Every spring off the east coast in Canada, licensed sealers brutally kill thousands of helpless seals to sell their fur, skins and oils. The seals are between 3 weeks and 3 months old, and most cannot swim and haven't even had their first solid meal. They are completely defenseless.
The government of Canada enforces a three-step killing process to shorten their suffering. However, this process is not always followed, and seals are often shot from boats and left to bleed out in agony on the ice. Some of these innocent baby seals are skinned alive.
There is a lot of confusion over what the commercial seal hunt encompasses. Firstly, the Inuit seal hunt is very different from the commercial seal hunt. It has great cultural value within Inuit communities, and is primarily conducted for sustenance and preserving traditional skills rather than for profit, like the commercial seal hunt. It does not depend on the global demand for seal products.
In addition, it has been stated that the commercial seal hunt helps increase cod populations. However, it does not have this effect. Low cod populations are a result of overfishing rather than high grey seal populations, although they do make it difficult for cod to recover. Grey seals account for a very small percentage of the seals hunted during the commercial seal hunt. In 2016, only 1,612 grey seals were killed, compared to 66,800 harp seals. Therefore, the commercial seal hunt is not a seal cull. There are currently no plans for a grey seal cull in Canada.
This petition is strictly fighting the killing of seals for commercial and economic purposes. It will be sent to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coastguard, demanding that the government of Canada bans the annual commercial seal hunt and stops contributing to the market for seal products.
As of 2018, the trading of seal products is banned in 35 countries. Why is the seal hunt still happening here? This cruel practice is a violation of animal rights, and it has gone on for far too long. We need to stop the inhumane slaughter once and for all!
