2008 Canadian commercial seal hunt
Encyclopedia
Canada
's 2008 annual commercial
seal hunt
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and around Newfoundland, Quebec
and Nova Scotia
began on March 28. The hunting season lasts from mid-November to mid-May, but the hunt mainly occurs in March and April. Canada's seal hunt is the world's largest hunt for marine mammal
s.
Some animal rights
groups have been given observer permits and will be monitoring the hunt. They say it is cruel and that it ravages the seal population. Sealers say it is sustainable, humane, and well-managed.
The pelts and oil are sold to buyers in Norway
, Russia
, and China
.
The total allowable catch for 2008 is set by the Canadian government to 275,000 harp seal
s, (the quota include 2,000 seals for personal seal hunting, and 4,950 seals for the Aboriginal
seal hunt,) 8,200 hooded seal
s and 12,000 grey seal
s.
for 2008, require hunters to slit the seal's main arteries
under its flipper
s, after clubbing or shooting a seal. The European Union
recommended to add this rule, in a report released in December 2007. This is to prevent the seal from being skinned alive and having to withstand that pain.
from the Magdalen Islands
. In the first hour of the hunt, only 15 seals were killed. The ice had made it hard for the 16 vessels, carrying roughly 100 hunters, to get near the seals. The majority of the hunters for these first days of the hunt, are from the Magdalen Islands. The average seal hunt brings in about $1 million annually to the Magdalen Islands. Per March 30, about 1000 had been killed. On March 30, the hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, opened for the people from New Brunswick
, Prince Edward Island
and Nova Scotia
. Per April 18, Sealers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence had taken about half of their total allowable catch (TAC) of 51,500 seals.
The biggest part of the 2008 Canadian seal hunt takes place off Newfoundland and Labrador
, known as the Front. The hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the front officially began on April 11 and 12 respectively. Official opening times were to be released on April 7. Also the license conditions were to be available on April 7. According to Fisheries Department
spokesman Larry Yetman, up to 120 larger boats were heading to the Front on April 12.
Per April 18, sealers on the Front had taken 56 % of a total 194,000 seals allowed to be taken in the area. Per April 18, longliners on the Front had taken ca 79 % of their TAC of 112,000 seals. Small boats on the Front had taken 27 % of their TAC of 71,000 seals.
The seal hunt for Longliners on the Front, closed on April 19, 2008. They were at the time the only groups of hunters close to catching their quota.
d near Cape Breton
. Navy diver
s searched the waters for four men, who had been sleeping in the lower decks of the vessel. Two men, who were at the upper decks, were rescued on to another fishing boat. The vessel had capsized when it was being towed by the Canadian Coast Guard's Sir William Alexander
. The L’Acadien II took part in the seal hunt, and had to be towed because of a steering problem. When the vessel had capsized, a Cormorant helicopter
and a Hercules aircraft
came to aid the rescue. The vessel had since been secured to the side of the Coast Guard's vessel. The navy divers recovered the bodies of three of the missing men on March 29, with one man still missing. The men who died were from the Magdalen Islands
. They have been identified as Bruno Bourque, the boat's owner and captain, Gilles Leblanc (in his 50s), and Marc-Andre Deraspe (in his early 20s). Still missing, but presumed dead, is Carl Aucoin.
conditions off Cape Breton. Two icebreaker
s were sent out to help the vessels out of the ice. On March 29, the coast guard and Department of Defence
rescued seven people, before their vessel, Annie Marie, was crushed in the ice pack northeast off Cape Breton.
On April 14, the vessel Lucy May burn
t to the waterline, on Newfoundlands's northeast coast, after the crew had been rescued by a Cormorant
helicopter. Also on April 14, the vessel BS Venture, had mechanical trouble on Newfoundland's west coast, and six men escaped from the vessel before it ran ashore. The men reached land safely in Rocky Harbour, in a self brought speedboat.
