Wow, miss a few hours...miss a lot.
Yes the hunt is carried out in the name of vanity but that should not be the main focus.
It is the focus. No one needs these seals hunted for sustenance. So if it's just for fashion, then you can't really justify it on moral grounds.
Fashion removes any chance for balance.
These animals are a direct threat to the remaining fish stocks on the east coast and in the arctic.
Long before Indians came across the land bridge of the Aleutians in the Barring Sea, those seals were eating fish off the east coast. Once the new order landed on that coast, the fish stocks met their match.
It isn't seals or global warming or bad luck, the fishing industry brought that down. Put the blame where it belongs.
Where is the leadership from our government to look at this industry and refine it so that the hunt is done for the right reasons? It needs attention at the federal and provincial level. Simply calling it cruel and saying it should be shut down is not constructive and is a kneejerk reaction.
The government isn't going to fix anything. When has the government fixed something that was messed up? The government can only say yes or no with legislation. The only thing that will change the current situation for the better is the en mass removal of human tampering and allow nature to re balance the system. The more we learn about the natural system the more we see just how out of our hands it really is.
The Maritimes need to move into something beyond a resource based economy to become a wealthy part of Canada.
Take a cue from Karrie and process the whole animal. The meat can be used for pet food. It's also rich in protein and can be processed into capsules for human intake. Why aren't these paths explored further? Any way you slice it the hunt has to carry on, just to cull the necessary numbers in order to maintain balance in the region. Otherwise, we are going to see seals creeping up the St. Lawrence River straight to the heart of the country. Then by geezus you'll hear an outcry.
No one is going to eat seal in any quantity to justify this paltry slaughter let along make an industry out of it. The hunt is as I said welfare and instead of putting our heads in the sand and attempting to get others to say we must soldier on, we need to change, open new areas of sustainable business that has a demand for more than just fashion. The seals and the fish will work out their problem in their own time if we simply leave it alone.
If the seal hunt is welfare then so is cattle ranching or mink farming or the textile industry.
Nice that you try and squeeze Mink Farming in there with Cattle ranching and the textile industry. People need clothes and food. Fur is not something that is irreplaceable. Cattle is slaughtered and the whole animal used. I wear leather, I have leather furniture. I have leather in the interior of my car. My shoes are leather. I have myself over my life time consumed at least one cow and will be going for it to get another down my gullet before I cash in my chips. I eat burgers, roasts, steaks, ribs alsorts of cuts from beef and pork. I eat all the meat and use what's left every day. Perhaps the majority of the members posting here do to. Find me ten people who can say the same about seal. You're right about Mink Farming though, it can go the way of the seal hunt.
Your logic is weak and falls right in line with typical Canadian attitude towards the east coast. Sure, why don't we shut the hunt down. Then Ottawa can send the displaced people more of your tax dollars in transfer payments. Would that satisfy your righteous mind? Either way you can still use the 'welfare' mindset. How convenient, eh?
The logic is infallible! I love all parts of Canada from BC to Labrador.
Those who clear cut old growth, sell the logs to foreign countries and bugger off leaving the mess to so called hunters who club baby seals for fashion leaving the carcass on the ice to oil barons raping the environment in northern Alberta for oil, all have to go. Far too long we've sat around making a huge mess in this country ripping the resources from the ground and giving away the value to others for a quick buck. This is why the east coast is a burden on other provinces and youth have to move away or scrap out a living holding on. It's the same in many parts of Canada. Not because there just isn't any money here, but for the simple fact that no one tells the locals that it's worth much more than a string of beads.
The truth hurts but it's long over due for someone to put aside concern for hurt feelings and say enough is enough. Look around the world and you can see what happens when you sell the rights to your homeland.
With a global energy shift we have the chance to choose what sort of country we live in. And what happens on the ice off the east coast matters in downtown Toronto, Flin Flon and Tofino every bit as much as what happens on Bay St. affects the whole country.
It's time to stand up and do whats right for now, for the future and for all Canadians, not just the few who can get a fast buck out of it for now.
