Should Canada's seal hunt continue?

The seasonal cull of seals in Canada has caused clashes between animal rights activists and hunt supporters.

The hunt's supporters claim the the killings are humane and that the numbers of seals culled - one in five of the seal population - is a sustainable figure. Some locals believe it an important tradition for fishing communities and the aboriginal Inuit people.

However, Phyllis Campbell McRae of the International Fund for Animal Welfare compares the practice to "smacking a puppy on the head with a hammer" and claims the seals are still alive when skinned.

Do you think Canada's seal hunt should continue? Are the animal rights activist right to protest? How can local traditions be balanced with public opinion? Send us your comments using the form on the right.

This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments.

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The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

Those opposing this hunt require a reality check, the next thing you know they will want to ban the killing of sheep/goats/pigs/cows/chickens/haddock/trout. Get with it, most of us eat meat. We cut the throats of sheep and lambs and allow them to bleed to death in our abattoirs. It's all about animal activists collecting money.
Ann, Alberta

Just because something is classed as a tradition, does not make it right Paul Thomas, Cyprus

Just because something that was a necessity in the past is now classed as a tradition, does not make it right. No, Canada should not continue to hunt seals.
Paul Thomas, Cyprus

I don't condone any unnecessary cruelty to animals, but why do we only get uptight about the cute animals? Would everyone be up in arms if we had a sewer rat hunt? The fact that Phyllis McRae likened the hunting method to "smacking a puppy" only proves my point. Puppies are cute, no debate there.
Scott, Toronto, Canada

I live in Alaska and hearing this topic is common. I believe it should not go away because in remote areas subsistence is a requirement, not a sport. If you take away the subsistence lifestyle, you take away the culture of the native populations. Just imagine if rock & roll and baseball were banned from America as an example.
Christopher Southerlin, Anchorage, AK

I think this is cruel. Anything that involves the killing of any living species should be banned. We know what our nutrition requirements are and this is just another excess of so called humanity.
Joao Bell, Leiden, Netherlands

There used to be a 'tradition' of throwing Christians to the lions. Times move on, but only if we all try to improve life for all creatures. This seal culling is utterly barbaric.
Gillian Russell, Aberdeen

The only reason this barbaric hunt continues is because there is a market for the pelts in Europe Allan, Delta. BC. Canada

Before Europe thrashes Canada, just remember this: the only reason this barbaric hunt continues is because there is a market for the pelts in Europe. The locals blame the seals for the decline in fishing, turning a blind eye to the Japanese and other nations who do far more harm to the fishing industry with their fish factory ships than the seals will ever do. Stop providing a market Europe!
Allan, Delta. BC. Canada

The seal hunt in Canada isn't about native traditions but about some people earning a living. Like the slave trade, people will find other jobs if it ends. The whole thing is totally barbaric and the only way to end it is for people around the world to boycott the product. As long as there is a market, it will continue. Please don't buy seal fur products.
Julian , Calgary, Canada.

Honestly, I think the practice is utterly inhumane if activists are correct in their accounts. However, it really isn't my business as I am not Canadian. If killing seals is really necessary, why don't they just use guns?
Jenna, Hilton Head Island, SC, USA

In the past, man was the natural predator of seals. Man as a predator helped maintain seal populations at a natural sustainable level. We must continue in our role as a predator in a limited degree in order to keep the seal population balanced. I remember a story about Americans banning deer hunting near Yellowstone. Within years deer populations spiralled out of control. It was only the reinstatement of deer hunting that brought and maintained the deer population back to its natural levels.
Joe, Vancouver, Canada

I find it incredulous that in the 21st Century hunters are still allowed to go and club baby seals to death for their fur. This cruel trade does nothing to enhance Canada's reputation as a civilised country.
Julia Holliday, Horncastle, Lincs

