Commercial Seal : The EU and the Fight to Protect Seals 2 Introduction

The slaughter of baby harp seals was one of seals killed in Canada skyrocketed, once the first issues to captivate again raising concerns over this inhumane, the world, as images of white seal pups unethical hunt – and reactivating the outcry being clubbed to death on the ice for their against it. circled the globe through television and print. In 2009 the EU showed leadership once again, Concerned Europeans, appalled at the cruelty protecting animal welfare and the values of EU and senselessness of this slaughter, raised citizens by banning seal products outright. The their voices in protest. In 1983, Europe took a EU bans have been instrumental in reducing lead role in ending this cruelty by banning the markets for seal products, and commercial seal import and sale of whitecoat seal products. hunting is now an industry in decline. The 1983 Directivei was immensely successful Today, the hunt offers only seasonal, in reducing the number of seals killed and it part-time employment for a few hundred seemed like an end was in sight. But in the individuals in Atlantic Canada. Most efforts late 1990s, Canada circumvented the ban to market seal products other than fur and oil and began killing slightly older seal pups and have failed, resulting in a hunt that continues marketing their silvery pelts. to be incredibly wasteful. Tens of millions of With the help of generous government dollars in government subsidies have failed to subsidies in the late 1990s, the number of create a viable industry in Canada.

IN 1969, IFAW FIRST BEGAN TO CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CRUEL SLAUGHTER OF SEALS. WE CONTINUE THAT FIGHT TODAY AND – THANKS TO THE OUTCRY OF A CONCERNED GLOBAL CITIZENRY – THE END MAY FINALLY BE IN SIGHT FOR THIS CRUEL, UNNECESSARY AND OUTDATED PRACTICE.

3 A Brief History

Harp seals have been commercially Faced with the prospect of further Looking at the recent history of Canada’s hunted in Atlantic Canada since the repercussions to its fishing industry, commercial seal hunt, it is clear that 1600s. Seals were originally killed for Canada finally ended the commercial trade bans have been highly effective their blubber, which was made into hunting of whitecoat seals in 1987. in reducing the numbers of seals killed, oil and exported to Europe to be used and that Canadian government subsidies for heating and light, and later as an Canada’s commercial seal hunt would have been instrumental in keeping the industrial lubricant and . have effectively ended there were it seal hunt alive. With the advance of technology, the not for political intervention in the late need for seal and diminished. 1990s. Following the collapse of the In the 1950s, Norwegian technology Atlantic cod stocks and subsequent THE COMMERCIAL enabled seal pelts to be tanned on an fishery moratorium in 1992, Canadian SEAL HUNT TAKES industrial scale, and the industry shifted politicians were desperate for someone to hunting seals for their fur, to be made – or something – to blame, and seals PLACE ON THE EAST into luxury fashion items like coats, were an easy scapegoat. COAST OF CANADA, handbags, and boots. OFF THE COAST OF In the 1960s, images from the hunt began to reach the masses, and AND widespread concern over killing and – when ice conditions are methods brought Canada’s commercial suitable for breeding – in the Gulf seal hunt international media attention. of St. Lawrence. In recent years, the Public outcry prompted a European ban commercial hunting of harp seals on products from whitecoat seal pups in Canada has been permitted year (nursing pups between 1-14 round, aside from a brief closure days old), effectively removing a large during the whelping period. market for Canadian seal products.

CANADA’S COMMERCIAL 36 out of 50 Industrial Tanning Begins United States SEAL HUNT Wooden Steamers Lost Norwegian technology enabled Bans Marine 72% of the first generation the industrial processing of seal Mammal Products of steamers were sunk, pelts. As demand for blubber The US Government Historical Timeline most crushed by the ice. dropped, seal pelts began to passes the replace it as a commodity. Seal Population is Cut Largest Seal Hunt Seal Hunt Begins in Half Protection Act, on Record to Dwindle Drs. Dean Fisher and making importation 370 boats, An average of 161,000 seals David Sergeant warn of of whale and 13,600 men, are landed each year, with catastrophic decline in seal products illegal. 500,000 seals landed, fewer than ten ships, and numbers of harp seals in valued at £425,000. around 1500 men participating. the Northwest Atlantic.

The Great Newfoundland Norwegians Disaster, and the sinking of the Begin Sealing off First Seal Quotas Catches Begin to Drop Newfoundland The increased efficiency of Southern Cross Introduced steam vessels meant that 78 men died on the ice due to lack of a First Scientific Warning Quotas set for The Golden Age the harp seal herd began wireless aboard the SS Newfoundland. of Over-Hunting the first time by of Sealing diminishing. Many blamed Captain Abram Kean for Dr. Dean Fisher writes that the International 18.3 million seals pursuing profit over the well being of restrictions on the hunt are Commission for landed by working men. A further 173 men were needed to keep the seal the Northwest Newfoundland sealers. lost in the sinking of the Southern Cross. population healthy. Atlantic Fisheries.

