First Phase of Seal Hunt a Bust as Single Boat Leaves Port

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First Phase of Seal Hunt a Bust as Single

Boat Leaves Port

 

CHARLOTTETOWN, Canada, March 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IFAW (The

International Fund for Animal Welfare –www.ifaw.org) has confirmed

with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans that a sole sealing vessel has

hailed out on the opening day of the commercial harp seal hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada.

The

vessel is reportedly heading to the Northern Gulf – the only area where seals

have been observed in the Gulf – to kill the few animals that have managed to

survive what has been a disastrous year for harp seal pups.

" After

spending the past week watching the few tenacious seal pup survivors clinging

to life, it is heartbreaking to realize that they may now be killed, " said Sheryl Fink,

a senior researcher with IFAW. " On the other hand, I am encouraged that

only one boat has decided to go seal killing so far this year. "

This

year has been the worst ice year on record for the east coast of Canada.

The IFAW observation team has been inPrince Edward

Island and Newfoundland,

documenting the ice conditions and few pups that remain. Harp seals need

ice for giving birth, nursing and resting, and seal mortality is expected to be

very high this year as a result of the poor ice conditions.

" The

situation this year is dire, and there is no question that the effect of

climate change on these individual animals is devastating. We've seen

dead and abandoned pups on beaches, starving pups crying for food and trying to

suckle off each other, and whitecoat pups swimming in desperate search of ice

on which they can rest, " said Fink.

The

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species notes that harp seals are going to be

negatively affected by climate change. " Under a precautionary approach,

these seal pups should be protected from commercial hunting and given the

chance to survive. Instead, Canada is

proceeding to kill off any animals that might actually exhibit traits that

would allow the species to better contend with climate change, " said Fink.

The

lack of interest in sealing this year is not only due to the scarcity of seal

pups, but also a result of a decreased demand for seal products. Markets for

seal pelts appear to remain saturated with prices expected to remain around $15 per skin, down from $104 in 2006. A commercial hunt for

grey seals earlier this year failed to occur altogether.

SOURCE

International Fund for Animal Welfare

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