Such senseless killing, and for what? I highly doubt a 3 year, 975,000 death quota is fulfilled by the Inuit people, but rather hunters pursuing the interests of the fur market. And killing is not elegant or fashionable. Seals are living beings and they deserve better than this. Canada's seal hunt is just unnecessary and activists have every right to protest such slaughter.
Cailin, Long Beach, CA, USA

The Canadian seal hunt is as barbaric as ever. The seals are skinned alive. This cruel slaughter has to stop immediately.
Jean-Luc Segapeli, Nice, France

What kind of tradition is it to belt the sense out of an animal until it is dead? Andrew Stamford, Australia

What kind of tradition is it to belt the sense out of an animal until it is dead? This is no sort of "tradition" or otherwise that we, as presumably humane and civilised people, should allow to continue.
Andrew Stamford, Australia

This inhumane activity must be stopped. The Canadian government should work on banning this immediately before the next seal hunt starts on April 12.
Joyce Finlay, Melbourne, Australia

If people want the seal hunts to stop, then stop buying fur jackets. Otherwise, let the Inuit people earn a living.
Raymond Viverette, Mont Belvieu USA

Smashing in the skull of a highly developed mammal is in no way humane! A person would be arrested for doing this to a dog or cat. The non-aboriginal Canadians are killing the animals for profit not for food. Seals and cod co-existed for eons before the European settlers arrived. Commercial over-fishing is to blame for the crash of the once abundant fisheries.
Bonnie J. Kalmbach, USA

The alleged purpose of the seal "cull" is to save the seals from starvation caused by overpopulation. If that is so, why are the culled seals always the healthy ones with sleek coats - the very ones who would be likely to survive and improve the genetics of the seal population in hard times?
Christian Leopold Shea, Hollywood California, USA

You don't have to be an animal rights activist to understand that this is a totally unnecessary act of brutality Geraldine Sebastian, Torquay, Devon

Of course it should not continue. You don't have to be an animal rights activist to understand that this is a totally unnecessary act of brutality for one reason only, and that is man's greed. It is unacceptable in a civilised world.
Geraldine Sebastian, Torquay, Devon

I think it is barbaric and should be stopped. However, practices that sustained life for cultures over the millennia should perhaps be allowed to continue. But I suspect the "cull" is not be carried out predominantly by Inuits to sustain themselves and stay connected with the past. No doubt the fur industry and those hunting for the sake of hunting carry out the bulk of the slaughter.
Ed, Danville, USA

Assuming they are killed quickly and not tortured for sadistic purposes, I have no problem with the seal hunt. Let's keep this in perspective - these are animals, not people. It is the natural order of things for them to be hunted and killed by humans as well as other animals. The way people whine these days, I wouldn't be surprised to hear someone complain about the way we "kill" cabbage.
William, Florida, USA

I am an informed protestor. I have taken the time to look into Canada's reasonings and excuses and none of it has convinced me that the seal cull is either necessary or humane. I am a vegetarian so there is no point me boycotting the Canadian fishing industry, which is a recommended form of protest. However I will never visit Canada or contribute to their tourism industry. I am appalled by this despicable act and I have written to the government to tell them so. I suggest my fellow protestors do the same.
Helen, Birmingham, England

What type of HUMAN could do something like that? Amy Adkins, Oak Ridge, Tennessee United States

The seal hunt should not continue. There are innocent creatures who are getting beat in the head with a spiked club. What type of HUMAN could do something like that? I am behind the animal rights activists 100%.
Amy Adkins, Oak Ridge, Tennessee United States

Stop the hunt. It is cruel and unnecessary. We do not need to use animals, in any way, to live. They have a right to be here, perhaps more than humans do, given the destruction we have caused already!
Richard J Peppin, Rockville MD, USA

This hunt is cruel, and it is done to support "fashion" not tradition.
Jo Kenney, San Antonio, USA

I spent a few days in Montreal recently, and was sickened to see that a recurring theme on postcards in their tourist shops were photos of cute, cuddly white seals.
Derek Holmes, Rhode Island USA

