Seal hunters have not suddenly found a new love for these cute fuzzy little baby seals. No for the second year in a row the seals have escaped being clubbed only to drown because of a lack of ice. Global warming it seems is doing the job that seal hunters no longer can.
This particular species really prefers ice” over land, Hammill said.
After being born, the white-furred pups nurse for 12 to 14 days. Then the mother leaves and the pups are weaned.
These juveniles moult during the next two weeks, trading their snow-white coats for silver ones flecked with small dark spots along each side.
Poor ice conditions mean more pups may die, while less food could be available for those being weaned.
The pups can’t swim very well and they tire quickly, Hammill pointed out.
“They are little butterballs of fat that pop around like wine corks,” he said. “They will drown. They need the ice to rest.”
Ted Miller of Memorial University in Saint Johns, Newfoundland, added that “the seals are absolutely ice dependent, and their numbers will get hammered if it goes down.”
Officials say they expect high mortality among pups this year. Some groups are even estimating that close to 100 percent of the pups will succumb due to fragile ice. (via)
The Canadian government has announced the total allowable catch (TAC) of 270,000 harp seals during the 2007 commercial seal hunt. The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from conservationists worldwide including researchers with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), who worry that repeated failure by Canadian officials to properly manage the harp seal hunt as this year’s TAC continues to put the population at increased risk of depletion.
In recent years, the government has set the yearly TAC around 300,000 animals, a number well above the sustainable levels estimated by its own scientists. This year, despite poor ice conditions that could result in 100% natural seal pup mortality, the government is continuing to ignore the scientific evidence provided by its own scientists by setting the TAC at 270,000 animals.
“Unfortunately, the Canadian government continues to put politics ahead of science by refusing to adopt a precautionary approach when managing the seal hunt,†said IFAW Senior Researcher Sheryl Fink. “Given the lack of seals due to very high natural mortality this year, it’s incredibly disappointing that the Canadian government is moving forward with the hunt – and a hunt for as many as 270,000 seals.“
“Global warming is seriously jeopardizing the habitat of ice-breeding marine mammals such as harp seals,†said Dr. David Lavigne, world-renowned pinniped expert and IFAW Science Advisor. “Any decision to continue with Canada’s seal hunt must take into account the increased seal mortality caused by global warming,†he added.
Canada’s commercial seal hunt is the world’s largest hunt for marine mammals today. Just last year, when government scientists estimated the sustainable yield to be 250,000 harp seals, the TAC was set at 335,000 and the landed catch exceeded 354,000 animals. Of those, 98% were pups under the age of three months.
While Harp seal popluations are large, the one two punch of over hunting and global warming will quickly lead to the same sort of conditions seen in north Atlantic fishing. The seal hunters will soon be putting themselves out of a job if they continue to improperly manage the seal population. In fact the seal hunters should be on the front lines fighting for stronger government action to address the problems of global warming.
Hopefully the commercial seal hunters will be out of a job soon- not because of global warming but because of reduced demand for their fur and closing markets in Europe. The EU is considering a ban on the importation of seal pelts. Let’s hope it passes soon. I have little confidence in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans population estimates. They routinely over-estimate marine populations for political gain.
I totally agree!
The seals are not eaten. In fact there is not a market for seal meat so its hypacritical to compare seals to other species that are in the food chain. Their pelts are taken and the carcusses are left on the ice.
It’s very inhumane when you consider that most seals have not had their first swim or their first meal. Easy pickings for sealers to kill considering they just have ice to hang on to. It’s hard to monitor or regulate a hunt where you have to take as many seals within a 2 day time period.
Newfoundland gets so many financial subsidies. They’ll generate any propaganda to keep the hunt. The sealers live off of income assistance for the rest of the year and the rest of Canada gets to subsidize them. Newfoundland has had the highest rate of unemployment in Canada for 30 years. It makes you wonder if they are determined to change their situation.
Now there aren’t as many seals left similar to what happened with Cod. I’m nervous to know if they will start hunting other things.
Being a Canadian I am totally disgusted and furious that we continue to pay billions to Newfoundland. Why should the rest of us subsidize this massacre? We loose billions from all the boycotts, our image and then we get to pay them equalization payments. How fair is that???
Wow, talk about brainwash and bigotry.
Now I’m sure that I’ll be accused of moving the topic away from sealing (a common strategy when there is no real comeback), but there seems to be an absolute hatred at work here. I guess the people who slaughter captive calves for their softer leather and veal are not cowardly? I guess a calf who has not seen a single day of freedom is mentally prepared to die from a mechanized hammer blow to the head? And yes, even though human executions have even gone wrong, every animal in a slaughter house dies humanely. Sure they do! So why aren’t animal rights activists wanting access to slaughter houses to video these disturbing scenes. Might it be because its something that is being done throughout the rest of Canada and therefore is acceptable?
I wonder how many people such as Dan actually know the percentage of seals killed each year by seal hunters from Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. You may be shocked to find out that it’s not just the stereo-typical ignorant, stupid, and dependent Newfoundlanders found in the world of bigots.
And I am soooo happy that we have other Canadians willing to afford to Newfoundland the same deal as that of Alberta had when it became a “have” province. Willing to protest the Harper Government’s double standard. But do they??? That would mean that the bigots could not complain of Newfoundland’s dependence on others. And what group of people would they degrade then?
Hello
I am a year 11 student doing a project on multimedia , in ICT:CIDA for my GCSE’s, and my subject is artic animals.
I am sending this to ask on whether i could use your picutres of baby seals, for my GCSE project.
Please reply
Thank you
Roxanne Reed
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Hello
I am a 17 yearold girl doing resarch on artic animals and i was wondering if i could us some stuff on why people are hurting baby seals.I think it is wrong to hurt baby seals i am the person who loves animals and i dont want to see them get hurt it makes me cry to see them doing that to baby seals so pleas please HELP me STOP from peopl from hurting them.
Please reply
Thank you
Tara Clow
x
Please…………. STop Global Warming…
BEfore late…
I feel that we should stop seal hunting! it so cruel who would do kill such an harmless animal
I think canada should stop killing cute harmless seals because the seals never did anything to them? So why do they do it to make money or something ? Thats just cruel and mean ! STOP the seal hunt!
how come it doesnt show the enemy of the yellow one????
Global warming is seriously jeopardizing the habitat of ice-breeding marine mammals such as harp seals.stop the global warming .