We are for the Seal HuntPrepared by: Brandon, Austin, and Ricky

What is the Seal Hunt?• The seal hunt is a type of fishery that

involves going to ice pans on large ships. Then the hunters would get off of the ship and get on the ice pans to hunt the seals. The hunters would kill the seals by shooting them and bringing them back to the ships with hakapiks. The seal hunt has been a large ordeal in Newfoundland and Labrador and has become a part of our culture.

Why is the Seal Hunt Good?• The seal hunt is good for us because

it provides a good number of jobs for people in Newfoundland, also it provides leather, oil, handicrafts, and meat for human or animal consumption as well a seal oil capsules which are rich with Omega-3.

How is the Seal Hunt Important to us? (Newfoundland)

• The seal hunt is important to us Newfoundlanders because it has been a part of our culture for thousands of years, in fact the seal hunt has been part of Newfoundland for over 4000 years!

• It has provided employment and products that we use today like the omega 3 capsules.

• By trying to stop the seal hunt, these protesters are trying to erase a mentifact that has been in NL for thousands of years.

• Sealing has had too big of an impact on Newfoundlanders to just get rid of it and move on. We have sealed thousands of years ago and should seal for thousands of years to come.

Why Should The Hunt Stop?• There are many protesters that say

that the seal hunt should stop because it’s “inhumane” or “slaughter”. But the seal hunt is more humane than slaughtering chickens if the hunting is done properly. Protesters would say “Well chickens provide us with food.” But seals provide us with food and more, like leather and oils.

Interesting Facts About the Seal Hunt• 90% of seals are shot with guns, which is quick

and painless, but are usually not clubbed. • Clubbing seals (if done properly) is more humane

that methods use in a commercial slaughter house.

• The government does not allow sealers to hunt the whitecoat seals.

• The majority of Canadians do not object to the seal hunt if it is conducted in a humane manner.

• Seals are not skinned alive like many people think, they actually conduct muscle movement which can be conducted even after death just like chickens.

Seal Hunt Myths

• The Harp Seals are endangered

• The DFO (Dept. Fisheries and Oceans Canada) doesn’t punish illegal hunting.

• The majority of Canadians are against the seal hunt.

Is The Seal Hunt Sustainable?• Animal rights groups say that the seal hunt is

inhumane and unsustainable. This is false because Paul Jenkins (Dept. Of Fisheries and Oceans spokesman) stated:

• “The herd is in really good shape with about 5.6 million animals,”

• “You’ll hear a lot of noise from anti-sealing groups that the hunt is not sustainable, but it’s been around 5.6 million for many years in a row. Since we started applying quotas to the hunt back in the 1970s, the herd has tripled in size, so there’s no issue of this herd being endangered or anything like that.”

This picture illustrates that without the seal hunt the seals could over populate. Also, there are some dead seals there too. The seals probably died from hunger. If there are so many seals dying from hunger, why cant we hunt them? Hunting them provides us with things we use and don’t make them suffer a slow hungry painful death.

White coat Seals • The white coat seal is a

newborn seal. The name white coat is applied to seals from birth to 12 days old. After 12 days they shed their white coats and become adults. The white coats are not hunted in the US nor Canada. The white coats are of big concern to people because they are just babies and should not be hunted.

The Hakapik

• A Hakapik is a club, of Norwegian design, used for killing seals. The Hakapik is a multipurpose hunting tool—a heavy wooden club, with a hammer head (used to crush a seal's skull), and a hook (used to drag away the carcass) on the end. Sealers prefer to use the Hakapik to ensure that the seals are dead after being shot. Although people may think it is inhumane, its not inhumane if done correctly.

Celebrity Involvement• There are celebrities that are against the

seal hunt. For example, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, and more... All of these celebrities don’t care about the livelihood of the hard working Canadians, and they also don’t know all of the facts either. In fact Paul McCartney, Heather Mills and Danny Williams were on Larry King Live and debating about the seal hunt.

Conclusion• To conclude, the seal hunt is being

conducted humanely, is being sustainable, and provides a lot to NL and Canada. Therefore we believe that the Commercial Seal Hunt is good and humane.