Absolutely DISGUSTING. We should all take action now.
Nicci, Bournemouth

There is no acceptable justification for such abhorrent behaviour against another living species Marianne Verigin, Burnaby, BC, Canada

Please don't believe the propaganda you hear from the proponents of the seal massacre. It is not Inuit people doing the killing (it's out-of-work fishermen), the seals are not the culprits of the decimation of fish species on the Atlantic coast (the same killer fishermen are) and they are leaving the majority of corpses behind on the ice, not being used as they'd like you to believe. There is no acceptable justification for such abhorrent behaviour against another living species. It makes me ashamed to be Canadian, and human. Don't buy any fur of any kind, from anywhere. (And just to qualify, I'm vegan)
Marianne Verigin, Burnaby, BC, Canada

If the need to kill is for clothing only, then it is truly a waste of innocent life. Plus the method used to kill these animals is truly sick. Please stop this.
Paul Shane, Dublin Ireland

Barbaric? Carnage? Brutal Massacre? Unspeakable cruelty? What hypocrisy! What about the millions of people who have died in Darfur, Rwanda, Congo, etc. Who's boycotting those countries and groups supporting such inhumanity? We're supposed to fret over the culling of a seal herd which may have helped with the collapse of a vital fishing industry. Where are our priorities?
Brent, Toronto, Canada

In reply to the people who say "I bet the protesters eat meat" and "you don't see the protesters outside the food farms" I would like to point out that most activists are vegan, maybe vegetarian, and most protest most heartily against the way animals are reared for food.
Jo Kebbell, London England

The guys that do it are only trying to put food on the table Clive, Alberta, Canada

I find the seal hunt despicable too. However, the guys that do it are only trying to put food on the table. How about attacking the fancy ladies in London, Paris and Milan who wear seal fur knowing full well how it was produced? Take away the demand and there will be no seal hunt.
Clive, Alberta, Canada

I can't believe that so many people all over the world continue to fall for the Animal Rights Activist's scam. All they are doing is making a ton of money for themselves at the expense of Canada and Newfoundlanders in particular. It's not even about "tradition". It's about people harvesting a natural resource. It brings food and money to many Newfoundlanders. Visit any plant where hogs, cattle or chicken are "processed". Watch TV shows about fishing where the fish are caught and released with large parts of their mouths torn open. There you can see barbarianism at its finest.
John, St.John's, Newfoundland, Canada

When the hunt of seals moved from a means of survival to a means to get rich, it became inhumane. This is one issue that the Canadians clearly got wrong. Shame on those involved.
Bryan Short, Bemidji, MN, USA

SUGGEST A DEBATE This topic was suggested by Neil, Russian Federation: Is the Canadian seal cull justified? Send us your suggestions for Have Your Say debates

1 in 5 is an awfully large percentage to be "harvesting." Unjustified reasons to disturb a key species in the artic food web.
Camille, USA

The seal hunts in Canada make me ashamed to be a human being, I will never visit Canada or buy anything Canadian as long as I am on God's earth, This practice for 'fashion' disgraces the people who do it and who wear it.
Marie, Burnley, Lancs

The killings of these precious creatures is no longer for food and clothing to sustain life, it is for clothing to obtain money, to kill as many as is allowed and in a method that is barbaric. We are supposed to be an intelligent, creative being. We all must look elsewere to wear faux furs, earn a living in a different way, learn to live in harmony in the environment and realize it's us over populating the earth, not everything else. Please stop this hunt!
Cheri Ezell, Mendon, MA, USA

Some traditions need to go the way of the dodo. If the Brits could get rid of foxhunting - why can't other countries get rid of their brutal practices? Perhaps seals do need to be culled - but not in such a brutal and vicious manner. Are we really a "higher" level of civilization if we can conduct such carnage?
Antoinette, USA

The appalling, brutal, massacre of these sentient animals shows that homo sapiens is the true vermin species on planet earth.
Chris Deacon, Plymouth, England

This cruelty can no longer be tolerated by civilized society Renee Kirkpatrick, United States

