Ice fishing traps raided by Seals! More proof today of the seal population booming in Northumberland Strait, Gulf of St. Lawrence
Seals are capitalizing on the upheaval caused by the weekend storm that hit Atlantic Canada to raid fishing traps they couldn't reach earlier.
Ted Williston, a veteran New Brunswick ice fisherman, said he was hoping to use the winter weather to give him a break from the growing number of seals in the area. Full CBC story here December 3, 2009 Politicians enjoy a meal of seal meat in Ottawa
Politicians gathered Wednesday for a seal-tasting celebration in Ottawa, in defiance of foreign critics.
Members of different parties got together on Parliament Hill ......
Full CBC story here
With booties and baguettes, Bloc boosts seal hunt Party hosts Parliament Hill event to promote hunt; Leader Gilles Duceppe says 'government should have done this years ago'. Globe and Mail story here November 4, 2009
Prince Charles and Camilla get to see seal skin fashion up close. The Right Honourable John Crosbie, the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, shows off a wonderful sealskin coat to the Royals Charles and Camilla in St. John's today. The Canadian Sealers Association applauds Mr. Crosbie for his taste in Fall fashion!
Globe and Mail has a photo and a report here
November 2, 2009 Canada contests EU seal ban at WTO Trade Minister Stockwell Day says Ottawa has formally requested WTO consultations into Europe's ban on Canadian seal products, the first stage of the world body's dispute-settlement process. CBC story here Bloomberg storyhere
October 29, 2009 Seal hunt protesters arrested, fined for disrupting fisheries conference
Two protesters with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) were arrested and fined Wednesday after disrupting a fisheries meeting in Charlottetown. Read the Guardian story here
September 11, 2009 Two anti-sealing activists fined $40,000 Two animal rights activists who endangered the lives of sealers out on the ice floes last year were fined a total of more than $40,000 for twice coming within the legal limit of Canada’s annual East Coast seal hunt.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society members Peter Hammarstedt of Sweden and Alexander Cornelissen of the Netherlands were not present in Nova Scotia provincial court Thursday, nor were they represented by any legal counsel. Full Telegram storyhere(Transcontinental Media)
August 18, 2009 Harper attacks seal hunt critics 'No reason the seal industry should be singled out,' PM says in Iqaluit Prime Minister Stephen Harper had fighting words on Tuesday for critics of Canada's seal hunt, accusing European countries and others of unfairly discriminating against the industry.
Speaking to reporters in Iqaluit on Tuesday, Harper defended the seal hunt, which recently became the subject of a trade ban by the European Union. Full CBC story here
July 15, 2009 Sealing tragedy triggers coast guard towing changes
The federal government has brought in new towing policies for the coast guard in response to several probes into last year's deadly accident involving a disabled sealing vessel off the coast of Cape Breton.
The measures revealed by the government Tuesday include better sharing of information and tracking vessels, and new guidelines for dealing with disabled vessels. Full Story here
July 2, 2009 Is Rebecca Aldworth and Sir Paul on the way to save Britain's Grey Squirrel we ask? When the UK is busy poking thier nose in foreign coutries to prevent legal scientific backed conservation types of culls and harvesting of unendangered speices such as the seal harvest off the east coast of Canada the general public appear to see nothing wrong with culling thousands of grey squirrels and serving them up as gourmet pate. Winnipeg Sun has a good article on how the Brits love making pate out of those cute little squirrels!
G U I L T Y
Anti-sealing activists convicted in Nova Scotia court
A judge in Sydney found the captain and first officer of the anti-sealing ship Farley Mowat guilty Tuesday of violating the Fisheries Act and Canada's marine mammal regulations. Capt. Alex Cornelissen of the Netherlands and First Mate Peter Hammarstedt of Sweden were arrested during the 2008 seal hunt when they took their ship too close to men hunting on the ice.
They were released shortly afterwards and haven't returned to Canada since, not even for their trial. The two men did not have a lawyer or enter a defence.
