Please help stop the 2008 Canadian harp seal hunt!

More than 300,000 harp seal pups are expected to be slaughtered this year alone.

harp seal "beater" The main arguments being made in support of this hunt are that

it is economically necessary for a maritime industry decimated by dwindling cod populations, and
these seals are not endangered, so this is not really a pressing environmental issue.

But consider this:

this massive seal hunt is so unsustainable that it offers no real solution to employment problems,
it will do nothing to revitalize the fishing industry (humans are the ones responsible for decimating the cod, not seals),
this hunt is being carried out with little regard for humane treatment of these intelligent marine mammals,
although the seal population is not currently endangered, this hunt may eliminate a third of the population in only three years, and
this situation is not separate from the whole pattern of greed and destruction in which we are engaged around the world.

We desperately need to find a way of living that is sutainable for all of us, human and non-human alike.

What can I do?

1) Educate yourself about the hunt.

The lead organization opposing the hunt is the International Fund for Animal Welfare, based in Canada. There is much more information on their web site. Be aware that some of this information is pretty horrific.

The Humane Society also has an information page and an action page.

2) Share this information with friends whom you think would be sympathetic.

3) Support the IFAW the Humane Society or The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

4) Write to Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada and ask him to intervene to stop the hunt:

Prime Minister's Office
Right Honorable Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington St.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1A OA2
Phone: 613-941-6888
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: [email protected]

Canadian Tourism Commission
55 Metcalfe St.
Suite 600
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1P 6L5
613-946-1000
E-mail: Use the Contact Us form.

Sample letter to Stephen Harper created by HSUS.

Dear Prime Minister Harper,

Canada's commercial seal hunt is opposed by the overwhelming majority of people in Canada and around the world, and governments are increasingly taking action on behalf of their citizens. In 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a unanimous resolution calling on the Canadian government to end the commercial seal hunt. In recent years, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, France, Croatia, Italy, Mexico and Panama have either ended their trade in seal products or announced their intentions to do so. In 2006, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for an EU wide ban of seal products, and the Council of Europe called on its 46 member states to promote initiatives aimed at prohibiting the trade in seal products. Notably, 67 percent of Canadians holding an opinion support foreign nations banning seal product trade (Pollara 2007).

As the slaughter continues, many people are expressing their opposition by boycotting Canadian products. To date, half a million individuals and over 3,500 restaurants, grocery stores and seafood distributors have pledged to avoid some or all Canadian seafood to pressure Canada to end the seal hunt, costing Canada's fishing industry many times the value of the seal hunt. Notably, Canadian seafood exports to the United States alone bring in about $2.5 billion to the Canadian economy, which stands in sharp contrast to the roughly $12 million in landed value contributed by the commercial seal hunt in 2007.

You have an unparalleled opportunity to protect Canada's economy and the seals. There is little economic reason to continue the commercial seal hunt and every reason to end it. Please do everything in your power to stop the cruel and needless slaughter before it is too late.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this important matter.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

5) Consider boycotting travel to Canada as long as the hunt continues (Many Canadians also oppose this hunt, so weigh the merit of this action very carefully).

Thank you for taking the time to think about this issue.

Jonah

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