You do not need to be an animal right's activists to be horrified by the way the baby seals are killed. This is one of the best examples how cruel and indifferent the Canadian Government is regarding animal cruelty. This cruelty can no longer be tolerated by civilized society.
Renee Kirkpatrick, United States

I for one don't buy fur coats but if I had the chance I would eat seal meat just to try it or if I had to survive. If seal is truly being killed to regulate population or to feed people then I'm all for it. If it is for fashion and the meat is left behind to rot then how can you justify it?
John, US

If we quantify this practice as cruel are we going to become vegetarians, live in caves and wear minimal clothing? Not likely, so let us look at industry management that benefits both humans and the natural environment. Look at both sides of the issue, speak to those involved where possible and come up with an opinion where we can all get along. Blanket statements about cruelty to cute, cuddly animals is pointless and irresponsible.
Paul Leney, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

All hunting should be bannned.
Peter Flemming, Guelph, Canada

Stop this vile hunt now.
C Trunz, Edmonton Canada

Anyone that eats beef and is against the seal hunt should visit a modern meatpacking facility. I worked in one as a student over a summer in 1996. I have seen pictures of the seal hunt and I am not convinced that it is any more barbaric than the industrial slaughterhouses we process our domesticated animals in.
Lee Martin, Calgary, Canada

The fact is that this is a big fashion industry. From the videos I have seen, the seal hunters are not solely Inuit, so stop using them as a facade and start using language properly: Canada thinks it is ok to kill one out of five seals so that people around the world can cover themselves up against the terrible cold weather from the last 5 years.
Andrea Reyes, Den Haag, The Netherlands

Before commenting, go spend some time on the ice. Learn about the local ecology, culture, and federal regulations. Misguided generalizations serve no purpose but to inflame ignorant passions on both sides.
Jason Cosford, Regina, Canada

It is barbaric and it must stop. Saying this is a means to preserve tradition for fishing communities it's childish and an offence to our intelligence.
Cristina Bunescu, Bucharest - Romania

Once we promoted slavery and threw people to the lions, too, but we have evolved beyond that Sinikka Crosland, Westbank, B.C., Canada

Canada's seal hunt should go down in history as just another barbaric, unethical tradition. Once we promoted slavery and threw people to the lions, too, but we have evolved beyond that. Public opinion supports an end to brutality.
Sinikka Crosland, Westbank, B.C., Canada

I find it absolutely appalling that the Canadian government continues to subsidize this obscenely cruel hunt. The slaughter of young seal pups-the majority of which are under 3 months old-in the name of fashion is unjustifiable. The arguments in support of the hunt are merely pathetic attempts to alter this practice from what it truly is- a ruthless massacre in the name of fashion. My only hope is that you will be able to feel some compassion for these innocent, defenceless seal pups.
Jessica Smith, Seattle, WA

I don't oppose the hunt but it should be humane - the animals should be shot or otherwise killed quickly, and not bashed to death with the hak-a-piks if it doesn't kill them instantly. Europeans do seem to love lecturing us, though! You guys eat meat, too, right?
Joanne Jakoh, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

I think this is totally cruel and barbaric. They say that the seals are killed humanely but from the pictures shown, they're obviously not. Something has to be done about this. There is no justification whatsoever. It has to be stopped
Jude, UK

Under no circumstances should a society that, somewhat naively perhaps, believes itself to be civilised sanction these hunts. The fundamentals are that the seals need the fish we don't. To hide behind the veil of tradition in such matters is no longer a viable excuse in an ever changing world.
Paul Ellis, Singapore

Of course the seal hunt should continue, as keeping a sustainable population is important. The human population also needs to be controlled to remain sustainable, so surely the same rules should apply?
Andrew Taylor, Nottingham, UK

It is an Inuit tradition - how much is that worth to the socialites in London and New York Patrick Page, Kingston, Canada

