Sealers' motivation questioned as market weakens
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 3, 2009 | 3:35 PM AT
CBC News
After the controversial grey seal hunt on Hay Island, N.S., lasted only one day because of a lack of market, some sealers in the Maritimes have set their sights on another small island off Cape Breton, a move questioned by anti-sealing groups.
A spokesman with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said of the 2,200 grey seal quota for the protected area of Hay Island, only about 200 were harvested, due to there being no purchasers for the product.
Now, some sealers have informed DFO they want to hunt more grey seals off privately-owned Henry Island.
However, the motivation for such a hunt is being questioned by the Atlantic Canadian Anti-Sealing Coalition, given that an European Union committee voted Monday to ban some Canadian seal products.
Director Bridget Curran told CBC News she suspects the sealers are thumbing their noses at the Europeans, given the lack of market for grey seal products.
"Because with no markets existing presently for seal meat or seal skins, and it being so late, I find it very interesting that now, suddenly, they want to go over to Henry Island to kill seals on the very day the European Parliament committee … voted overwhelmingly for a ban on seal products," she said.
Michel Therien, spokesman with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in the Gulf region said there is currently very little activity at Henry Island because of poor weather but several sealers have notified the department of their intention to continue with the hunt, even though it is late in the year for a hunt in the area.
"There are less seals around the islands on western Cape Breton than the southern Gulf, but there are still seals present, but not as previous weeks for sure," Therien said.
Therien said the sealers who contacted the department said they had purchasers for the grey seal products. The sealers must inform DFO of when they go out for the hunt and how many seals they take.
A final vote on banning Canadian seal products will happen next month in the EU parliament. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador and Senator Fabian Manning have said a ban is contrary to the World Trade Organization's regulations.
