Seal Hunting Research Articles

The moral problem with commercial seal hunting.

The Canadian seal hunt leads to animal suffering, and a European Union ban on the import of its products should stand, says Andy Butterworth.

Bridging Troubled Waters: History as Political Opportunity Structure

This article seeks to provide insight into the formulation of non-governmental organization (NGO) and transnational advocacy network (TAN) campaign strategy. We argue that the history of previous campaigns comprises an important aspect of the political opportunity structure faced by NGOs and TANs. We also argue that when formulating campaign strategy, campaigners should not only consider the legacies of previous campaigns, but also how their current strategies could impact on political opportunity structure and thereby influence future campaigns. This article uses the case study of the movement against seal hunting in Atlantic and Northern Canada and considers the potential for collaboration between previous opponents on other environmental issues. We examine the history of the anti-sealing campaigns looking at the various actors involved, and the impact that these campaigns had on these actors and their current relations with one another. The case study demonstrates that the history of previous campaigns matters and that history is a vital component of political opportunity structure.

‘Direct and Individual Concern’ for Newfoundland’s Sealing Industry? – When a Legal Concept and Empirical Data Collide

In the court cases aiming to annul EU Regulation 1007/2009 on trade in seal products the European Courts have inter alia ruled that a ‘direct and individual’ concern, a precondition for providing locus standi for the annulment of a contested regulation, does not exist for the commercial sealing industry in Canada. Based on Community case-law, the principle of ‘direct and individual concern’ is therefore interpreted in a restrictive manner, yet without hinting towards judicial activism. This article aims to ascertain whether this interpretation can be brought in conjunction with empirical findings stemming from field work conducted in the sealing industry in Newfoundland or whether the legal concept and empirical data contradict each other. While analysing the legal reasoning of the courts in two exemplary cases, a case study of three workers in the industry is presented to provide ethnographic insight into the commercial sealing industry and to provide empirical data on the ‘direct and individual concern’ of developments in the EU for them.

The Impact of Animal Welfare Advertising on Opposition to the Canadian Seal Hunt and Willingness to Boycott the Canadian Seafood Industry

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this research was to measure and compare the initial and carryover effects of a video advertisement developed by an animal welfare organization, namely Harpseals. org. The ad was designed to educate the public about an egregious act against wildlife (i.e., the Canadian seal hunt), increase opposition to this act, and recruit participation to boycott the industry (i.e., the Canadian seafood industry). After initial opposition to the egregious act had been measured, respondents were exposed to the ad, and subsequently asked again about their opposition to the seal hunt as well as their willingness to join the Canadian Seafood Boycott. About two months later, a follow-up study investigated whether the respondents' opposition to the seal hunt and their participation in the Canadian Seafood Boycott were still affected by the advertisement to which they had been exposed during the first contact. The results show that respondents' level of opposition to the seal hunt—even though it had somewhat leveled off in two months—was still significantly higher (42% higher) than before respondents had been exposed to the advertisement. The results further show that the single exposure to the ad increased boycott participation from 3.1% (as measured in December 2010) to 13.8% (as reported in February/March 2011), an increase of 350%.

The goals of the EU seal products trade regulation: from effectiveness to consequence

ABSTRACTWhen policies are adopted, it seems reasonable to assume that they address a certain issue and provide means to mitigate specific problems. This seems the case with the EU's regime on trade in seal products, but it becomes evident that the goal formulation in this case is blurry and unclear. Taking animal welfare, the so-called ‘Inuit exemption’, and internal market harmonisation into account, this article examines the goals of the seal products trade regime and how they are applied. It becomes clear that the attainment of goals bears consequences that are unprecedented due to conceptual and formulation difficulties. Given the indistinct goal formulation during the policy-shaping process and the goal formulation in the policy itself, it seems fair to say that the regime does not aim to improve animal welfare standards in the commercial seal hunt, but rather aims to shut down the commercial hunt completely. This, however, affects Inuit and non-Inuit seal hunters equally and is inconsistent with secondary goals that are formulated in the EU's documents relating to the Arctic. Therefore, the seal products trade regime has consequences that challenge the EU's ambitions in the north.

