Latest Seal hunting Stories
On Wednesday, the Arctic Council denied the EU, China, Italy and South Korea in their attempt to become permanent members because of a dispute between Canada and the EU over seal hunting.In a statement released after the Arctic Council's gathering in Norway, the eight members of the body "decided to continue discussing the role of observers in the Arctic Council."The seal hunt, a topic of heavy magnitude to Canada, was highly debated during the meeting, members of several...
Humane Society International Documents Suffering, Apparent Violations of Marine Mammal Regulations at 2009 Seal Kill OTTAWA, April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, Humane Society International/Canada released new footage from Canada's 2009 commercial seal kill at a press conference with Senator Mac Harb, the first Canadian parliamentarian to introduce a bill to end the seal hunt. Observers documented numerous cases of extreme cruelty, including apparent violations of Canada's...
The second part of Canada's yearly seal hunt started Wednesday with the killing of 63,500 seals mandated by authorities, even though there remains a lack of interest for their pelts.The profitable hunt began on Newfoundland province and Quebec's lower north shore, stated fisheries department spokesman Phil Jenkins. However, powerful winds and chilly rain slowed down the hunters, Jenkins noted.In the first part of the hunt, 19,411 seals were butchered in the south part of the Gulf of Saint...
Fisheries officials said on Thursday that hunters taking part in Canada's controversial yearly seal hunt have already filled their full kill-quota after slaughtering some 19,411 seals so far this year, the AFP reported.Phil Jenkins, a spokesman for Canada's fisheries and oceans department, described the first leg of the annual commercial cull, which ended Wednesday, as "calm and orderly." The annual seal kill boasted some 350 Canadian sealers in 20 vessels, as well as those on the shores...
CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island, March 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) closed the first zone of the seal hunt today after the earliest group of sealers killed 17,200 harp seals thus far. DFO is set to re-open the hunt in another area of the Gulf this Friday. Observers with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org) have just returned after witnessing the slaughter of harp seal pups during this year's commercial seal hunt....
CHARLOTTETOWN, Canada, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A team of observers with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org) is ready to document the commercial seal hunt as it opens in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. Canada's commercial seal hunt is the largest hunt for marine mammals in the world. Sealers are allowed to kill 280,000 harp seal pups this year, provided they have begun to molt their white coats, which occurs when the animals are about two weeks old....
The Canadian government came under harsh criticism from environmental groups on Saturday for increasing its annual seal-hunting quota. The groups say Canada's move makes little sense given the expected European ban on all seal products.On Friday, the Canadian government authorized an increase in seal killing on the Atlantic seaboard to 280,000, one-third the total number of seals killed annually worldwide. The new quota is 5,000 higher than last year's quota, and 10,000 above the quota...
OTTAWA, March 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has released this year's total allowable catch (TAC) for harp seals despite a lack of demand worldwide for seal fur. Experts with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org) are appalled that the Canadian government is persisting with the commercial seal hunt in spite of dwindling international markets. "This quota is outrageous," said Sheryl Fink, a senior researcher with IFAW....
A Canadian bus driver faces no criminal charges after getting out of his bus and beating a toy seal used by anti-seal hunt protesters in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The incident happened Saturday during an international protest against the seal hunt, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. The unidentified bus driver spotted the protesters in a busy shopping district with the prop, which they had splashed with imitation blood, Staff Sgt. Don Fox of the Halifax Regional Police told the...
HAMBURG, Germany, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- In the spring of 2008, while Canadian seal hunters swarmed from place to place and brutally killed 300,000 seals, the fictional metal band "The Canadians" were touring Germany on their "Killing Seals Tour 2008." The goal was to make primarily young people aware of the bloody events taking place in Canada - with the "Killing Seals Tour 2008" reflecting the real Canadian seal-hunting season. In Germany, there were posters made for the tour...
Latest Seal hunting Reference Libraries
The harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), also known as the saddleback seal, is a true seal in the Phocidae family. It is native to northern areas of the Atlantic Ocean and to some areas of the Arctic Ocean. Its scientific name means "ice-lover from Greenland,” and it was previously classified within Phoca genus, although studies have shown that it is unique enough to be in a distinct genus. It holds two recognized subspecies, P. groenlandicus groenlandicus and P. groenlandicus oceanicus....
The common seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the harbor seal or harbour seal, is a true seal in the Phocidae family. It can be found in the northern Pacific, Atlantic, Baltic, and North Seas along the coastlines in these areas. This species holds five recognized subspecies, although the Western Atlantic common seal subspecies is questionably classified. The common seal can reach an average length of up to 6.1 feet and a weight between 120 and 370 pounds. The fur can vary in color from...
The Cape fur seal (also known as the South African Fur Seal) and the Australian fur seal are two subspecies of the Arctocephalus pusillus species of fur seal. The Cape fur seal (A. p. pusillus) is found along the coast of Namibia and along the west coast of South Africa. The Australian fur seal (A. p. doriferus) breeds on nine islands in the Bass Strait between Tasmania and Victoria. The Cape fur seal is an inquisitive and friendly animal when in the water and will often accompany SCUBA...