They were accused of coming within 0.93 kilometres of the seal hunt without a permit on three days during the 2008 hunt.Full story here
June 23 Inuit hunters hit by European seal product ban
Inuit in Northern Labrador say they are being hit hard by the European Union's ban on the importation of seal hunt products, even though seal products from Inuit hunters are exempt from the EU legislation. (CBC News) Full story here
May 27, 2009 Gov. Gen. shows support for seal hunt by eating harvested seal's raw heart On the first day of her trip to the Arctic Michaelle Jean gutted a freshly slaughtered seal, pulled out its raw heart, and ate it. Hundreds of Inuit at a community festival gathered around as the Governor General made a gesture of solidarity with the country's beleaguered seal hunters. Jean knelt above a pair of carcasses and used a traditional blade to slice the meat off the skin.(The Canadian Press)Story is here
May 14th 2009
From The Economist European politicians are breathtakingly hypocritical about sealskins ROUGHLY handled, and incompetently stunned, terrified animals may awaken several times before they are slaughtered. Some have their throats slit fully conscious. Europe’s industrial farms dispatch 1m sheep, cattle and pigs every day. You cannot cater to the welfare of a large animal like a pig when the line must kill five in a minute. Full story here
May 7, 2009 Prayers, hymn helped me survive on ice floe, rescued sealer says
(CBC News)
A fisherman who survived two nights in frigid temperatures on a pan of ice off northern Newfoundland said Wednesday he repeatedly sang a church hymn while he waited for rescue.
"Most I done was pray," said Rex Saunders, 66, who was found on Wednesday morning on an ice pan near where his small open boat had sunk, not far from his home of St. Lunaire-Griquet, on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula. Full story here
May 6, 2009 Canada will ’vigorously’ defend seal hunt: Harper PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, TERRY PEDWELL, The Canadian Press
Canada will “vigorously” defend its sealing industry in the wake of a European ban on seal products — but not at the expense of free trade talks, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said today.
“Canada will, both domestically and in front of international tribunals, vigorously defend our sealing industry,” said Harper, who arrived in Prague for trade talks with the European Union just hours after the ban was endorsed.
Despite that tough talk, however, Harper also sent a clear signal that Canada’s defence of the hunt, which has long been a sore spot in Europe, would not come at the expense of one of its most critical trading relationships. Full story here
St. John's Board of Trade speaks out against European seal product ban
(The Telegram)
The St. John’s Board of Trade has voiced its disagreement with the actions of the European Parliament to ban the import of seal products, calling it a victory for the fundraising industry and a loss to families in Atlantic Canada, particularly Newfoundland and Labrador.
“The ban on the importation of seal products into Europe is going to hurt families and businesses in this province and this city, plain and simple,” said board chairman Bruce Templeton.
“We support those who are arguing on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador workers, and we oppose the tactics used by international lobbyists to convince others to act (against) our local best interests.” Full story here
HYPOCRITS!
May 5th 2009
Europeans showing 'hypocrisy' over seal product ban: Premier Williams
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams has lashed out at European politicians who have approved a ban on importing clothing, food and other products made from seals.
The European Parliament on Tuesday passed a motion that bans the import of such products, including Omega-3 capsules made from seal oil, into member countries of the European Union. The bill called the hunting of seals "cruel." Full story here
May 4, 2009 Does Canada have The European Parliament in "check mate" status on the proposed seal ban bill?
Ban on Seal Products to be Discussed at Prague Summit Prime Minister Stephen Harper will head to Prague this week for a summit with EU leaders, one day after a scheduled European Parliament vote on the ban on seal products. According to an article in Saturday's Globe and Mail, Canada isn't letting the expected ban on seal products bog down free trade talks. While in Prague, Harper will criticize the Europeans on their seal hunt policy while also pressing for a speedy conclusion to coming free-trade negotiations. VOCM Story here
Also related...
On Tuesday, a vote that was expected to sail through the house - on plans to ban seals and seal products from the EU - has created a bit of unforeseen fall-out for the bloc. Sealing nation Canada, furious at the legislation, last week convinced the Arctic Council to reject the EU's application to become a permanent observer with the high-northern body. MEPs are still expected to back the bill in huge numbers - the move is massively popular amongst voters - but becoming an observer with the council was a key element of the commission's new Arctic Strategy, which may peel off a handful of MEPs.
