

Currently released so far... 12478 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AU
ASEC
AE
AF
AORC
AEMR
AMGT
ABUD
AFFAIRS
APER
AS
AMED
AY
AG
AR
AJ
AL
AID
AM
AODE
ABLD
AMG
AFIN
ATRN
AGAO
AFU
AN
AA
ALOW
APECO
ADM
ARF
ASEAN
APEC
AMBASSADOR
AO
ASUP
AZ
AADP
ACOA
ANET
AMCHAMS
ACABQ
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APCS
AGMT
AINF
AIT
AORL
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ACBAQ
AFGHANISTAN
ADANA
ADPM
AX
ADCO
AECL
AMEX
ACAO
ASCH
AORG
AGR
AROC
ASIG
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
BL
BR
BO
BA
BD
BM
BK
BG
BU
BB
BH
BTIO
BY
BEXP
BP
BE
BRUSSELS
BF
BIDEN
BT
BX
BC
BILAT
BN
BBSR
BTIU
BWC
BMGT
CA
CASC
CVIS
CM
CH
CO
CU
CD
CWC
CI
CS
CY
CMGT
CF
CG
CR
CB
CV
CW
CE
CBW
CT
CPAS
COUNTERTERRORISM
CJAN
CODEL
CIDA
CDG
CDC
CIA
CTR
CNARC
CSW
CN
CONS
CLINTON
COE
CROS
CARICOM
CONDOLEEZZA
COUNTER
CL
COM
CICTE
CIS
CFED
COUNTRY
CJUS
CBSA
CEUDA
CLMT
CAC
COPUOS
CIC
CBE
CHR
CTM
CVR
CITEL
CLEARANCE
CACS
CAN
CITT
CARSON
CACM
CDB
CAPC
CKGR
CBC
EC
EG
EPET
ECON
ETRD
EFIN
EIND
EMIN
ENRG
EAID
EAGR
EUN
ETTC
EAIR
ENIV
ES
EU
EINV
ELAB
ECIN
EFIS
ELTN
EWWT
ECPS
ECONOMIC
ENGR
EN
EINT
EPA
ELN
ESA
EZ
ER
ET
EFTA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
EXTERNAL
EI
EUR
EK
ERNG
ENGY
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENERG
EINVEFIN
ENVR
ECA
ELECTIONS
ETC
EUREM
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EURN
ECINECONCS
EEPET
EXIM
ERD
ENVI
ETRC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ETRO
EDU
ETRN
EAIG
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
EIAR
EXBS
ECUN
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ESENV
ECONEFIN
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINVETC
IZ
IT
IR
IS
IN
IC
IAEA
IO
ICAO
IWC
ID
IV
ISRAEL
IAHRC
IQ
ICTR
IMF
IRS
IDP
IGAD
ICRC
ICTY
IMO
IL
INRA
INRO
ICJ
ITU
IBRD
INMARSAT
IIP
ITALY
IEFIN
IACI
ILO
INTELSAT
ILC
ITRA
IDA
INRB
IRC
INTERPOL
IA
IPR
IRAQI
ISRAELI
INTERNAL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
IBET
INR
IEA
IZPREL
IRAJ
ITF
IF
KDEM
KU
KPAL
KNNP
KCRM
KZ
KN
KS
KJUS
KTFN
KSCA
KV
KISL
KPAO
KPKO
KIRF
KTIA
KIPR
KFLO
KFRD
KTIP
KAWC
KSUM
KCOM
KAID
KE
KTDB
KMDR
KOMC
KWBG
KDRG
KVPR
KTEX
KGIC
KWMN
KSCI
KCOR
KACT
KDDG
KHLS
KSAF
KFLU
KSEO
KMRS
KSPR
KOLY
KSEP
KVIR
KGHG
KIRC
KUNR
KIFR
KCIP
KMCA
KMPI
KBCT
KHSA
KICC
KIDE
KCRS
KMFO
KRVC
KRGY
KR
KAWK
KG
KFIN
KHIV
KBIO
KOCI
KBTR
KNEI
KPOA
KCFE
KPLS
KSTC
KHDP
KPRP
KCRCM
KLIG
KCFC
KTER
KREC
KTBT
KPRV
KSTH
KRIM
KRAD
KWAC
KWMM
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KOMS
KX
KMIG
KRCM
KVRP
KBTS
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNAR
KPWR
KNPP
KDEMAF
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KGIT
KPAI
KTLA
KFSC
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KID
KOM
KMOC
KJUST
KGCC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KO
KNSD
KHUM
KSEC
KCMR
KCHG
KICA
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KCGC
KWWMN
KPAK
KWNM
KWMNCS
KRFD
MOPS
MCAP
MPOS
MARR
MO
MNUC
MX
MASS
MG
MY
MU
ML
MR
MILITARY
MTCRE
MT
MEPP
MA
MDC
MP
MAR
MASSMNUC
MARAD
MAPP
MZ
MD
MI