4 Yukon Northwest Newfoundland Terrritories and Labrador

British Columbia Alberta Manitoba Quebec Prince Edward Ontario Island Saskatchewan Nova New Brunswick

Commercial sealing areas

The 200 Mile Exclusive Canada Bans European Union Bans Seal Economic Zone Proclaimed Hunting of Products Outright Canada claims exclusive access to fish and Whitecoats and Allowing an exemption for within 200 miles from its territory. Bluebacks Indigenous products, the Hunting the youngest EU bans importation of any Over $50 Million in harp and hooded Canadian Government commercial seal product. Government Support seals is banned by the Subsidizes the Seal Hunt Through subsidies, trade European Commission Bans federal government. Partly to deflect pressure for junkets, loans, and other Products from Young Seals the lack of cod recovery, Brian supports, the federal and Products from whitecoat and Tobin, Minister of Fisheries and provincial government keep blueback seals are banned from Oceans, introduces subsidies to the commercial seal hunt importation into the European Union. the seal industry. afloat despite no markets.

Large Vessels Stop Hunting Belgium and Russia, once considered WTO upholds Average number of seals Netherlands ban the largest market for seal EU ban on taken in these years is Cod Stock Collapse import of skins, bans import of harp commercial 36,000. The commercial seal After years of government seal products seal skins. seal products. Government Scientists Call for hunt seems to be finished. mismanagement, the cod 10 Year Moratorium on Seal Hunt fishery off Newfoundland Swiss National With seal populations at record collapses, leaving over Seal Pelt Prices Hit Record Highs Council approves lows, scientists warn that the hunt 35,000 fishermen and fish Pelt prices go over $100, but due to law banning import is unsustainable. plant workers unemployed. oversupply, collapse in subsequent years. of seal products.

5 NUMBER OF ACTIVE SEALERS IN 2006 5594 IN 2014 393* * 2014 Source: ATIP 25 July 2014 1 Source: DFO NL Regional Statistics Fish Landings and Landed Values. 2013-14 source: DFO NL via Access to Information, 25 July 2014 DFO, Personal communication. 2 Source: Fisheries Management Decisions DFO

The Hunt Today

Veterinarians and animal welfare Even if the regulations were enforced, government’s attempts to access organizations continue to raise concerns they are insufficient to consistently Chinese markets for seal have about the cruelty associated with the ensure humane killing. In certain cases failed, as have recent efforts to promote commercial hunting of seals today. it is not required by law for sealers to seal fur as a luxury product. confirm unconsciousness or death prior In reality, the commercial seal hunt is A significant volume of veterinary to skinning a seal, or to ensure that an reports and video documentation economically far less important, and animal is unconscious before proceeding employs far fewer people, than the confirms that despite minor changes to shoot other individuals. Clearly this to the killing regulations, Canada’s government claims. The number of active cannot be considered humane practice. sealers, and the value they earn from commercial seal hunt remains inhumane the seal hunt, has dropped dramatically and inadequately regulated. There is Today, there is a small domestic since 2006. The landed value of the hunt increasing consensus that it may be market for seal products, but almost has also decreased. impossible for commercial all attempts to develop a market to ever be made acceptably humane. for products other than fur and oil For the most part, Canadian fishermen have failed. is not widely appear to have successfully contended Even as the number of seals being killed consumed in Canada or elsewhere. with the decline in the sealing industry, has declined and pressure to reach Medical research into seal heart valve and many Newfoundlanders have quotas has dropped, carelessness and transplants has been abandoned. After accepted the end of the hunt as a cruelty are routinely observed. Video decades of false promises, Canadian foregone conclusion.ii evidence from recent seal hunts shows sealers hooking live and barking “ ...THERE ARE UNACCEPTABLE (AND UNLAWFUL) THINGS pups through the face with a sharpened steel hook, and seals sliced BEING DONE TO ANIMALS FOR PROFIT IN THIS HUNT.” open whilst conscious and making – Butterworth, A. and M. Richardson. 2013. A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt. Marine Policy 38:457-469. deliberate movements.

