Top 10: Reasons To Support The Seal Hunt

This article kinda reflects my current sentiments on the seal hunt :) There are numerous points for contention here but I guess its always good to sit back and listen, at times, to the story of the "bad guys". Enjoy :)

Next time somebody goes off about seal hunt atrocities, retaliate with some solid reasons why these cute creatures should be clubbed.

Opposition to the seal hunt is fueled by a lot of myth and misinformation. For the most part, reaction against the Canadian harp seal hunt is based on emotion, not reason. There’s a stigma out there that savage poachers are viciously and relentlessly hunting down adorable baby seals for fun and profit, but that’s not actually the case. The truth is that there are lots of good reasons to support the seal hunt, and here’s a list of the top 10.

In the past, we’ve posted point/counterpoint articles on issues like whether you should or shouldn’t tell your girlfriend you cheated, or whether to love or hate Tiger Woods. In this case, we figured you’ve heard all about the opposition to the seal hunt. So, we thought we’d balance the scales with a fresh perspective.

Now let’s be clear: If you’re a vegetarian or vegan who is opposed to the killing, eating or processing of any and all animals, then this article isn’t going to convince you that hunting seals is OK. This article is directed at the guy who eats meat and wears leather; it’s aimed at an audience that believes it’s OK to hunt animals for food as long as they are killed humanely and with an eye toward environmental sustainability. After reading our top 10 reasons to support the seal hunt, you’ll see that hunting harp seals is no different from fishing, farming cattle, trapping lobster, or hunting deer.

Reason 1: Harp seals are not an endangered species

With all the hysteria surrounding the Canadian seal hunt, you’d think seals were on the brink of extermination. Not true. The harp seal population is nearly triple what it was in the 1970s, currently estimated at 5.6 million. By contrast, in 2000, the number of right whales thought to be living in the North Atlantic was estimated at 300. Eastern wolverine populations might already be extinct. One of the reasons to support the seal hunt is that unnecessary efforts to protect harp seals actually distract us from more important conservation efforts.

Reason 2: Clubbing is humane

The club, or hakapik, is actually an extremely humane way to kill a seal. Animal rights groups sometimes deride the use of clubs and guns as unnecessarily violent. However, seal hunters are actually compelled to use guns and hakapiks by the Government of Canada precisely because they are the quickest and most humane ways of killing the seals.

Clubbing or shooting a seal may sound or look brutal, but perception is not always reality. The hakapik is at least as humane as (if not more humane than) the means used to process beef in a typical slaughterhouse.

Reason 3: Wildlife experts support the hunt

In 2002, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association found that 98% of all seals were killed “in an acceptably humane manner.” Similarly, a 2005 report funded by the World Wildlife Fund concluded that, “the Canadian harp seal hunt is professional and highly regulated by comparison with seal hunts in Greenland and the North Atlantic. It has the potential to serve as a model to improve humane practice and reduce seal suffering within the other hunts.”

Reason 4: It's illegal to hunt baby seals

It’s illegal to hunt white-coat baby seals. It has been since 1987. That’s another of the top 10 reasons to support the seal hunt. Any website or organization that uses an image of a white-coated baby seal to convince you to oppose the seal hunt is manipulating you. They’re appealing to your emotions instead of your reason.

Reason 5: Hunting helps control seal populations

Overpopulation of the seal herd could result in many seals dying of starvation. If the population were to go unchecked, harp seal food sources would likely become threatened and many seals could suffer slow, painful deaths. Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador have already reported seeing seals roaming outside of their typical habitats, in shallower waters, searching for food.

Reason 6: Economic and cultural importance

The seal hunt is an economically viable industry, employing over 6,000 people per year on a part-time basis. Some sealers estimate that the harp seal harvest represents as much as 35% of their household income. Moreover, the communities most dependent on the seal hunt have unemployment rates 30% higher than the national average.

Opponents to the seal hunt are essentially asking people who live in some of Canada’s poorest regions to give up as much as one-third of their incomes.

Another of our reasons to support the seal hunt is that it’s been part of Canada’s cultural fabric for hundreds of years. Coastal populations have survived by eating seal meat, much as urban populations survive on the beef, chicken and fish that are killed and processed in other parts of the country.

Reason 7: Seals are a source of Omega-3s

Doctors have been trumpeting the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids a lot recently. Omega-3 fatty acids can be used in the prevention of arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and many other ailments.

Canadian harp seals are an excellent source of omega-3s. Seals aren’t just hunted for their meat and their pelts, but also for seal oil and its many health benefits.

Reason 8: Total opposition distracts from real industry problems

We’ve been making the case that seals, just like cows or chickens, are a legitimate source of food and other useful products. Harp seals aren’t endangered, and the vast majority of seals are killed humanely. Nevertheless, like any industry, the commercial seal hunt isn’t perfect. Some hunters are guilty of abuses and some seals suffer unnecessarily. However, this is just another reason to support the seal hunt. We should be working to correct problems within the industry, rather than shutting the industry down altogether. Instead of helping to solve specific problems, those wholly against the seal hunt suggest we condemn the many for the sins of the few.

Reason 9: The seal hunt is carefully regulated

Careful government regulation is another one of the top 10 reasons to support the seal hunt. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans determines how many harp seals can be harvested every year; they use aerial monitoring, satellite tracking, dockside inspections, and a number of other protocols to ensure that regulations are being followed. By doing this, the Canadian government ensures that the seal hunt remains economically viable and environmentally sustainable.

Reason 10: The opposition is not always credible

Question the source of your information when opposing the seal hunt. Are you getting your information from scientists, or musicians? Is your data coming from the people living in eastern and northern Canada, or people living in Europe and Los Angeles? Paris Hilton and Paul McCartney are opposed to the seal hunt.

Meanwhile, renowned ecologist and conservationist Jacques Cousteau once said, “The harp seal question is entirely emotional. We have to be logical. We have to aim our activity first to the endangered species. Those who are moved by the plight of the harp seal could also be moved by the plight of the pig . . . We have to be logical. If we are sentimental about harp seals, which are not endangered because they are partially protected, then we have to also be emotional about pigs.”

If you can’t stand the thought of any animal being killed, fine -- that’s understandable. But if you can eat a pig, we think you should be convinced by our top 10 reasons to support the seal hunt.

By Andrew Moore, Entertainment CorrespondentAdapted from http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-reasons-to-support-the-seal-hunt_10.html