The vessel White Bay Challenger, started to take in water on April 17, because it had been struck by ice while it was being escorted by the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Ann Harvey. The White Bay Challenger sank, after the seven people on board had been taken aboard the Ann Harvey.
After noon, on March 28, federal fisheries officials, issued observer permits for the hunt's opening day, to activists and journalist
s. A couple of hours before the permits were issued, Phil Jenkins of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said that "We're going to delay the giving out of permits until we can understand what exact level of sealing is going on." When the permits were issued after noon
, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) managed to fly out to film some scenes. The journalists (such as the United Kingdom's Sky TV
,), and the representatives of the Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS) were unable to make it to the ice floes, because the weather had turned bad during the day, making it very hard to fly a helicopter. DFO spokesman Phil Jenkins, said there had been issued 60 observer permits.
The permits for March 29, were issued on the evening of March 28.
or grey seal
, under two weeks of age.
Most of the seals that are hunted, are young harp seal
s, called beaters. They were whelped (born) in February or early March in whelping patches on the ice. Such patches vary from 20 to 200 square kilometres, and may contain as many as 2,000 adult females per square kilometre. The pups are abandoned by their mothers at two weeks of age, and remain in the whelping patches until the ice starts to melt in March or early April. The hunt takes place in and around these whelping patches.
-owned company, is a major buyer of Canadian seals. The Carino plant is located in South Dildo in Newfoundland and Labrador
. Carino's Norwegian parent company, Rieber Skinn, announced in April 2008 that its factory in Bergen, Norway, with 17 employees, is closing down within a year. As a result, sealskin from seals captured in Norway will be processed in their plant in Canada. An agreement with Canada says that Rieber is bound to process sealskin in Canada.
to head for the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The seventeen persons on the vessel were from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, South Africa, Canada and the United States.
On March 21, the Canadian government's Lawrence Cannon
, had sent a fax to the Farley Mowat, ordering it not to enter Canadian waters, and warning it of prosecution if the order was not complied with. Paul Watson
replied to the minister that the conventions of the IMO
apply to commercial ships, but the Farley Mowat is a Dutch
registered yacht
. He said the Farley Mowat would enter the Canadian Economic Exclusion Zone, but not the 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) territorial limit.
, from the Canadian Coast Guard
. The collision occurred after the Farley Mowat failed to comply with a request from Des Groseilliers not to approach the seal hunt area. Plates on the Farley Mowat were buckled by the contact, but there were no other damages. Phil Jenkins of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans called the allegation "absolutely false." Loyola Hearn
(Minister of Fisheries and Oceans), issued a statement on March 31, saying the allegations were "completely untrue", and that the Farley Mowat maneuvered itself in front of the Des Groseilliers to cause a collision as an attempt to provoke a confrontation, and attract media attention. Paul Watson replied on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's website
, on April 1, that Des Groseilliers is faster and more maneuverable in the ice than the Farley Mowat, and that the Farley Mowat was stopped when it was hit for the second time. He said the entire incident was captured on video by a man on board the Farley Mowat, and the Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS) helicopter was going to pick up the video on March 31, but had been grounded
by the government.
Sealer Shane Briand said the Farley Mowat came close to the hunters about sixty km off Cape Breton, and broke up the ice under a hunter, on March 30. He said his ship and crew was harassed, until the Des Groseilliers arrived.
was quoted in the same release: "One of the sealers was quoted as saying that he felt absolutely helpless as he watched the boat sink with sealers on board. I can’t think of anything that defines helplessness and fear more than a seal pup on the ice that can’t swim or escape as it is approached by some cigarette smoking ape with a club. This is a seal nursery and these men are sadistic baby killers and that might offend some people but it is the unvarnished truth — they are vicious killers who are now pleading for sympathy because some of their own died while engaged in a viciously brutal activity."
