Seal Hunting Is My Life

Finnmarking

This story was a really good read.

Here in Norway we don't have the same problems with protestors and the like, thank goodness. A lot of the reason for this is probably that seal hunting in Norway is mostly carried out by very small groups of licenced hunters shooting from land and using small boats to fetch the catch from the water (seals live in our fjords all year round). Quite low-profile, really.

Also, the economic impact of the hunt stems mostly from the government bounty (500 NOK pr yaw bone) on the seals. The bounty is there to ensure that the environmental scientists get enough specimens (teeth, mostly) for their research into the health of the seals. Furthermore, the seal population increases faster pr year than does the seal quotas.

What's wrong with seal hunting anyway?
I just don't see what the problem might be.

Good luck on this year's hunt, Jean Pierre!

Cycle of violence? Are you serious?

Only a very, very, sick, worthless thug would enjoy the act of killing a seal.

It is also very unfortunate that the country this sad excuse for a human being lives in has a corrupt government that turns a blind eye at the largest, cruelest, most barbaric slaughter of marine mammals on Planet Earth.

However at this very moment the colleagues of this seal-killer are presently immobilized, stuck out alongside their sealing boats that are firmly gripped in pack-ice.

Here's hoping the pack-ice, make that Mother Nature, grinds these sealing boats into dust.

For more proof on what is wrong with the province of Newfoundland visit: www.touringnewfoundland.com

Final note to the serial baby seal killers: HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE!

as a vegetarian, i believe killing animals as a hobby is very wrong! how can you kill something so cute and that did NOTHING at all to deserve this kind of fate? i really hope people like you end up like the seals you brutally murder so you know what it feels like!
hope you sleep well tonight knowing that all those seals died because you wanted to have some fun.

What an interesting story.

I'm a vegetarian and it's always difficult to take the side of anyone in the fur industry, but I'm torn when it comes to the seal hunt. In some ways I think it's no different than farming cattle for milk or meat, and in other ways, I hate to see animals die for such a petty reason. Killing is killing, period, but these people have a way of life and actually respect the animals they are harvesting (there are always exceptions out there on both sides that overshadow the rest of the group). And, I don't see it as different from First Nations People hunting and honouring their cultural history.

I guess my point is that it's not as black and white as people make it out to be.

And, protesters of the seal hunt that are not vegetarians are total hypocrites.

It's a good point not to judge others - personally i still eat meat, i'm trying to cut down how much i eat. But in addition to this, i also watch what i say, do and act because these things also affect the happiness of others.

Humans evolution wise, still have animal-like behaviors and instincts, but obviously it's possible to change this, but everyone changes different. Some people eat meat and do so very consciously, like first nations peoples, and places where there is a cultural and spiritual link to the animals and to the lands.

It's only in developed nations where the killing of animals for food is so atrocious, so de-sensitized - so far removed, that there's no connection. That's the saddest part - because everyone who sees how animals are killed in factories change, and if they don't become vegetarian they think twice about getting some KFC, or a burger, or a rack of ribs.

It's unfortunate, but for a long long time, animals have been sub-subservient to human beings in the ecological chain, it's ironic that only when we have a lot, that we have bred and killed even more. Whereas in developing countries, the food staple is more grains and vegetables.

Like Cecilia said, in those cases where animals are killed for sport, or for the pleasure of eating them, we can only hope that they can change on a personal level.

It's interesting to read so many preach the value of life in one sentance then wish seal hunters the same fate as the seals in the next. A little hypocritical don't you think?

Jean-claude,
Phoque le film was one of my favorite documentaries of all time, shedding light on many of the realities of living "en région," and transmitting the proper values of hunting and the greater respect towards the animal. I'm quite sad to see that it was pulled from youtube. May your story be heard by many, many more.

For more info on the industrialization of NGOs (such as greenpeace), please read "Canadian Environmental Policy" by VanNijnatten.