The vote comes at an embarrassing time, as the commission this very week will also hold a summit on Tuesday with Canada, where negotiations on a free trade agreement between the two sides were to kick off. ( LEIGH PHILLIPS : euobserver.com )
April 29 Canada against EU entry to Arctic Council because of seal trade ban
(CBC News) Canada opposes the European Union's request to join the Arctic Council because of the EU's proposed ban on imported seal products that will go to a vote next week. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, meeting with other Arctic Council nations this week in Tromso, Norway, says he is gaining the support of other member countries. "Canada doesn't feel that the European Union, at this stage, has the required sensitivity to be able to acknowledge the Arctic Council, as well as its membership, and so therefore I'm opposed to it," Cannon told CBC News on Tuesday from Tromso.Full story here
April 14, 2009 N.L. MP wants Harper to teach Obama about seal hunt (CBC News) A Newfoundland and Labrador MP is calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to educate U.S. President Barack Obama about the East Coast seal hunt. Scott Simms, Liberal MP for Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor, said on the weekend that Obama needs to learn that the annual seal hunt is humane and Harper should tell the president that the hunt is important to the province.Full story here
April 8, 2009 Seal Harvest Opens on the Gulf
(The Canadian Press) The Fisheries Department says poor weather has hampered sealing activity on the opening day of the hunt in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence.The hunt on the lower north shore of Quebec and off western Newfoundland and Labrador has officially started, but a department spokesman says freezing rain and strong winds have created poor conditions.Full story here
April 4. 2009 Canada to take action against EU over seal product ban Canada will take action against the European Union if it bans imported seal products, Trade Minister Stockwell Day said Friday. "Despite scientific evidence that supports humane harvesting techniques, and testimony from Inuit communities as to the harmful effect of the proposed ban, the EU continues to push forward with a proposal that will damage the livelihood of coastal and northern Canadians and their families," Day said in a statement. (CBC.ca) Full story here
April 1, 2009 European Parliament postpones vote on proposed seal products ban until May
The Canadian Press
A European Union vote on a proposed seal products ban has been delayed until at least May. The European Parliament was scheduled to vote on the proposed legislation Thursday. Full story here
March 31, 2009 Minister Hedderson meets with EU allies
Seal ban vote set for next month (The Telegram)
Fisheries Minister Tom Hedderson is in Ottawa to meet with European Union (EU) allies in advance of a looming vote to ban seal products. "We're gathering intelligence and getting some good feel for what this is all about," Hedderson told The Telegram from the nation's capital Monday. Full story here
March 26, 2009 Nunavut MLAs vote to oppose EU seal product ban
CBC News
Politicians in Nunavut are making a last-minute effort to fight the European Union's proposed ban on the import of seal products from Canada and other sealing nations. Members of the territory's legislative assembly unanimously passed a motion Wednesday to oppose the EU ban, which the European Parliament is scheduled to consider on April 1. Full story here March 25, 2009 Seal hunt ends off Iles de la Madeleine; more than 17,200 seals harvested
The Canadian Press / The Telegram
Seal hunters returned to the ice in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence for a few hours today to kill the last remaining seals allowed under their quota off Iles de la Madeleine. Full story here
March 24, 2009 Canada defends annual seal hunt Canadian officials have defended the start of the annual seal hunt as a financial necessity for isolated communities as sealers face pressure from a possible European Union ban. The Press Association Full story here March 23, 2009 Seal hunt gets underway off Îles de la Madeleine The annual harp seal hunt began off Îles de la Madeleine in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence on Monday. Over the weekend, federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea set the annual harp seal quota at 280,000 animals for the entire hunt, including N.L. Story is here
Ottawa sets 338,200 animal quota for this year’s East Coast seal hunt
( The Telegram ) Ottawa has set a quota of 338,200 seals for this year’s East Coast hunt — an increase of 55,000 animals from last year.
Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announced the quota in a short release late Friday. She said the decision on the size of this year’s kill was made with “the advice of scientists to ensure the seal population is maintained.”
The federal Fisheries Department estimates the size of the harp, grey and hooded seal herds on the East Coast at about 6.4 million animals. Full story here
Absolute discharges granted in long-running sealing trial
(CBC News) After almost 13 years, countless thousands of dollars and numerous court dates, 10 Newfoundland and Labrador sealers were told Friday they will not have criminal records. The 10 sealers, found guilty in January of illegally selling the pelts of bluebacks — immature hooded seals — to a processing plant, were granted absolute discharges during a court hearing Friday in Corner Brook. Full story here
March 16, 2009
Two Faced Naked Spaniards in seal-cull protest!!!
