Editor:
The seal hunt started this week and, right now, thousands of seals are slowly dying an excruciatingly painful death, with some even being skinned while still alive.
Some of them are newborns.
This barbaric ritual has gone on far, far too long and now there is an alternative – a buyout – but the federal government is ignoring it.
Instead the federal government’s irresponsible increase for the seal hunt quota for 2011 is 80,000 more than in 2010; they are allowing 468,200 harp, grey and hooded seals, to be brutally slaughtered.
It appears that this is not considered news in this part of the world, as I have seen no reporting on it anywhere, so, even though the Peace Arch News is predominately for local news, I just felt I had to try give it some publicity.
Moreover, the continuation of commercial sealing is costing Canadians millions more dollars than the seal hunt is bringing in, and severely damaging our international reputation. Even China, with its miserable record on animal rights, is now banning Canadian seal products. Around the world, sealing is coming to an end, with Russia banning its commercial slaughter last year.
A recent poll conducted by Ipsos Reid reveals that fully half of Newfoundland sealers holding an opinion expressed support for a federal buyout of the commercial seal hunt. This plan would involve the federal government compensating fishermen for their sealing licences and investing money in economic alternatives in the communities involved. Economists tell us such a plan would cost Canada far less than the money needed to keep the seal hunt going.
It sounds like a “win-win” alternative to me.
I would be interested to find out if there are many more people who feel this barbaric and brutal activity must come to an end, especially when there is a better option to help the economy of the Newfoundlanders than going out once a year and smashing in the skulls of these helpless and gentle creatures.
J.S. Korman, Surrey