MEETINGS
MK
MCC
MEPN
MRCRE
MAS
MIL
MASC
MC
MV
MTCR
MIK
MUCN
MEDIA
MERCOSUR
MW
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTRE
MEPI
MQADHAFI
MAPS
NO
NATO
NL
NP
NZ
NSF
NI
NH
NG
NAFTA
NU
NASA
NR
NATOPREL
NSSP
NSG
NA
NT
NW
NK
NPT
NPA
NATIONAL
NPG
NSFO
NS
NSC
NE
NGO
NDP
NIPP
NRR
NEW
NZUS
NC
NAR
NV
NORAD
OTRA
OPCW
OVIP
OAS
OREP
OPIC
OIIP
OPRC
ODIP
OEXC
OPDC
OSCE
OIC
OSCI
OECD
OFDP
OFDA
OMIG
OPAD
OFFICIALS
OVP
OIE
OHUM
OCS
OBSP
OTR
OSAC
ON
OCII
OES
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PTER
PINS
PINR
PREF
PK
PROP
PA
PARM
PBTS
PMAR
PM
PGIV
PE
PRAM
PHUH
PHSA
PL
PNAT
PO
PLN
PAO
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PF
PEL
PBIO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PAS
POL
PREO
PAHO
PMIL
POGOV
POV
PAK
PNR
PRL
PG
PREFA
PSI
PINL
PU
PARMS
PRGOV
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POSTS
PROG
PORG
PTBS
PUNE
POLICY
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PP
PS
PY
PTERE
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PRELP
PSEPC
PGOVE
PINF
PNG
PGOC
PFOR
PCUL
POLINT
PGGV
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PGOVLO
PHUS
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
RS
RU
RELATIONS
RW
RO
RM
RP
ROOD
RICE
RUPREL
RSO
RCMP
REACTION
REPORT
REGION
RIGHTS
RF
RFE
RSP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
SU
SCUL
SNAR
SOCI
SF
SA
SHUM
SENV
SP
SR
SY
SANC
SC
SMIG
SZ
SARS
SW
SEVN
SO
SEN
SL
SNARCS
SNARN
SI
SG
SN
SH
SYR
SAARC
SPCE
SHI
SCRS
SENVKGHG
SYRIA
SWE
STEINBERG
SIPRS
ST
SNARIZ
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SIPDIS
SAN
TC
TI
TBIO
TH
TSPL
TRGY
TSPA
TPHY
TU
TW
TS
TAGS
TK
TX
TNGD
TZ
TF
TL
TV
TN
TD
TIP
TR
TP
TO
TT
TFIN
THPY
TERRORISM
TINT
TRSY
TURKEY
TBID
US
UK
UNGA
UP
UZ
UNMIK
USTR
UNO
UNSC
UN
UNESCO
UNAUS
UNHRC
UY
UG
UNHCR
UNCND
USOAS
USEU
UNICEF
UNEP
UV
UNPUOS
UNCSD
USUN
UNCHR
UNDC
USNC
UE
UNDP
UNC
USPS
USAID
UNVIE
UAE
UNFICYP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNCHC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 04QUEBEC57, MAGDALEN ISLANDS SEAL HUNT CONTROVERSY CONTINUES
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #04QUEBEC57.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
04QUEBEC57 | 2004-03-25 19:01 | 2011-04-28 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Consulate Quebec |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 QUEBEC 000057
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ECON PREL CA
SUBJECT: MAGDALEN ISLANDS SEAL HUNT CONTROVERSY CONTINUES
¶1. Summary: CG visited the ice floes off the coast of the
Magdalen Islands March 10 to observe the harp seal population on
its annual migration from Greenland. As many as 350,000 young
seals may be culled in the hunt this year, although this year's
higher quota may well not be reached. Opponents of the hunt
decry it for being cruel and unsustainable. Federal and
provincial authorities, fully aware of the public relations
problem surrounding the hunt, defend its conduct and claim it is
the most strictly controlled and supervised hunt in the world.