6 The Importance of Trade Bans

Concerns over the welfare of seals With the resurrection of the Canadian that it was discriminatory and unfair. have resulted in immense public outcry seal hunt, public concerns in Europe Both the WTO Panel and Appellate around the world, and many countries were heightened once again, motivated Body upheld the ban, but ruled that have banned the sale of seal products in part by new, horrific, video footage modifications to the exemptions were in response. showing seals being skinned alive, shot required in order to be compliant. and left to suffer, and impaled on hooks The United States has banned the import In 2010, Russia also banned the import whilst still conscious. and export of seal products since 1972, of harp seal skins, eliminating 95% of and Mexico since 2006. The European After conducting extensive scientific and Canada’s export market. In 2011, ban on whitecoat seal products in 1983 socio-economic reviews of commercial Taiwan banned the import of marine was effective in reducing the hunt for seal hunts around the world, the EU mammal products. over a decade, but it fell short in that it passed a regulation in 2009 banning only protected the very youngest seal the import and sale of all commercial A TOTAL OF 34 COUNTRIES pups, newborn to 14 days old. When seal products, with exemptions for NOW HAVE RESTRICTIONS ON the Canadian government revived the seal products hunted by and other THE IMPORT AND SALE OF hunt in 1996, it began to target seals indigenous peoples and seal products SEAL PRODUCTS. aged 2 weeks to 3 months, thereby resulting from small-scale marine circumventing the European ban and resource management hunts.iii Canada Switzerland is still in process of re-introducing products from commercial and Norway challenged the ban at the adopting legislation to ban seal sealing back into the EU market. (WTO), arguing products, following the EU’s example.

7 Seals, Fish and Conservation

The claim is often made that the not commercially fished. Ecosystems There is no evidence that seals are harp seals in the Northwest Atlantic are incredibly complex, and seals play preventing the recovery of Northwest are “exploding”, however Canadian an ecologically important stabilizing Atlantic cod – either by direct predation, government scientists note that the function. Scientists warn that removing or by competition for prey species such population has remained relatively large numbers of a top predator such as as capelin. Attempts to justify a hunt for stable over the past decade.iv In harp seals would most likely result in harp seals under the pretense of aiding recent years, reproductive rates of unexpected effects on prey, competitor cod recovery or benefitting fisheries are adult females have been lower, with populations, and other fisheries.v not supported by any scientific evidence. significantly fewer pups born as a result.

Harp seals need ice to give birth and nurse their pups. Over the past decade, the frequency of below-average ice conditions has increased dramatically, resulting in high numbers of pups dying. Canadian government scientists warn the “Gulf” portion of the seal herd (about 30%) may eventually disappear if poor ice conditions continue.

CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, HARP SEALS AREN’T “EATING ALL THE FISH”, AND PREDATION BY SEALS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LACK OF RECOVERY IN ANY FISH STOCKS.

Alarmist statements made by the sealing industry imply that seals (of all species) eat massive amounts of fish, and that seals must be hunted or they will destroy all commercial fisheries.

However, estimates of consumption by a predator tell us very little about the actual impact on a fish stock, and it is incorrect to expand these estimates to suggest a corresponding loss of proceeds to fishermen.

Harp seals are a migratory species, “A partial food web for the Scotian Shelf in the Northwest Atlantic off eastern Canada. Species enclosed in rectangles are also exploited and only spend part of the year off by humans. This food web is incomplete because the feeding habits of all components have not been fully described. Further, all species the coast of Canada. They eat a wide – including some of the marine mammals – do not spend the entire year in the area.” citation: Lavigne, D.M. 2003. Marine Mammals and Fisheries: The Role of Science in the Debate. Pp31-47 in: Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Management Issues variety of species, most of which are (N. Gales, M. Hindell and R. Kirkwood eds.). Collingwood, VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing, 446 pp.

8 Other Commercial Seal Hunts

In addition to Canada, commercial seal decade. There are estimated to be stocks The Norwegian hunt is relatively small hunting occurs in , of 150,000 unsold in Greenland, compared to the Canadian seal hunt, and Norway. with exports expected to increase in with only 3 vessels taking part in 2014, the future.vi and a landed catch of 11,980 seals. This In Greenland, hunting of seals is primarily hunt is subsidized by the government to conducted by Inuit. The commercial aspect Norwegian and Russian catches of the value of 75-80% of its value. Recent of the hunt is run by the Government- harp seals in the essentially reports indicate that the Norwegian owned Great Greenland, which receives ceased in 2009, with only between government may be considering cutting several million Danish kroner annually to 0-200 seals reported killed in recent the 12 million NOK (1.4 million EUR) purchase sealskins. Unlike the Canadian years. Norwegian catches of harp seals subsidy to the sealing industry due to hunt, catches in the Greenland hunt do in the appear to have shifting economic priorities.vii not appear to have dropped significantly increased slightly, from a 5-year average following the EU ban, with an average of of 5527 in the years prior to the ban, to The Namibian hunt has also failed to 80,000 seals killed per year over the past 9683 in the 5 years following the ban. meet its quota in recent years, with only 26,000 seal pups reportedly killed from a quota of 80,000 in 2014.viii Namibian BETWEEN 1994 AND 2014, OVER 6,848,747 SEALS WERE KILLED IN exports of seal products in 2014 dropped COMMERCIAL HUNTS AROUND THE WORLD. by 63%, with a value of just under 144,000 EUR. CANADA GREENLAND NAMIBIA NORWAY RUSSIA CATCH IN 2006 CATCH IN 2005 CATCH IN 2005 CATCH IN 2002 CATCH IN 2001 354,867 91,696 64,168 33,169 39,116 CATCH IN 2014 CATCH IN 2013 CATCH IN 2014 CATCH IN 2014 CATCH IN 2014 54,830 78,694 26,000 11,980 0