Because of these quotes, the leader of the Green Party of Canada
, Elizabeth May
, decided on April 3 to resign from the advisory board
of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
On April 4, angry fishermen used axes to cut the mooring lines of the Farley Mowat, in St-Pierre where it was tied up. According to a fisherman, the ropes were cut because the fishermen of St-Pierre did not accept what Paul Watson had said. There had first been a confrontation between the activists and the fishermen.
Loyola Hearn
announced that charges were being laid against the Farley Mowats Dutch
captain
, Alexander Cornelissen, and Swedish
First Officer
Peter Hammarstedt. They were charged with contraventions of the Marine Mammal Regulations
(MMR), on getting too close to the hunt without an observer permit. Captain Alexander Cornelissen was also charged under the Fisheries Act, for obstructing or hindering a Fishery Officer, a fishery guardian or an inspector.
On April 12, armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police
officers boarded and seized
the Farley Mowat. They had first asked permission to board the vessel, but were refused. The Farley Mowats captain and first officer were arrested. According to the Fisheries Department, the Farley Mowat is to be kept in DFO
custody until a court orders the release of the vessel. According to Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the boarding happened in international waters, and the Farley Mowat had never strayed into Canada's 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) territorial limit. He said this was proven in the ship's logs
and GPS records, which the Canadian authorities had seized. According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the vessel was seized in Canadian national waters.
The captain and first officer, were granted a $5,000 bail
each, in a Sydney, Nova Scotia
courtroom on April 13. The 17 crew members went on a hunger strike, until the two men were to be released. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, bailed the men out with $10,000 donated by author Farley Mowat
.
The next court appearance was scheduled for May 1, 2008. A new hearing was then scheduled for May 9, and a preliminary hearing for July 2.
is considering a ban on all seal products. A Canadian delegation headed to Europe
in March 2008, to lobby for the hunt. The delegation includes Canadian Fisheries Conservation representative Loyola Sullivan
, Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik
, Newfoundland Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale
, Fur Institute of Canada executive director Rob Cahill, and sealers Mark Small and Denis Longuepee. The delegation travels to London
, Brussels
, Berlin
, Vienna
and Paris
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's 2008 annual commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
seal hunt
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and around Newfoundland, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
began on March 28. The hunting season lasts from mid-November to mid-May, but the hunt mainly occurs in March and April. Canada's seal hunt is the world's largest hunt for marine mammal
Marine mammal
Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...
s.
Some animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
groups have been given observer permits and will be monitoring the hunt. They say it is cruel and that it ravages the seal population. Sealers say it is sustainable, humane, and well-managed.
The pelts and oil are sold to buyers in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
The total allowable catch for 2008 is set by the Canadian government to 275,000 harp seal
Harp Seal
The harp seal or saddleback seal is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean. It now belongs to the monotypic genus Pagophilus. Its scientific name, Pagophilus groenlandicus, means "ice-lover from Greenland", and its synonym, Phoca...
s, (the quota include 2,000 seals for personal seal hunting, and 4,950 seals for the Aboriginal
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
seal hunt,) 8,200 hooded seal
Hooded Seal
The hooded seal is an arctic pinniped found only in the central and western North Atlantic ranging from Svalbard in the east to the Gulf of St...
s and 12,000 grey seal
Grey Seal
The grey seal is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus...
s.
2008 Regulations
A new rule in the Marine Mammal RegulationsMarine Mammal Regulations
Marine Mammal Regulations is a set of rules that govern the taking and treatment of marine mammals in Canada. The regulations are part of the Fisheries Act.The Marine Mammal Regulations s are divided into nine “parts”:...
for 2008, require hunters to slit the seal's main arteries
Pulmonary artery
The pulmonary arteries carry deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs. They are the only arteries that carry deoxygenated blood....
under its flipper
Flipper (anatomy)
A flipper is a typically flat limb evolved for movement through water. Various creatures have evolved flippers, for example penguins , cetaceans A flipper is a typically flat limb evolved for movement through water. Various creatures have evolved flippers, for example penguins (also called...
s, after clubbing or shooting a seal. The European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
recommended to add this rule, in a report released in December 2007. This is to prevent the seal from being skinned alive and having to withstand that pain.