They are investigating alternative methods of killing the seal
other than with clubs and rifles that can leave seals wounded.
Harp seals number over 5 million, three times what they were in
the 1970s. Despite the ban of seal products in the U.S. and
Europe, the industry earned about $15 million last year,
primarily from pelt sales to Norway, Denmark and China. End
Summary.
¶2. The commercial hunt for harp seals off the Magdalen Islands,
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, began March 24 - by no coincidence
the same day as a campaign against the hunt by the international
animal welfare movement. Madelinots who live on the
archipelago, and for whom the seal hunt is a way of life and
source of income, have equally strong sentiments in favor of the
hunt.
¶3. The ice field where the Greenland harp seals breed and
whelp, situated an hour's helicopter ride from the "Maggies," is
the only place in the world where it is possible to land and
observe the seals before the hunt or to monitor sealing
activity. (Note: the Atlantic off Newfoundland, where the
majority of the harp seal population congregate, is too rough to
permit observation). Around 200 people visited the fragile ice
floe during the first half of March this year, prior to the
start of the hunt that goes into May, when the sea ice breaks
up. CG traveled onto the ice via helicopter March 10 to observe
the hundreds of thousands of seals that travel 2,000 miles from
the Arctic to give birth and mate before returning to Greenland.
Madelinot sealers, temporarily acting as ecotourist guides,
were there to explain the hunt and the lifecycle of the seal. A
mass of seals and their white-coated pups were visible on the
ice floe. As many as 350,000 young harp seals may not make the
return voyage.
¶4. This year the Gulf of St Lawrence is 40 percent covered with
ice - some years it is 80 percent. Storms have moved the ice
field against the Prince Edward Island coast. The strength of
the sea ice depends on rain that refreezes and makes it more
solid. If the ice is too thin, seal pups, lacking enough
blubber, fall off the ice floes and can drown. There were
reports of mass drownings last year. Six of the last nine
winters have been unusually mild. This year, the ice is light
but quite solid.
¶5. An exhaustive census in 1999 counted 5.2 million
Greenland/harp seals, up from 2 million in the 1970's. In 1983,
the Canadian government banned the killing of newborn
"whitecoat" seal pups that are still being nursed by their
mothers. It is still permitted to kill young seals that have
molted, becoming grey at around two weeks of age, and have gone
from 24 to 80 lbs. Hunters do kill adult seals, but reports
from the Canadian government show that the vast majority of
seals killed in the hunt are "beaters" - young seals from 12
days to 12 months old, that thrash the water as they swim. In
the 2002-2003 hunt, 96.6 percent were beaters under 3 months of
age. The number of seals killed last year was reported to be
286,238 - more than at any other time in the past 35 years. The
new quota announced in 2003 would allow 975,000 harp seals to be
'harvested' over 3 years, through 2005.
¶6. The actual hunt is not open to outside observers (it is
pretty bloody and gruesome to watch), except for Federal and
provincial inspectors in boats. Non-governmental opponents
arrive unannounced on the ice or from the air; they submit video
evidence of probable violations to Canada's Department of
Fisheries and Oceans, but they claim no charges have been placed
to date. Protesters have been trying to stop the seal hunt
since 1969, leading to a ban by the EEC on all import of harp
seal products and to the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA). Opponents denounce the hunt as cruel and unsustainable.
Because of its remoteness, in areas with little oversight, they
claim the hunt continues to break the rules while sanitizing the
activity with phrases such as "Seal fishery" and "harvest."
Anti-sealers accuse hunters of skinning conscious seals (over 40
percent of the time), dragging live seals across the ice with
hooks, and shooting and wounding seals.
¶7. While I was not able to witness the hunt first hand, I spoke
to a number of hunters and federal fisheries officials who
monitor the hunt, and to local environmental activists. Their
views were not widely differing - the seal hunt is accepted as a
part of life on the islands. The seal museum presents both
sides of the debate, however; all my local interlocutors clearly
knew they have a tremendous public relations problem with the
hunt. Local inspectors with whom I spoke insisted the hunt is
subject to strict controls and is well supervised.