Determination of total and fecal coliforms of Akyatan Lagoon in terms of microbiological pollution

Akyatan Lagoon, located on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, is ecologically and economically important due to biological diversity, valuable fish species, water birds, and wildlife resources. The area was declared a wildlife development area in 2005 and a Ramsar area in 1998. We collected water samples from four stations inside the lagoon and drainage channels during April–August in 2008. All the water samples were analyzed for bacteriological parameters such as total coliforms (TC), fecal coliforms (FC), and physical parameters such as temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen (DO). In order to determine the number of fecal and total coliform bacteria, the most probable number (MPN) method was used. The objective of this study is to determine the levels of microbiological pollution in Akyatan Lagoon and drainage channels. Furthermore, observation on the impact of microbiological pollution of drainage channels on Akyatan Lagoon was also the another objective. The results indicated that the minimum TC and FC values were enumerated from the samples taken from all stations (2 MPN/100 ml) during May–August in 2008. The maximum TC levels were obtained in April and June (46,000 MPN/100 ml), while the maximum FC levels were determined in April (24,000 MPN/100 ml) in the S-3 (YD3 drainage channel). Moreover, the relationships between the TC and FC and physical parameters were also assessed, but no significant relationships were observed between the fecal indicator bacteria and environmental parameters. The only relationship that was significant for the TC was with salinity. According to the results, it can be said that there is total and fecal pollution in the two drainage channels flowing in the lagoon, while the lowest TC and FC results were detected inside the lagoon. The seal fishery (S-2) was polluted in terms of TC and FC. There is a potential risk related to the lagoon pollution for people and aquatic life for various activities such as rain, industrial, and urban runoff through drainage channels, agricultural irrigation, accommodating bird feces, and fishing activities. For this reason, the elimination of the source of urban and industrial pollution from drainage channels was needed for the sustainability of Akyatan Lagoon.

If Seals Were Ugly, Nobody Would Give a Damn: Propaganda, Nationalism, and Political Marketing in the Canadian Seal Hunt

The provocative debate over the Canadian seal hunt features emotional imagery, selective use of facts, a media relations battle, and political lobbying. This paper explores different forms of propaganda employed in the sealing controversy by animal rights groups and by the governments of Canada and of Newfoundland. It argues that Newfoundland nationalism is a central variable. This perspective can help gauge the effects of propaganda and explain the government's defense of a controversial policy. It concludes that propaganda, nationalism, and political marketing are independent categories that bear strong similarities.

Scoop de 2013: L'OMC devient pro-bien-être animal!

Incredible but true: the WTO has ruled, on 25 November 2013, for the protection of animal welfare! Although the EU regulation of 2009 banning seal products contains some violations of international trade rules, the seal hunt has been condemned as a cruel practice.

A Comment on the Public Morals Exception in International Trade and the EC - Seal Products Case: Moral Imperialism and Other Concerns

Public morality concerns are ripe for consideration in international trade disputes. The long-awaited WTO decisions in EC – Seal Products afforded the world's leading international trade arbiter the opportunity to consider, among other things, application of the public morals exception in GATT and the TBT Agreement to the EU's 2009 ban on the importation and marketing of seal products. While the EU's seal products ban was ultimately held to be discriminatory and thus did not meet the requirements of GATT Article XX's chapeau, the reasoning enunciated by the Appellate Body (and WTO Panel) would have allowed the ban as being justified under the right to protect public morals. That same reasoning, however, lacked a measured analysis weighing the competing moral considerations about animal (seal) welfare against protecting the traditional and cultural practices (seal hunting) of impacted indigenous communities with short shrift being paid to the indigenous community interests. In result, the WTO's most recent rulings on public morals effectively legitimizes the moral imperialism inherent in the EU's seal products ban.

