Read Reg Sherren's Reporter Notes

This is not an easy story to tell. No matter what you say, or how you report it, somebody is bound to take exception to it. The seal hunt has been a hot-button issue for decades, and that's not likely to change any time soon. What has changed, as far as I can determine, is a new generation of Newfoundlanders who aren't particularly inclined to be apologists for what has been part of tradition and heritage for hundreds of years.

In many parts of rural Canada, and Newfoundland is certainly no exception, tradition and heritage are in danger of gathering dust on some historical shelf, becoming memories more than anything else. The reality is that the seal hunt is hardly even economically viable these days. There was a time when it gave someone who hauled a living from the sea the ability to make enough dollars to start exploiting the summer fishery. That's not the case anymore, but if I'm hearing what I'm hearing correctly, the determination of its future should be made by Newfoundlanders, not the "crowd from away".

This generation of Newfoundlanders is prouder than they've ever been, as strong as they ever were, and they are not about to back down from. Far from it. So let's call it...a lively discussion.