*Source: http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2013/Special%20requests/Norway_Harp%20and%20Hooded%20Seals.pdf

9 Commercial Sealing and Inuit

Canada’s commercial seal hunt and Inuit While the numbers of seals killed during sealing are very different. They involve Canada’s commercial seal hunt fluctuate different people and species of seal, directly with the world market for seal occur in different regions of the country, fur, Inuit sealers continue to hunt the and are subject to different regulations. same number of seals when market But the main difference between prices are low, preferring to use the pelts the hunts is that Inuit seal hunting is domestically. The prices received by conducted primarily for meat, whereas Inuit hunters for pelts are stabilized by a the commercial seal hunt is driven by Government of Nunavut support program, profit and global fur prices. Inuit hunt and hunters received the same value for x primarily ringed seals, not harp seals, their pelts before and after the EU ban. and the number hunted for commercial Traditional seal hunting is central to purposes is relatively small; between Inuit cultural identity, and will 1,000-4,000 animals in the years prior to continue regardless of global demand the 2009 EU ban.ix for seal products.

“BUT IN NUNAVUT, SEALING IS NOT AN INDUSTRY AND HAS NEVER BEEN AN INDUSTRY. Though it’s an important expression of cultural identity, in hard cash, seal hunting contributes virtually nothing to Nunavut’s economy”. “Less symbolism, more realism please.” – Editorial by Jim Bell in Nunatsiaq News, March 2010

Hunting seals as a source of food is the IFAW does not oppose seal hunting by primary motivation behind Inuit seal aboriginal peoples for subsistence use. hunting, with the sale of pelts being a Nor do we oppose the Atlantic Canadian byproduct of the subsistence hunt. And “personal use” hunt, which allows whereas Inuit take pride in using all parts fishermen to kill up to 6 seals for of the seal, the commercial seal hunt non-commercial use (such as is almost exclusively for skins, which feeding one’s family). are sent overseas to be processed into “fashion” fur products and trinkets.

10 Endnotes and Additional Reading

2011-2015 Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Atlantic Seals. http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/seal-phoque/reports-rapports/mgtplan-planges20112015/mgtplan-planges20112015-eng.htm Bowen, D. and D. Lidgard. 2013. Marine mammal culling programs: review of effects on predator and prey populations. Mammal Review 43(3):207-220. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2907.2012.00217.x/abstract Butterworth, A. and M. Richardson. 2013. A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt. Marine Policy 38:457-469. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X12001662 i http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/animal_welfare/seals/index_en.htm ii Attitudes toward the Seal Hunt. Newfoundland and Labrador Survey – June 2012. Environics Research PN7148. 67% of respondents agreed that “someday the commercial seal harvest is inevitably going to end.” iii http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/external_trade/cx0001_en.htm iv Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Current status of northwest Atlantic harp seals, Pagophilus groenlandicus. Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec Regions. Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Science Advisory Report 2014/011. June 2014. The 2014 population estimate is 7.4 million (SE 656,000). v Bousquet N, Chassot E, Duplisea DE, Hammill MO (2014) Forecasting the Major Influences of Predation and Environment on Cod Recovery in the Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. PLoS ONE 9(2): e82836. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082836. http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0082836 vi Ramboll Management Consulting. 2014. Potentials and pitfalls in Greenland’s economic sectors towards 2025. March 2014. http://arcticjournal.com/sites/default/files/analysis_of_greenlands_economic_sectors_final.pdf vii Nail in coffin for Norwegian seal hunting: Govt cuts subsidies. 27 October 2014. http://rt.com/news/199691-norway-seal-hunting-subsidies/ viii Nijni, F. 2014. Seal cull in Namibia to be record low as pups evade clubs. Bloomberg News, 13 November 2014. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-11-12/seal-cull-in-namibia-to-be-record-low-as-pups-evade-clubs.html ix Government of Nunavut. 2012. Report on the Impacts of the European Union Seal Ban, (EC) NO 1008/2009, In Nunavut. x CBC News. December 2013. As local fur demand rises, mysterious drop in Nunavut seal harvest. Posted Dec 18, 2013. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/as-local-fur-demand-rises-mysterious-drop-in-nunavut-seal-harvest-1.2468737

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