Just miles away from the most brutal blood sport of all, the Spanish Bull Fight, somehow the hipocritcal Spanish public somehow take it upon themselves to protest the Canadian seal hunt. We here at the Sealers Association thought we had seen it all when it comes to the pathetic two faced opinions of the anti's but this is the most farcical. See for yourselves here
March 11, 2009 Premier highlights possible EU dissent as seal ban vote nears (Telegram, St. John's
ROB ANTLE)
Premier Danny Williams is highlighting possible dissent within Europe as EU legislators get ready to vote on a bill - as early as April - that would ban the import of seal products. "Denmark has Greenland, there's a seal hunt there," Williams said in a recent interview. Full article here
Inuit on sealing: "We want your mind, not your money"
(MARY SIMON Globe and Mail)
While the target of animal-rights protesters is the seasonal killing of seals by commercial fishermen on the ice floes around Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the impact of the protests threatens, once again, to have painful consequences on Inuit communities scattered throughout the Canadian Arctic. Inuit in Greenland will also feel the pain. Full article here
March 8, 2009
"I defended the seal hunters because I feel it’s not an industry that has the means to defend itself to the millions of dollars in the animal rights movement."Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette
A Canadian senator from Quebec believes Europe should focus on the current world economic crisis and not the with sealing industry in Canada. Full article here
Cape Breton sealers to move on to Henry Island
March 4, 2009
Some Cape Breton sealers are planning to hunt in the Gulf region now that the grey seal harvest on Hay Island is over, a spokesman with the federal Fisheries Department said Tuesday. (Chronicle Herald) Full article here
Ottawa Urged to Fight Ban on Seal Products
March 3, 2009
The provincial government is urging Ottawa to use the World Trade Organization to fight the ban on seal products by the European Union. Fisheries Minister Tom Hedderson believes Canada has a legitimate case and that the ban is contrary to the WTO guidelines and regulations. Full article here (VOCM)
Canada Disappointed with Vote by European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection March 02, 2009 OTTAWA – DFO Press release: The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today issued the following statement:
The Government of Canada is disappointed with today’s vote by the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection to endorse proposed legislation that would ban the sale of seal products and limit the Inuit’s ability to sell their products. Full document cane be read here
Senator Baker Opposes Bill on Seals
March 2, 2009
A Newfoundland and Labrador senator will try to have a bill calling for an end to the seal hunt thrown out. Ottawa-area senator Marc Harb will introduce the bill tomorrow morning. He believes the seal hunt should be stopped as he feels the revenue generated by the hunt is relatively low. Fellow Liberal senator George Baker says the information being put out by his colleague is erroneous. (VOCM News)
Hypocritical EU ready to vote on seal product restrictions
March 2, 2009
Tense times are ahead for Canada's sealing industry as the European Union grapples with its proposed seal products ban, beginning with a vote Monday that could determine the parameters of the legislation.
