelts from whitecoated harp seal pups and blueback hooded seal pups. The ban was renewed in 1985 and made indefinite in 1989.

The European import ban, combined with a reduced demand for seal products worldwide, resulted in a marked decline in the numbers of seals killed over the next 15 years. Over this period, landed catches of harp seals averaged about 60,000 animals per year and the depleted population had an opportunity to recover.

The 1990s: The Canadian Government Actually Funds Seal Hunt

Then in 1995, the Canadian fisheries minister increased the quota for harp seals, claiming that they were preventing the recovery of depleted cod stocks. To promote this political decision, which was not supported by any scientific evidence, the minister also announced a new subsidy program to encourage sealers to kill more seals. The provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador also began to offer new subsidies for landed seal meat.

By 1996, the annual catches of harp seals began to increase dramatically. Since then, the quota has been increased twice. In 2003, the government dramatically increased the seal hunt quota to a three-year total of 975,000 harp seals.

The Highest Seal Killings in Over 50 Years

The landed catches of harp seals today has reached levels that caused the population to decline by as much as two-thirds between 1950 and 1970.

According to the government’s 2003-2005 Management Plan, the hunt was not to exceed 350,000 in any two of the three years, leaving 275,000 for the third year. In actuality, 289,512 harp seals were landed in 2003, and 365,971 in 2004. For 2005, the Canadian government has announced that the total allowable catch will be 319,500.

European Commissioner responsible for the Environment, Ripa di Meana, in 1989 surrounded by seal mail calling for indefinite ban on baby seal products into the EC. Photo courtesy Spokesman Service, European Commission.