Locations and quota
The hunt in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence started on Friday March 28, 2008. A handful of sealing vessels set out before dawnDawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
from the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
. In the first hour of the hunt, only 15 seals were killed. The ice had made it hard for the 16 vessels, carrying roughly 100 hunters, to get near the seals. The majority of the hunters for these first days of the hunt, are from the Magdalen Islands. The average seal hunt brings in about $1 million annually to the Magdalen Islands. Per March 30, about 1000 had been killed. On March 30, the hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, opened for the people from New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. Per April 18, Sealers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence had taken about half of their total allowable catch (TAC) of 51,500 seals.
The biggest part of the 2008 Canadian seal hunt takes place off Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, known as the Front. The hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the front officially began on April 11 and 12 respectively. Official opening times were to be released on April 7. Also the license conditions were to be available on April 7. According to Fisheries Department
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, frequently referred to as DFO , is the department within the government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters...
spokesman Larry Yetman, up to 120 larger boats were heading to the Front on April 12.
Per April 18, sealers on the Front had taken 56 % of a total 194,000 seals allowed to be taken in the area. Per April 18, longliners on the Front had taken ca 79 % of their TAC of 112,000 seals. Small boats on the Front had taken 27 % of their TAC of 71,000 seals.
The seal hunt for Longliners on the Front, closed on April 19, 2008. They were at the time the only groups of hunters close to catching their quota.
Four men missing
On March 29, 2008, a 12 metre fishing vessel, L’Acadien II, with six men, capsizeCapsize
Capsizing is an act of tipping over a boat or ship to disable it. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting.If a capsized vessel has sufficient flotation to prevent sinking, it may recover on its own if the stability is such that it is not stable inverted...
d near Cape Breton
Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Cape Breton Regional Municipality often shortened to simply CBRM, is a regional municipality in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton County.According to the 2006 Census of Canada, the population within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality is 102,250...
. Navy diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
s searched the waters for four men, who had been sleeping in the lower decks of the vessel. Two men, who were at the upper decks, were rescued on to another fishing boat. The vessel had capsized when it was being towed by the Canadian Coast Guard's Sir William Alexander
CCGS Sir William Alexander
CCGS Sir William Alexander is a Canadian Coast Guard Ship classed a "High Endurance Multi-Tasked Vessel -Light icebreaker, which includes task such as major navaids tender"...
. The L’Acadien II took part in the seal hunt, and had to be towed because of a steering problem. When the vessel had capsized, a Cormorant helicopter
CH-149 Cormorant
The AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant is the Canadian Forces designation for the AgustaWestland AW101 , a helicopter used for air-sea rescue in Canada...
and a Hercules aircraft
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
came to aid the rescue. The vessel had since been secured to the side of the Coast Guard's vessel. The navy divers recovered the bodies of three of the missing men on March 29, with one man still missing. The men who died were from the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
. They have been identified as Bruno Bourque, the boat's owner and captain, Gilles Leblanc (in his 50s), and Marc-Andre Deraspe (in his early 20s). Still missing, but presumed dead, is Carl Aucoin.
Technical problems
On the evening of March 28, it was reported that two sealing vessels were taking in water, and one vessel had mechanical problems, in heavy iceIce
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
conditions off Cape Breton. Two icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
s were sent out to help the vessels out of the ice. On March 29, the coast guard and Department of Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
rescued seven people, before their vessel, Annie Marie, was crushed in the ice pack northeast off Cape Breton.
On April 14, the vessel Lucy May burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
t to the waterline, on Newfoundlands's northeast coast, after the crew had been rescued by a Cormorant
CH-149 Cormorant
The AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant is the Canadian Forces designation for the AgustaWestland AW101 , a helicopter used for air-sea rescue in Canada...
helicopter. Also on April 14, the vessel BS Venture, had mechanical trouble on Newfoundland's west coast, and six men escaped from the vessel before it ran ashore. The men reached land safely in Rocky Harbour, in a self brought speedboat.