A 44-member committee of various political persuasions will meet in Brussels to decide whether to implement a labelling and certification system that would allow the import of seal products, as long as they were hunted in a humane manner. Full article here (CBC)
Government of Canada Defends the Right of Hard Working Canadian Sealers to Earn a Livelihood
February 27, 2009 OTTAWA – DFO Press release: The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today issued the following statement in defence of Canadian sealers:
The Government of Canada is disappointed by the news that Liberal Senator Mac Harb will introduce legislation calling for a ban on the seal hunt. This proposal undermines Canada’s ongoing efforts abroad to defend the legitimacy of the seal hunt at a time when Canada is facing proposals to ban seal products in Europe and elsewhere.Full document cane be read here
Friday, February 27, 2009 Federal government selling pathetic rust box Farley Mowat
The Cape Breton Post reports the federal government is selling the anti-sealing vessel, the Farley Mowat. The vessel, owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has sat at dock in Sydney, Nova Scotia, since it was seized by Department of Fisheries officers off the west coast of Newfoundland in April 2008. Full CBC story here
February 27, 2009 MEPs to vote on partial ban on seal products
By Zoë Casey
Proponents of total ban foreground public sentiment in their arguments. The European Parliament's internal market and consumer protection committee will vote on Monday (2 March) on whether to limit EU trade in seal products to goods that can be labelled as ‘seal-friendly'. Full article here
Scottish trawlerman who clubbed 21 seal pups to death faces £100,000 fines or years in jail Fisherman who killed 21 seals with a fence post on a remote Scottish island refuses to say why he did it. (Guradian.uk) Story here
Feb 20, 2009 Minister Shea Continues to Defend the Canadian Seal Hunt
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 20, 2009)
The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today issued the following statement:
Earlier this week, I met with a number of key Czech Republic officials in Prague to discuss the proposed European Union (EU) ban on Canadian seal products. The Czech Republic currently holds the Presidency of the EU and plays a vital role in the decision-making process. They are seeking to find a consensus among the differing opinions of the 27 member states. I was pleased that they were open to hearing more about Canada's humane, sustainable seal hunt.Read the full news release here
February 18, 2009 200 Hay Island seals killed after hunters find pelt buyer
By LAURA FRASER, Chronicle Herald, Cape Breton Bureau
The long-delayed seal hunt on Hay Island started Monday after the fishermen found a buyer nearly two weeks into the season. The sealers told the federal Fisheries Department on Sunday that they planned to head out to the protected wilderness area Monday, the director of fisheries and aquaculture management said Tuesday. A coast guard vessel took fisheries staff to the island so they could supervise the hunt, Gus van Helvoort said. About 200 seals were culled Monday. All of the sealers followed the rules, according to staff who watched over the hunt, Mr. van Helvoort said. Full article here
February 3, 2009 Seal hunt approved again for Hay Island, near Louisbourg, N.S. (CBC News)
Sealers in the Maritimes have been granted permission to hunt in a provincially protected area off Cape Breton.The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans recently approved a request from sealers to harvest 2,200 grey seals on Hay Island, near Louisbourg.The Nova Scotia Department of Environment agreed to give them access to the island, part of a provincially protected wilderness area. Full story here
January 26, 2009 Newfoundland senator trying to convince EU to allow seal products. Alisha Morrissey (The Telegram)
Canadian sealers should know in less than three months whether their products will be banned in the European Union. Senator Fabian Manning says he and others will spend the next three months trying to convince lawmakers in the EU to continue to allow seal products to enter the 27 member countries, or at least make exceptions allowing Canadian products into the Union. Full story here
January 22, 2009 Canada, Greenland come under fire over seal hunt as EU considers ban by CONSTANT BRAND (The Associated Press)
Canada and Greenland faced off against animal-rights groups Wednesday over accusations their annual seal hunts are cruel and inhumane as European Union legislators mulled proposed rules that could ban their seal products in Europe. A vote on such legislation could come as early as April, when the Canadian seal hunt gets underway. The EU member countries would still have to confirm the decision. Full story here
January 21, 2009 Canadian delegation asks EU to drop proposed seal product ban (CBC News)
Canadian officials, including those from Newfoundland and Nunavut, are in Brussels this week to ask the European Union not to pass proposed legislation that would ban the import of seal products. The Canadian visit to Europe, organized by the federal Fisheries and Oceans Department, is Canada's latest attempt to sway European politicians on the proposed seal ban, which is before an EU committee. Full story here January 20, 2009
Clarifying the facts (The Guardian PEI)
Ottawa is right to argue Atlantic Canada's case for being exempt from the EU's proposed seal import ban. Prince Edward Island has much at stake in the federal government's ability to persuade the European Union to exempt Canada's commercial seal hunt from a proposed seal import ban. Although Island fishermen are rarely participants in a hunt that occurs so far off their shores, the Island itself is often a base for seal hunt protesters, and as such is often perceived internationally as an active participant. In short, this province takes an unfair brunt of the negative fallout from the seal hunt. Story is here
January 14 2009 New Seal Regs Aim to Stave off EU Ban by Jeff Davis, The Hill Times
Canada is introducing new rules for killing seals, in hopes they will help Canada dodge the European Union's proposed ban on the import of seal products.
As the machinery of European government grinds ever closer to a ban on seal products, it appears Canada's final hope to retain access to the European Union market is to qualify for a derogation, or exemption, from the incoming ban. The story is here