Accommodating Divergent Policy Objectives under WTO Law: Reflections on EC—Seal Products

EC—Seal Products raises an important issue in World Trade Organization (WTO) law: How can WTO trea-ties be interpreted to accommodate divergent legitimate purposes of a domestic regulation? The European Union (EU) measure at issue is a ban on the placing of seal products on the EU market, coupled with excep-tions3 for seal products produced by Inuit and other indigenous communities (IC exception), and for seal products obtained from seals hunted for the purpose of marine resource management and sold on a nonprofit basis (MRM exception). The seal ban was imposed out of the public concern over the cruel manner in which seals are hunted and killed, whereas the IC exception was made to protect the traditional lifestyle of indigenous peoples and the MRM exception accommodated theneed for sustainable management of marine resources. The EU regulation, therefore, was designed to achieve divergent policy objectives. The exceptions derogate from the ban because they permit hunting and killing of seals which can cause the very pain andsuffering for seals that concerns the EU public.

The WTO, Self-Determination, and Multi-Jurisdictional Sovereignty

In EC—Seal Products, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body (AB) held that the European Union (EU) Seal Regime banning the importation of seal products could be justified under General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Article XX(a) as a measure necessary toprotect public morals. It also held that the indigenous communities (IC) exception under the EU Seal Regime is inconsistent with GATT Article I:1 (Most-Favored Nation) because it discriminated against commercial fishers in Canada and Norway and was applied in a manner that favored the mostly Inuit seal hunters of Greenland, and thus ran afoul of Article XX’s chapeau. Since the entire EU Seal Regime is not likely to be done away with, the most important question for Inuit communities is: how will the EU change the discriminatory aspects of the Seal Regime and IC exception? The EU faces an October deadlineto pass its new legislation and this remains a very live issue.

People and Seals at Siberia's Lake Baikal

The seals inhabiting Eastern Siberia's Lake Baikal are involved in a suite of meaningful relationships with local people both in the present and in the distant past. Most people rarely see the seals in their natural habitat, but these animals nonetheless are considered icons of the region, particularly among tourists and the broader general public. Our recent interviews with Baikal seal hunters, most of whom are Buriat, revealed relationships of great depth and intimacy with these animals that involved, in part, knowing the animals based on their sounds, smells, taste, fur quality, appearance, and behavior. The hunters and their families maintain relationships with the animals by acting so as to stay in good standing with local spirits and through proper treatment of the animals' bodies after death. Further, Baikal seals have prominent roles in local cosmologies and legends, including the origin stories of some local groups. The region's archaeological record reveals that meaningful relationships with seals extend far back in time, including among ancient foraging groups, some of whom made representations of seals 7,000-8,000 years ago. Humans' long-standing relationships with seals at Lake Baikal cannot be viewed simply as interactions between predator and prey, or consumer and commodity.

Author defends controversial seal-hunting report

Author defends controversial seal-hunting report

What to eat now? Shifts in polar bear diet during the ice‐free season in western Hudson Bay

Under current climate trends, spring ice breakup in Hudson Bay is advancing rapidly, leaving polar bears (Ursus maritimus) less time to hunt seals during the spring when they accumulate the majority of their annual fat reserves. For this reason, foods that polar bears consume during the ice-free season may become increasingly important in alleviating nutritional stress from lost seal hunting opportunities. Defining how the terrestrial diet might have changed since the onset of rapid climate change is an important step in understanding how polar bears may be reacting to climate change. We characterized the current terrestrial diet of polar bears in western Hudson Bay by evaluating the contents of passively sampled scat and comparing it to a similar study conducted 40 years ago. While the two terrestrial diets broadly overlap, polar bears currently appear to be exploiting increasingly abundant resources such as caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and newly available resources such as eggs. This opportunistic shift is similar to the diet mixing strategy common among other Arctic predators and bear species. We discuss whether the observed diet shift is solely a response to a nutritional stress or is an expression of plastic foraging behavior.