The vessel White Bay Challenger, started to take in water on April 17, because it had been struck by ice while it was being escorted by the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Ann Harvey. The White Bay Challenger sank, after the seven people on board had been taken aboard the Ann Harvey.
Observer permits
Journalists have a constitutional right to observe the hunt that was affirmed under a 1989 Federal Court of Appeal ruling. The federal government have a right to issue observer permits, to prevent the ice from being overcrowded with observers. A Seal Fishery Observation Licence in 2008 cost $25, and regulations on who is eligible for a license, were found in the Marine Mammal Regulations.After noon, on March 28, federal fisheries officials, issued observer permits for the hunt's opening day, to activists and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s. A couple of hours before the permits were issued, Phil Jenkins of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said that "We're going to delay the giving out of permits until we can understand what exact level of sealing is going on." When the permits were issued after noon
Noon
Noon is usually defined as 12 o'clock in the daytime. The word noon is also used informally to mean midday regarding the location of the sun not the middle of a persons day. Although this is a time around the middle of the day when people in many countries take a lunch break...
, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) managed to fly out to film some scenes. The journalists (such as the United Kingdom's Sky TV
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
,), and the representatives of the Humane Society of the United States
Humane Society of the United States
The Humane Society of the United States , based in Washington, D.C., is the largest animal advocacy organization in the world. In 2009, HSUS reported assets of over US$160 million....
(HSUS) were unable to make it to the ice floes, because the weather had turned bad during the day, making it very hard to fly a helicopter. DFO spokesman Phil Jenkins, said there had been issued 60 observer permits.
The permits for March 29, were issued on the evening of March 28.
Seals
According to the Marine Mammal Regulations, Canada do not allow the hunting of whitecoats. Whitecoats are suckling pups, of the harpHarp Seal
The harp seal or saddleback seal is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean. It now belongs to the monotypic genus Pagophilus. Its scientific name, Pagophilus groenlandicus, means "ice-lover from Greenland", and its synonym, Phoca...
or grey seal
Grey Seal
The grey seal is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus...
, under two weeks of age.
Most of the seals that are hunted, are young harp seal
Harp Seal
The harp seal or saddleback seal is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean. It now belongs to the monotypic genus Pagophilus. Its scientific name, Pagophilus groenlandicus, means "ice-lover from Greenland", and its synonym, Phoca...
s, called beaters. They were whelped (born) in February or early March in whelping patches on the ice. Such patches vary from 20 to 200 square kilometres, and may contain as many as 2,000 adult females per square kilometre. The pups are abandoned by their mothers at two weeks of age, and remain in the whelping patches until the ice starts to melt in March or early April. The hunt takes place in and around these whelping patches.
Seal product sales
Carino, a NorwegianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
-owned company, is a major buyer of Canadian seals. The Carino plant is located in South Dildo in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. Carino's Norwegian parent company, Rieber Skinn, announced in April 2008 that its factory in Bergen, Norway, with 17 employees, is closing down within a year. As a result, sealskin from seals captured in Norway will be processed in their plant in Canada. An agreement with Canada says that Rieber is bound to process sealskin in Canada.
The R/V Farley Mowat
On March 24, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's vessel, the R/V Farley Mowat, left BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
to head for the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The seventeen persons on the vessel were from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, South Africa, Canada and the United States.
On March 21, the Canadian government's Lawrence Cannon
Lawrence Cannon
Lawrence Cannon, PC is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. On October 30, 2008 he was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs...
, had sent a fax to the Farley Mowat, ordering it not to enter Canadian waters, and warning it of prosecution if the order was not complied with. Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
replied to the minister that the conventions of the IMO
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
apply to commercial ships, but the Farley Mowat is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
registered yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
. He said the Farley Mowat would enter the Canadian Economic Exclusion Zone, but not the 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) territorial limit.