¶8. Roger Simon, Area Director of Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
who has been inspecting the hunt for over 20 years, flatly
denied charges of cruelty. He said sealers are required by law
to perform a simple blink reflex test to determine if the seal
is dead before skinning it. He acknowledged that as in other
creatures, there are some involuntary muscle spasms after death
that could explain movement. We discussed alternative methods
of killing the seals humanely, including ballistics and lethal
injections. Simon said that a shot against the head, as in an
abbatoir, would not be a good alternative because the thin
cranium of the young seal would allow a bullet passed through,
merely wounding. He asserted that the only sure way to kill a
seal was the traditional method of a well-aimed blow to the
front of the skull.
¶9. In refuting the charge of hunters skinning seals while still
conscious, Simon claimed that if a hunter tried to skin a moving
animal, he would damage and destroy the value of the pelt. He
conceded that there is still some muscle reflex observable in
dead seals. Simon said only a certain caliber of ammunition is
authorized to promote a clean kill, but he acknowledged there is
some degree of wounding. Tests are going on with veterinarians
who work in abbatoirs to find more acceptable methods.
¶10. All of those close to the resource with whom I spoke
insisted that the hunt is conducted in a clean and professional
manner; they underscore it is the most closely monitored hunt in
the world. They note that the seals coming to whelp from
Greenland are growing in number, to the point that they are
threatening the fish stocks. The federal government controls
the seals while they are in the water; the provincial government
controls them once they are dead. Under provincial law, the
complete and precise use of every seal killed must be accounted
for. Hunters must be licensed. Before getting a permit,
commercial sealers must do 20 hours training and must work under
a professional sealer for two years.
¶11. Donald Leblanc, who has spent all his life sealing and
currently is the main trainer on humane techniques of killing,
bleeding and skinning seals for people seeking permits,
described the strict standards of the 20-hour course, including
mandatory classes by veterinarians, pelt classers, and
academics. Leblanc admitted there were some bad practices but
said these were the exception and not condoned. Most hunters
know the habits and respect the marine mammals, he said.
¶12. Forty years ago, people on the Islands ate seals to
survive, but the context has now changed. Both Simon and
Leblanc told CG that quality has become essential: The
collection of seal pelts "is more artisanal than industrial."
The commercial seal hunt is for pelts and oil. Pelts are worth
from C$40-70 if they are perfect, and include the tail. The
seal's blubber, attached to the pelt, yields 40 lbs of oil that
can produce 500 anti-cholesterol health capsules (Omega 3).
There is not much market for the meat. Most seal carcasses are
left on the ice where they are consumed by gulls, fish and sea
lice. The industry earned about $15 million last year,
primarily from pelt sales to Norway, Denmark and China.
¶13. Regarding sustainability, anti-sealers point out marine
mammals have proved vulnerable in the past. Walrus herds used
to be abundant off the Islands: British navigator Peter
Haldimand noted in his diary in 1765 that about 100,000 walruses
could be seen along the shores of Grande Entree Island. Abusive
commercial slaughter meant that by 1799, the walrus had
completely disappeared from the Islands. Madelinots point out
that harp seals are the second most abundant seal in the world,
however. Hunters say that the adult seal eats around 5 pounds
of fish a day, taking a bite of the best part and leaving the
rest. It is clear that for the Madelinots, keeping the seal
population in check is an advantage to the annual hunt.
¶14. The GOC is clearly aware of the impact of the hunt on fish
stocks, especially cod. Federal inspector Simon told CG that
the Canadian Government has responded to the controversy on
killing young harp seals not by prohibiting the traditional hunt
but by implementing strategies for the long-term management of
the seal population. For today's hunter on the Magdalen
Islands, the seal hunt is an important part of making a living
following the 1990 moratorium on cod fishing and the drop of
fish stocks (e.g. 85 percent drop in ocean perch stocks). The
complete moratorium on cod fishing last year means that lobster
fishing has become one of the Islands' main resources (5 million
pounds), as well as snow crabs, eels, mackerel and herrings.
These catches do not compare to the $15,000 a sealer can make
during the few weeks of the spring hunt. The islanders were
quick to assure CG they were not getting rich through sealing,
however, and they point out that the quotas are rarely achieved
- less than half is common.
¶15. Comment: The practice of killing young seals with clubs
remains a subject of international concern and U.S.
congressional interest. In my travels to Nunavut and to the
Magdalen Islands, the subject of opening the U.S. market to
Canadian sealing products, currently prohibited under the Marine
Mammal Protection Act, is a constant refrain. The beauty of the
Islands and the friendliness of its people not withstanding,
Madelinots can be sure to have another media battle brewing
while the controversial killing of young harp seals continues,
even if it now involves grey seals, and not the fluffy
whitecoats.
KEOGH