BACKGROUND
Harp seals in Canada have a growing population, fishermen and the Canadian Government believe that the seals are to blame for the decline in fish stocks and therefore they cull seals to control the population and improve their chances of a better fishing industry. Fishermen in Canda rely on the fishing industry to make a living, if that were to crash they would have nothing to fall back on. Culling seals used to mean clubbing seals but now the Canadian Government have asked the cullers to shoot them in order to be more humane.
WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?
Seals eat a variety of stock from the sea, not just cod but the creatures that prey on the cod too. They are not solely to blame for the decline in the cod stocks. They are the scapegoats who are blamed and punished for the actions of the fishermen who greedily overfish. Culling seals is taking things to extremes, I don't think people can be trusted when it comes to controlling a population of animals. Things can quickly go too far and may lead to an extinction.
Pictures are shown on the news and in the newspapers of baby seals who cannot yet swim being shot or beaten to death. I have been told that hunters are now supposed to shoot the seals and not club them as done in the past, either way death is a certain fact and blood seeps through the ice.
Other Seal Sites
(Clicking a link will take you away from this site.)
Pagophilus.org
A site all about seals, it includes the latest news, regular features and information about othercauses involving seals.
International Marine Mammal Association (IMMA)
A site dedicated to conserving marine species and their habitat. A very informative site which includes articles.
Seal Conservation Society
An organisation dedicated to conserving seals, sea lions and walruses. Very easy to navigate.
Animals Voice
Excellent site for all animal issues, includes a great feature on the seal cull.
Jenni's Seal Site
A home made, touching site with great graphics and insight.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Fishery Crisis - The Starving Ocean
Concentrates on the seals relationship with cod. Very informative.
Other places to write to include your local and National newspapers, if your letter gets printed it will bring it to the attention of a wider audience.
Until I can load my template letters to the site here is a link to some other templates from Harpseals.org
Template Letters
Some sites provide forms you can fill in, they then send the form to the said person and you don't have to write a letter at all. It is also a good idea, once you have done it to forward the form or link of the form to as many friends as you can and ask them to do the same. You can also create your own e-mail forwards, contact me if you would like me to send you one.
Petitions and Flyers:
As well as letter writing you can make your own petition and flyers to hand out. I created my own double sided flyer which I left in areas that were busy, such as supermarkets, buses, reception areas and other leaflet stands.To sign a petition visit Stop the Seal Hunt
A free flyer (double sided) is available HERE