Collision
On March 30, according to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the Farley Mowat was rammed twice by the icebreaker Des GroseilliersCCGS Des Groseilliers
The CCGS Des Groseilliers is a T1200 Class Medium Arctic Icebreaker in the Canadian Coast Guard.The vessel is named after Médard Chouart Des Groseilliers a close associate of Pierre-Esprit Radisson in explorations west of the Great Lakes and the founding of the English Hudson's Bay Company.The...
, from the Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
. The collision occurred after the Farley Mowat failed to comply with a request from Des Groseilliers not to approach the seal hunt area. Plates on the Farley Mowat were buckled by the contact, but there were no other damages. Phil Jenkins of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans called the allegation "absolutely false." Loyola Hearn
Loyola Hearn
Loyola Hearn, PC is the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland. He served as a Member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2000 to 2008, and as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans from February 6, 2006 to October 30, 2008....
(Minister of Fisheries and Oceans), issued a statement on March 31, saying the allegations were "completely untrue", and that the Farley Mowat maneuvered itself in front of the Des Groseilliers to cause a collision as an attempt to provoke a confrontation, and attract media attention. Paul Watson replied on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, on April 1, that Des Groseilliers is faster and more maneuverable in the ice than the Farley Mowat, and that the Farley Mowat was stopped when it was hit for the second time. He said the entire incident was captured on video by a man on board the Farley Mowat, and the Humane Society of the United States
Humane Society of the United States
The Humane Society of the United States , based in Washington, D.C., is the largest animal advocacy organization in the world. In 2009, HSUS reported assets of over US$160 million....
(HSUS) helicopter was going to pick up the video on March 31, but had been grounded
Grounding (punishment)
Grounding is a form of punishment given to children, preadolescents or adolescents by their parents for misbehavior....
by the government.
Sealer Shane Briand said the Farley Mowat came close to the hunters about sixty km off Cape Breton, and broke up the ice under a hunter, on March 30. He said his ship and crew was harassed, until the Des Groseilliers arrived.
Paul Watson's remarks
A release from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on April 2, said that "The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society recognizes that the deaths of four sealers is a tragedy but Sea Shepherd also recognizes that the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seal pups is an even greater tragedy." Paul WatsonPaul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
was quoted in the same release: "One of the sealers was quoted as saying that he felt absolutely helpless as he watched the boat sink with sealers on board. I can’t think of anything that defines helplessness and fear more than a seal pup on the ice that can’t swim or escape as it is approached by some cigarette smoking ape with a club. This is a seal nursery and these men are sadistic baby killers and that might offend some people but it is the unvarnished truth — they are vicious killers who are now pleading for sympathy because some of their own died while engaged in a viciously brutal activity."
Because of these quotes, the leader of the Green Party of Canada
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
, Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth Evans May, OC, MP is an American-born Canadian Member of Parliament, environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006. She became a Canadian citizen in 1978.May's...
, decided on April 3 to resign from the advisory board
Advisory board
An advisory board is a body that advises the board of directors and management of a corporation but does not have authority to vote on corporate matters, nor a legal fiduciary responsibility...
of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
On April 4, angry fishermen used axes to cut the mooring lines of the Farley Mowat, in St-Pierre where it was tied up. According to a fisherman, the ropes were cut because the fishermen of St-Pierre did not accept what Paul Watson had said. There had first been a confrontation between the activists and the fishermen.
Charges
On April 5, the Minister of Fisheries and OceansMinister of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)
The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for supervising the fishing industry and administrating all navigable waterways in the country...
Loyola Hearn
Loyola Hearn
Loyola Hearn, PC is the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland. He served as a Member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2000 to 2008, and as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans from February 6, 2006 to October 30, 2008....
announced that charges were being laid against the Farley Mowats Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
, Alexander Cornelissen, and Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
First Officer
Chief Mate
A Chief Mate or Chief Officer, usually also synonymous with the First Mate or First Officer , is a licensed member and head of the deck department of a merchant ship...
