BBC News Online: Business

Norway suggests tourist seal hunts

Norway expects seal hunting to attract more tourists

Svein Ludvigsen said the idea could prove hugely popular, and would take advantage of the fact that Norway's current seal-culling levels are below their permitted quota.

"Seal hunting in wild Norwegian coastal nature could be sold as an exclusive product to tourists.

"There is no difference between selling hunting licenses for moose and selling such for seals. This could be a hit," he said.

Norwegian fishermen have a catch quota of around 1,100-1,200 coastal seals this year, but there is so little interest in the catches, only about half the coastal seals are hunted down, Fiskaren said.

Meanwhile the coastal seal population continues to grow.

"There are imbalances in the ecosystem," Mr Ludvigsen said.

"Sea mammals are a greater consumer of fish than what we humans catch.

"This could contribute to the reduction in the seal population and create a balance in nature."

This is why the culling of sea mammals will be an important theme when Norway meets with Russia for fisheries negotiations, the newspaper said.

Campaigners angry

Animal welfare campaigners have condemned the idea of seal-clubbing holidays.

"There is no scientific justification in general for seal culling," said Helen Briggs of the UK's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

"And tourists are not going to have the level of expertise to make a clean kill. They are not going to be particularly efficient at it."

Seals are made the scapegoats for fish shortages, she said, when over-fishing by humans was really the problem.

Norway has also been criticised by environmentalists and animal welfare groups for hunting whales and wolves.

But Mr Ludvigsen said he was looking forward to the day when there was once again global trade in whale products.

"I think it is only a matter of time before Japan once again opens up for imports of whale products," he said.