Proposed Seal Hunt Ban

As Canada approaches its annual arctic seal hunt, proposals to ban the practice have again arisen. Amidst protest from animal rights groups who claim that the seal hunt is cruel and unsustainable, 20 vessels, in addition to land-based hunters, have embarked on the largest marine mammal hunt in the world. Under current Canadian policies, the total allowable catch is set at 280,000-an increase of 5, 000 since last year. Criticism of the practice has sparked efforts to institute a government ban on seal hunting, which brings policy issues to bear for the Canadian government.
Policy controversy surrounds the Sealers and the Fisheries Department who oversee the hunt. Department justification for the hunt appeals to the sustainability and economic necessity of this practice.They attribute increases in harp seal populations in the last 30 years to their managed hunt policies. Additionally, the Sealers and Fisheries Department claims that the seal hunt provides much needed supplemental income for Canadian cod fishermen.
Proponents of the ban argue that the hunt seriously jeopardizes the seal populations, particularly because it is difficult to monitor and enforce management policies. Additionally, they argue that there are no exceptional economic gains to be made from the practice, rendering the preservation of seal populations more important.
A major factor in this controversy is a proposed EU bill that would encourage a ban on seal hunting. The European Parliament’s Internal Markets and Consumer Protection Committee has already voted in favor of prohibiting trade in seal products in the European Union. It is in my opinion imperative that the European Union pass the proposed international ban on seal hunting as to protect biodiversity interests. Some critics claim that increases in total allowable catch like this in the past have resulted in 66% losses of seal populations. The same critics argue that current seal hunt policies do not even conform the Department of Sealers and Fisheries’ management plan. With global climate change already affecting arctic animal populations such as the polar bear[1], it is imperative to incite policies, such as the seal hunting ban, to dissuade any further detriment to their populations. Is the ethical treatment and preservation of species such as harp seals less important that the furs and oils their desecration produces? Furthermore, can the Canadian government allow such practices that flagrantly interfere with wild species in such sensitive environmental times?

[1] http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/bear-facts/climate-change/