I look forward to seeing the money foreign activists will send to the East Coast fishermen when they lose one of their last sources of income. I'm sure donations are being taken now. And believe it or not, it is an Inuit tradition - how much is that worth to the socialites in London and New York? As another person said, I have yet to see any of those protestors at one of the thousands of factory 'farms' that turn out everyone's daily bacon, hamburger and roast chicken. What did you have for dinner tonight? People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Patrick Page, Kingston, Canada

The seal hunt should continue to keep the fish stocks from depleting. The protestors have a right to protest but are not telling us the whole story. The seal population has grown to point that they are threatening fish stocks. The fish have no TV cameras that show the increasing slaughter due to the seals thinning of the heard is needed since there is lower pressure from natural predators in the wild.
Otto Knottnerus, Fort Wayne

I have for years disagreed with seal hunting, of inhuman it is. In the day and age when a murder is executed by lethal injection but a small defenceless pup is hit over the head and skinned when still alive is not right. Thirty years ago I believed that seal hunting should have been banned and still do to this day.
Brenda Routledge, Calgary, Canada

No, this is a barbaric act that causes the death of thousands of seals while polar bears are starving because they can't find enough seals. For a nation that supposedly is all about the rights of others, this sure seems hypocritical.
Brannon M. Morrison, Norman, OK, USA

There can be no justification for this terrible cruelty Evelyn Kimber, Boston, MA, USA

Canada's seal hunt should stop immediately and forever. There can be no justification for this terrible cruelty. The local people involved and the Canadian government should work out whatever needs to be done so that this unspeakable cruelty is stopped NOW.
Evelyn Kimber, Boston, MA, USA

This is Canada's business, not the world's. I am tired of the moralistic crowd across the ocean deciding how North Americans deal with their environments. Both Canada and the US are far more respectful of our land and water than any country I have seen in Europe. Come and see for yourself.
Sharon, USA

Everyone has their respective rights. The right to fish/hunt as well as the right to protest and boycott. Canada's seal hunt must be regulated just as local fisheries. A cod fish or a tuna fish may not be as cute and cuddly but is much more commercially important. Yet our oceans are being over-fished everyday. I think the hunt for seals should be prioritised with other problems and dealt with accordingly.
Michael Starr, Cedar Grove, NJ, USA

It is not the animal rights activists' place to intervene Joel, California, USA

Seal hunting is an Inuit tradition based on their survival methods. It is not the animal rights activists' place to intervene. Plus, if the figure ensures a sustainable population, as said above, then it should be fine. Where are those activists when domesticated livestock is born into horrible conditions and slaughtered in factories? I guess pigs and cows are not as 'cute' as seals.
Joel, California, USA

I am British but live here in Canada where hardly any news of this barbaric act has reached newspapers or the TV. I have to wonder whether it is purposefully kept out of the news or do people here simply not care? Unfortunately in a land where people can hunt and shoot anything that moves including bears, a seal hunt just would not even provoke a reaction. Until huge international pressure is put on the Canadian government nothing will be done because unfortunately the majority of Canadians just think these so-called fisherman are just going about their daily work.
Tracey Woodward, Winnipeg, Canada

Absolutely not! This kind of killing cannot possibly be "traditional". It's cruel and totally unnecessary. It's only about money - again.
Judith, Schenectady, NY, USA

There should be another way to control the seal population Sue Leavitt, Harrogate, England

I totally disagree with the cull, there should be another way to control the seal population. I urge the Canadian government to rethink their policy.
Sue Leavitt, Harrogate, England

The justification that seal culling fulfils Inuit culture is a pathetic attempt at providing legitimacy for what is in effect, an unnecessary slaughter of animal life for the sake of fashion. Shame on those who shrug their shoulders and purchase such goods.
Sam, Arlington, VA

You don't have to be an animal rights activist to find Canada's seal hunt appalling. Killing one out of three seal pups born this year will make it much harder for seal populations to survive emerging threats caused by global warming.
John Hocevar, Austin, Texas, USA

Native traditions should be upheld. Take away a culture's traditions and way of life and you leave them with nothing.
Charles, Duluth, USA