Yesterday, the commercial seal hunt continued in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, without witnesses, as bad weather kept our helicopters grounded for the second day in a row.
The high winds also forced sealers departing from the western coast of the Island of Newfoundland (map) to retreat back to their harbours. We take some consolation in knowing that the storm blocked these Newfoundland sealers from reaching the hunt for a day. But the boats are likely on their way to the ice floes this morning.
Our team was understandably feeling quite low yesterday as the hunt continued without us there to observe. It is unbearable to think of what happened. We have seen the killing firsthand and know what these seals are going through. There are few people that can bear to watch what we do, and I am grateful for our team's strength.
April 5, 2007/© The HSUS/Glover
We witness horrible acts of cruelty during this slaughter each year - forms of cruelty that clearly violate Canadian law.
The Marine Mammal Regulations that govern the seal hunt require a hunter using a club to confirm that a seal is dead by performing one of two tests - a blink reflex or skull palpation - before he skins that seal or strikes another seal. But on Saturday, our team documented hunters rushing from seal to seal without performing either test, clubbing each animal just once before hurrying to the next, then hooking conscious seals and dragging them across the ice.
This is not the first time our team has witnessed illegal activity at the seal hunt. Over the past few years, The HSUS and other animal protection groups have documented and submitted video evidence of more than 700 apparent violations of the Marine Mammal Regulations to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Each year our evidence grows, but not a single charge has been filed by the government in response.
What we're witnessing is no humane or sustainable hunt. It is a massive and unnecessary slaughter; it is government-sanctioned cruelty.
Rebecca Aldworth, The HSUS director of Canadian Wildlife Issues, grew up in Newfoundland and has been a longtime observer of the Canadian seal hunt. Follow along as she documents her ninth trip to the ice and faces the cruelty firsthand.
