A hunter heads toward a harp seal during the annual East Coast seal hunt in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence near Quebec's Îles-de-la-Madeleine in 2009. Sparse ice conditions may compromise the 2010 seal hunt. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

Poor ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence means it is unlikely there will be a seal hunt in that area this year, says federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea.

Shea said what ice there is in the gulf may be too thin to support hunters

"The ice conditions are probably the poorest they have been in 60 or 70 years, so we're not quite sure," she said.

"Normally the seal hunt starts around the end of March; there is very limited ice."

There will be no hunt if it is not safe for sealers, said Shea. Federal fisheries officials will meet with hunters in Îles-de-la-Madeleine in the next few weeks to make a final decision.