A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt – a response to critique of paper MP13 172

Canada's commercial seal hunt warrants close examination in that it is the largest kill of marine mammals on earth, it exists for commercial reasons, it targets deep diving seals with unique physical adaptations, and it is conducted in a particularly remote and uncontrolled environment amidst unstable sea ice and extreme weather conditions. For these reasons, commercial sealing in Canada has been the subject of regular veterinary scrutiny for more than five decades. In that time, despite repeated recommendations and some changes to the regulations, considerable evidence continues to be presented during each new season of poor welfare outcomes for seals.To add to the discussion we (Butterworth and Richardson) (2013) [1] reviewed multiple studies on commercial sealing, government reports, trade journal articles and recommendation reports, in an attempt to answer the question of why, despite the efforts of veterinary advisors and government to improve the situation, seals continue to die in inhumane ways. In examining the available evidence, the environment in which commercial sealing occurs, and the physical adaptations of seals, the authors concluded that generally accepted principles of humane slaughter cannot be implemented effectively and consistently in the context of commercial sealing.

A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt: A critique

In a recent article in this journal (Butterworth and Richardson. A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt. Marine Policy 2013;38:457–469), the authors argued that “generally accepted principles of humane slaughter cannot be carried out effectively or consistently during the Canadian commercial seal hunt”. The present review purports to show that these authors' conclusions were incorrect because they were highly selective in their treatment of the information available and made no attempt to consider other perspectives. In addition, their reliance on anecdotal video sequences to support some of their points was seriously flawed since a vast proportion of these sequences failed to meet fundamental criteria of scientific rigor. The article by Butterworth and Richardson [5] failed to provide an unbiased presentation of the available data and therefore did not bring further clarity to the debate on the Canadian commercial seal hunt.

Archaeological Refuse Fauna in Finland: Understanding the Role of Bone Combustion

ABSTRACT The reconstruction of Stone Age subsistence in Finland is almost solely based on the study of burned bone assemblages from settlement sites. Seal bones dominate Stone Age refuse fauna while bird and fish bones are almost absent. The problem of the absence of bird and fish bones has been acknowledged, but so far the dominance of seal bone has been taken as a sign of (specialized) seal hunting as the main subsistence activity. In this article we question the use of archaeological refuse fauna as the single basis for the study of hunter-gatherer subsistence. We conducted a series of experiments to test how interspecies differences in bone characteristics may bias our current understanding of Finnish prehistoric subsistence. Our preliminary results clearly show interspecies differences in bone combustion qualities and in bone preservation. Further structural and densitometric analyses reveal significant differences in the medullary cavity of seal vs. terrestrial mammal bones. Our results also open ne...

Caza de focas en la OMC: Bienestar animal y moralidad pública en debate

Long evaded, the question of animal welfare makes its entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The recent seal hunt debate creates the break with the eviction tradition of this question through the protection of public morality. The issue of this debate is the following: Is the Community regulation on products derived from seals in conformity with WTO law? This question was discussed again on the 29-30 April 2013 at the WTO headquarters in Geneva . On one side, Canada and Norway as complainants. On the other, the European Union (EU) defending the legitimacy of its trade restriction. Adopted in 2009, the EU Seal products regulation came into force in 2010. It consists in prohibiting the importation and marketing of seal products. Theoretically ambitious for animal welfare protection, its exceptions are weakening the moral force of this ban, far from being general. This paper aims to present its main inconsistencies and innovations towards animal welfare consideration through public morality at WTO.

BRONZE AGE CATTLE TEETH AND CREMATIONS FROM A MONUMENTAL BURIAL CAIRN IN SELKÄKANGAS, FINLAND: NEW RADIOCARBON DATES AND ISOTOPIC ANALYSIS

