I saw somewhere that people consider it a sport, just like people would consider dear hunting a sport.

It's not "Total Bull" to cull the herd. Over population of the seals would lead to decreasing population of fish, another industry that's HUGE in Northern Canada, and for the Natives. This is no different than hunting types of birds, animals, or fishing. It's food and the lively hood of MANY of the groups of people who do it.

What else do you expect them to eat, or to use for warmth? Blubber = oil, fur = coats, meat = food. You expect them to pay nearly 2.5-5x what the rest of Canada pays for Chicken, Beef when there's food they can get for free? Grow up and get out of your narrow minded self-righteous view of the world.

Look on youtube. You see the ones with little black fur being clubbed, those are from 2 to 4 weeks old, they are called ragged jackets. America banned the import of white coats, but Canada banned the offshore commercial hunting of whitecoats and bluebacks on December 30, 1987. I think that means in Canada it can be done as long as it not done commercially. So some people here need to get their facts straight cause the babys are being killed too.

Yes it is. They already have other preditors after them. Fish lay thousands and thousands of eggs, an adult Harp Seal has ONE BABY. It's different cause they aren't beat to death.

So theres not any other types of food? I have a jacket and I know for a fact its not made out of seal, why can't we use other things besides that. I don't expect them, but I find it kind of heartless. They do have chicken and beef in Canada. I'm not narrow minded and self righteous, because you don't agree with it. The world doesn't work like that sorry.

Final Fan you and your pictures win the thread! Congratz! Here you go. You get a Get out of Ban Free card!

The amount of misinformation spread in this thread is absolutely sickening. These people you call good-for-nothings are people you know absolutely nothing about.

A few things of note:

- Clubbing is actually a rare occurance today as it is mostly being replaced by shooting. Despite seeing images provided by either the radical group, the US Humaine Society, or Paul McCartney of clubbing still taking place as a common practice, it simply is untrue. Others have already addressed how its been found to be much more humaine than shooting, in many instances. Although, admitedly, it really does help their image as largedarryl pointed out. It does look really brutal.

- Killing seal pups is actually illegal. And again, this is not commonplace in the hunt. There are always a few loose cannons (in whichever case), that do things in an inhumaine manner.

@PS3

How is it anymore unnecessary to kill chickens? cows? It is just a case where it is easier to target for these radical groups as it is a smaller industry and the seals are just so damned cute! There are many malpractices when killing chicken and cows. Hell, we raise them only to be slughtered. The sealers use pretty much every part of the seal as opposed to much of the wasted material when slaughtering cows orchicken. What makes this so much worse?

Secondly, who are any of you to say they shouldnt eat seal? Get off your high horse and at least become a vegan before telling others they shouldnt eat meat.

For the record, I have never eaten seal meat.

I dont mean to come across as crude, but the way some of you have jumped on these people and demonized them isridiculous.

@rendo

Thanks for clearing most of that up. Most people, unfortuantely, get their info from celebrities, the USHS, PETA or youtube(honestly?).

Ima tuck that away for later.  Never know when I might feel the urge to go all Gballzack on you guys.

1. seal hunting is not a sport.
2. You cannot grow crops in arctic canada.  Hunting is a primary source of food.
3. There are limited economic opportunities in a barren wasteland.
4. The seal population is estimated to be 9 times larger than it was in the 1970's.
5. It is illegal to hunt whitecoats (baby harp seals)
6. It is illegal to sell the fur of whitecoats 
7. It is illegal to hunt bluebacks (hooded seals younger than 16 months)
8. It is illegal to sell the fur of bluebacks
9. It is illegal to harvest solely for the coat
10.  You must be licensed or in the apprenticship of a licensed sealer, and are required to undergo training on proper techniques to humanely kill/verify that the animal is not suffering.

I think I should have taken your advice as well (whoops). I am actually quite surprised how many are actually educated on this issue here.

Unless you've never eaten meat, worn wool or any other sort of animal fiber and are currently living in conditions where you have no elecrticity, runnning water, ect. ect. your being a hypocrit by making a big deal about this. As a race, we humans have been destoying our way to glory and raping mother earth for a very long time now. seal hunting doesn't even make the top ten list of supid shit that we do as a people on a yearly basis, but because we see cute picutes of fuzzy animals we forget that we ate that Mc D's humburger. You know the one that came from the cow the was rasied in the most "cost effecient" manner, had it's brains beat in at a slaugheter house, got processed and served to you on a bun. Everything you buy has a story behind it, and a lot of those stories are just plain ugly. Trust me i work in a food plant and if i told you a fraction of what i've seen, you'd never eat again.

In closing, if the seal hunt bothers you, do some research that doesn't include PETA handouts , then research everything else in your life then same way. I Promise you won't like what you find.