To fellow commenters,
Kind of hard to believe anything that comes out of the mouth of someone who makes millions of dollars(celebrities). And when its advice to people making around 30 000$ a year... Its easy to look at a problem in society, say it is wrong, then return to your mansion and brush the negative feelings away. Choose your causes wisely and don't believe everything people tell you, especially when these people are making a living off the backs of honest individuals.

Seals are cute and are part of the ecological cycles of life, just like the invertebrates(ewww bugs!!) who decompose the organic material of our fresh water systems, or the bees who pollinate our crops, but i don't see protests protecting them. And people need fresh water more than they need to be looking at cute seals. But where are the protests against industrial waste, or pesticide use? ok so there are some, but vegetarians have to eat too, so pesticides aren't that bad...

But rather than mouthing off at hunters, shouldn't we be focusing our energy on greater causes or the sources of these problems? Why is the ice melting earlier than ever before? could it be because of enhanced global warming? and what are the causes of this so called enhanced global warming effect? Could it be our material driven society, that drives their SUV to the store and purchase useless materials that has been shipped in from a million miles away, instead of focusing on buying locally. I proudly wear my seal fur boots, product of Canada, and every time someone has a negative comment for me, i look at their boots, and cry about all the synthetic materials that went into the production of them. Than again, everything ends up in the ocean. So you say you love seals, why not begin by protecting their habitats, instead of buying fossil fuel products in which production waste end up in the ocean.

As for it being cruel, i believe the seal hunt is far less damaging to the environment than the commercial meat industry. Not to mention less cruel. Maybe i have something against cages. And most fur used in the fur industry comes from caged animals in fur farms. So, whats wrong about harvesting animals in they're natural environment? Since hunting is the seeming big problem here, I'm going to refer to moose hunting; My family hunts moose each fall, as it has become tradition. Moose aren't very cute. However they are magestic beasts in which i respect very much. So it would be wrong that my family harvest 2 moose a year, in order to feed a family of 5 throughout winter, along with not having to rely on the cruel meat industry?

As an inhabitant of the Gaspé Coast, as an inhabitant of a far region of Québec, i understand the hardships of relying on a declining industry. And its easy to say bad things about it when you live so far away from the realities you are trying to crush. At a time when the government seems to want to get people away from these beautiful country environment, to use up our resources and settle us one on top of each other in the concrete jungle known as the city, do your research, be the change you want to be in society, but please don't buy in to these trends. There are far more important issues out there, and most of them are having a negative impact on our native animal populations.

Cmon people, wake up. You can sit there and talk as much as you want, or walk on the concrete sidewalk, waving your antisealing flag, but how will people take you seriously since the place you now walk on used to be home to many natural species. Do your research, i'll do mine. That way, we'll both be prepared to counter each others arguments.

Thank you for your time

peace

Hi Jean-Claude,

Thanks for sharing your story. I can see why after so many years seal hunting has become a way of life for you. You say that the tradition of Seal Hunting goes way back for many years in your family, yet It was interesting to read about your initial reaction to killing the seals, how it tugged at your heart strings, as if killing them was going against thousands of years of some deeply ingrained instinct.

I can understand how you've come to rely upon the hunt for your income and can appreciate your love of being out on the sea. You seem like an adaptable and innovative man. Have you considered that reports compiled have shown there is more money in whale tours than was brought in in the same region for whale hunting?

FAQ: “Whale watching tours generate more than $1 billion per year worldwide; attracting more than 9 million people from 87 countries.”

Being from British Columbia I've witnessed first-hand how whale watching tours have also bolstered the economy in other ways. I have no doubts that seal tours would produce the same result.

By conducting seal tours instead of hunting, you and your comrades could still be out at sea, increase your income substantially, and re-connect with that original and natural instinct of compassion that you felt toward the cowering seals many years ago. Seal tours would also be a way to unite with other people both locally globally through your compassionate instinct, and bring harmony and peace in the face of escalating tension.

You sound like a good man at heart, Jean-Claude, and I wish you wisdom, guidance and success in your future.

Sharon