Peter Hammarstedt. They were charged with contraventions of the Marine Mammal Regulations
Marine Mammal Regulations
Marine Mammal Regulations is a set of rules that govern the taking and treatment of marine mammals in Canada. The regulations are part of the Fisheries Act.The Marine Mammal Regulations s are divided into nine “parts”:...
(MMR), on getting too close to the hunt without an observer permit. Captain Alexander Cornelissen was also charged under the Fisheries Act, for obstructing or hindering a Fishery Officer, a fishery guardian or an inspector.
On April 12, armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officers boarded and seized
Impoundment
Impoundment is the election of a President of the United States not to spend money that has been appropriated by the U.S. Congress. The precedent for presidential impoundment was first set by Thomas Jefferson in 1801. The power was available to all presidents up to and including Richard Nixon, and...
the Farley Mowat. They had first asked permission to board the vessel, but were refused. The Farley Mowats captain and first officer were arrested. According to the Fisheries Department, the Farley Mowat is to be kept in DFO
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, frequently referred to as DFO , is the department within the government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters...
custody until a court orders the release of the vessel. According to Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the boarding happened in international waters, and the Farley Mowat had never strayed into Canada's 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) territorial limit. He said this was proven in the ship's logs
Logbook
A logbook was originally a book for recording readings from the chip log, and is used to determine the distance a ship traveled within a certain amount of time...
and GPS records, which the Canadian authorities had seized. According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the vessel was seized in Canadian national waters.
The captain and first officer, were granted a $5,000 bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
each, in a Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
courtroom on April 13. The 17 crew members went on a hunger strike, until the two men were to be released. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, bailed the men out with $10,000 donated by author Farley Mowat
Farley Mowat
Farley McGill Mowat, , born May 12, 1921 is a conservationist and one of Canada's most widely-read authors.His works have been translated into 52 languages and he has sold more than 14 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Canadian North, such as People of the...
.
The next court appearance was scheduled for May 1, 2008. A new hearing was then scheduled for May 9, and a preliminary hearing for July 2.
Possible European Union ban
The European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
is considering a ban on all seal products. A Canadian delegation headed to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in March 2008, to lobby for the hunt. The delegation includes Canadian Fisheries Conservation representative Loyola Sullivan
Loyola Sullivan
Loyola Sullivan served as Canada's Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation from 2007 until 2011 and is a former Member of the House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador. Sullivan represented the district of Ferryland from 1992 till 2006.Sullivan was Leader of the Official Opposition between 1996...
, Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik
Paul Okalik
Paul Okalik MLA is a Canadian politician. He is the first Inuk member called to the Nunavut Bar, the first Premier of Nunavut and the only multi-term premier of a Canadian territory....
, Newfoundland Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale
Kathy Dunderdale
Kathleen Mary Margaret "Kathy" Dunderdale MHA is a Canadian politician and the tenth and current Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, having served in this capacity since December 3, 2010...
, Fur Institute of Canada executive director Rob Cahill, and sealers Mark Small and Denis Longuepee. The delegation travels to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
External links
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Marine Mammal Regulations (SOR/93-56), Department of Justice Canada, (Regulation current to March 25, 2008)
- Images and video of the 2008 hunt, by the International Fund for Animal Welfare
- Seals and Sealing Network by the Fur Institute of Canada
- IFAW 2008 Seal Hunt Press and Blog Coverage, by the International Fund for Animal Welfare
- Seal Defense Campaign 2008 by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
- Protect Seals 2008 by the Humane SocietyHumane SocietyA humane society may be a group that aims to stop human or animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons, although in many countries, it is now used mostly for societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals...
- http://www.catcahelpanimals.org Campaigns Against The Cruelty To Animals
- http://www.harpseals.org Harpseals.org