Introduction A Bronze Age monumental cairn situated at Selkakangas in Viikkala (Nakkila county) in the Satakunta region of western Finland was excavated in 1978-1981 by the Department of Archaeology of the University of Turku (Fig. 1). The cairn was poor in finds: only burnt bone and unburnt cattle teeth were recovered. Burnt bones were analysed and demonstrated to be human in origin (Vormisto 1985, 151 ff.). At the time of the excavations no finds that could date the structure were found, nor was enough organic material obtainable for radiocarbon-dating methods available at that time. During the excavations cattle teeth were interpreted as modern, it was believed that Bronze Age unburnt bone could not have survived in the acid soil of Finland (Kuokkanen & Korkeakoski-Vaisanen 1985; Vormisto 1985, 151 f.). However, the large size of the cairn, the presence of a stone slab cist and the height (30 m) above modern sea level all showed dating to the Early Bronze Age (Salo 1981, 176; Kuokkanen & Korkeakoski-Vaisanen 1985, 10, 15 f.). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] New research and new research methods opened further possibilities for investigating the Selkakangas cairn. In 2010 one of the cattle teeth was radiocarbon dated and shown to date to the Early Bronze Age (3086 [+ or -] 30 BP, 1430-1270 cal BC, Hela 2496) (Blauer & Kantanen 2013). This is the oldest radiocarbon dated cattle bone found in mainland Finland to date. As radiocarbon dating of burnt bone became possible, the cremations were also dated. The living conditions and environment of the cattle in Bronze Age Satakunta were studied using isotopic analyses. This article presents new results from the Selkakangas cairn and these are discussed in the context of general Bronze Age ritu al and economy. Bronze Age economy To date only one radiocarbon-dated Stone Age domestic animal bone has been found from the Finnish mainland--a sheep or goat bone from a Late Neolithic Kiukainen culture site in Pietarsaari (3679 [+ or -] 33 BP, 2200-1950 cal BC, Ua-43043) (Blauer & Kantanen 2013). In Aland the oldest dated domestic animal bone dates to approximately the same Late Neolithic period, ca 2000 cal BC (Stora 2000, 70 f.). The signs of the earliest agriculture in Satakunta area date to the late Stone Age (Vuorela 1991, 8 ff.; Vuorela & Hicks 1996), when the first cultivated clearings emerged. The very first signs of cereal cultivation visible in the pollen record in the Satakunta area are from Harjavalta 3480 [+ or -] 90 BP (1920-1700 cal BC, Hel-2404) and Huittinen (1700-1800 cal BC, Hel-357), where the soil was suitable for primitive cultivation (Vuorela 1991, 17 ff.). However, even if sporadic cultivation and one domestic animal bone are associated with Kiukainen culture, site location and faunal analyses indicate increasing reliance on marine resources and especially seal hunting (Zvelebil 1981, 160; Edgren 1998, 112; Blauer & Kantanen 2013). The following Bronze Age coastal culture seems to be connected both to sea and land. On the one hand, the location of the cairns and cultural connections are sea-oriented and seal hunting still seemed to be an important part of subsistence (Tuovinen 2002, 273 f.; Blauer & Kantanen 2013). On the other hand, this is the period when the first definite signs of cattle and permanent field cultivation emerge and cultivation became a more prominent part of subsistence than before (Holmblad 2010, 159; Blauer & Kantanen 2013). Early Metal period settlement sites in Finland often seem to include either domestic animal bones or seal bones (Blauer & Kantanen 2013). Perhaps there were separate sites for sealing and animal husbandry used by a single population, indicating different environmental requirements for sealing and animal husbandry. However, the presence of two different cultural groups with different subsistence strategies during this period cannot be excluded, as local cultural change has been connected with immigrants from Scandinavian Bronze Age culture (see below). …

The law of capture, Newfoundland-style

The rules governing the ownership of wild animals are of ancient origin. In essence, title is based on first occupancy. However, the rights acquired by occupancy are qualified: where the animal escapes, title is lost. As a corollary, the killing of the animal renders title absolute. These principles have been applied in a variety of contexts. However, the law governing capture within the Newfoundland seal fishery seems to have veered off on a different course. This article explores the Newfoundland jurisprudence on the ‘law of capture’ as manifested in a cluster of decisions rendered by the Supreme Court of Newfoundland in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The principles articulated in these cases are inconsistent inter se. The guiding doctrines were seemingly in transition and contested. This article seeks to discern why these disputes emerged – and the governing principles called into question – long after the commencement of the seal hunt itself. Moreover, the differing judicial approaches ref...