It's the time of year when the seals of Canada are clubbed or shot for their skins.   There are many groups out there for and against this event that has been taking place for more then 200 years.

Some activists say they are  left on the ice to die  while others say they were killed properly  and did not suffer

Below is a little history of this 200 yr  old tradition  or more.  Some say its been going on much longer then 200 years.. 

I have added the pros and the cons.  Please tell me what you think after reading my blog about the seals of Canada

The Newfoundland Seal Fishery

The great bulk of seals taken annually in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the eastern coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador - known as 'The Front' - are Greenland seals, or harps. These are gregarious creatures which migrate on a regular pattern. The northwest Atlantic herd summers in Baffin Bay, and in the fall begin to travel south along the Labrador coast. Reaching the Strait of Belle Isle by late December, some move into the Gulf and others towards the Grand Banks. In February the seals find ice on which the females can give birth. The Gulf herd usually whelps off the Magdalen Islands. The Atlantic herd moves north to meet the ice drifting south along the coast of south Labrador and northeastern Newfoundland. Here the young are born in large patches. The pups weigh about 15 pounds at birth, and have a yellowish coat, that soon turns white. They rapidly put on weight, reaching 60 to 70 pounds in 16 to 18 days. At this stage they are considered to be in prime condition. The white coat is soon shed - during the moult they are known as 'raggedy jackets' - and the pups lose weight. When independent of their mothers they take to the water, and are known as 'beaters'.Year-old harps are called ''.'bedlamers' Once the adult seals have themselves molted, and then mated, the herd begins its journey back to the Arctic.

 These seals have no idea that in a few short months, fisherman will appear with their clubs to bludgeon them to death--all for a little extra cash.

When people truly want to see change they find a way to ensure that their voices are heard. In partnership with the Canadian seafood boycott, people from around the world have chosen to boycott Newfoundland and Labrador and not visit the province until the seal hunt has ended. When everyday people contacted tourism based businesses to let them know they would be boycotting their province, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador replied. Below are some of their words:

Quotes from people for the hunt

1. "To bad you are not on the ice flows when the hunt starts. Maybe a stray bullet might hit you in the right place and put you out of your miserable f..king life.

2. It's people like you should educate yourself about the seal hunt and worry about all the starving children in the world.

3. I take part in the seal hunt and proud of it.

4."In order to truly be able to stand behind your argument about the seal hunt, you must protest the killing of all species. You must never eat meat, milk, chicken, fish,etc. You must let the mice in you basement live, the insects that drive you crazy must live....I'm sure you get my point. The relationship between man and animal may be a little sad but it is what it is and we've grown to accept it. That's the way god wanted it.

5. You keep up this foolish game every year, and you lose, and you lose big time you can't win , go away stop filling peoples heads with this crap...stop while your ahead, and stop wasting peoples money on such nonsense.

We don't want your tourist money...we won't starve because you decide not to come here, but in reality the seals will, if they are not controlled, would you rather have them starve to death  on the ice because a mother can't feed her pup...think about the cod stocks..so what do seals eat ? COD....

90% of the seal pups killed are under the age of 12 weeks!

 300,000 seals are being bashed over the head each year for their fur and  their pained bodies are left on the ice to rot

Activists call the hunt inhumane and a stain on Canada's reputations.

Quotes from people against the hunt

1. We the people of Canada are fed up. Fed up of carrying the shame of murder that's carried out by a province that has less people than a Toronto suburb. We are fed up of being looked at by the world as murderers - yet we are guilty. This province has shamed one of the finest nations in the world. We are therefore, disowning Newfoundland. We want rid of it, and it's people.

2. We, the people of Canada, will no longer carry the shame of your sins Newfoundland.

3.This is very much real. Doesn't mean Canada is at all a bad country.. Its a wonderful country. However
killing of baby seals is very real.

4. Cruel, horrible, disgusting;

5. This needs to end! Seals are beautiful, and they are innocent creatures that don't deserve this pain. The people that hurt them should be punished to the full extent of the law!

The hunt usually opens in March in the "Gulf" areas around the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island. The main hunt on the so-called "front" usually begins in April off the east coast of Newfoundland. It's pretty much over by May.
The total allowable catch for harp seals is split between two areas: 70 per cent for the waters off Newfoundland and 30 per cent for the St. Lawrence Gulf region.

Are seals skinned alive? 

This is a frequent accusation leveled by hunt opponents. The International Fund for Animal Welfare says seals are routinely clubbed or shot and left to suffer on the ice until they're clubbed later.
The IFAW also charges that seals are often "skinned before being rendered fully unconscious" and said its observers found that few sealers check for a blinking reflex to confirm brain death before skinning begins. Similar "skinning alive" accusations have also been made by other groups, with many citing studies claiming that up to 45 per cent of seals are "skinned alive."
A 2002 report in the Canadian Veterinary Journal found that "the large majority of seals taken during this hunt %u2026 are killed in an acceptably humane manner."
This study found that 98 per cent of hunted seals it examined had been killed properly. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) cites this study among others as proof that the hunt opponents are wrong in their accusations of widespread cruelty.
Regarding the "skinning alive" charge, the DFO says appearances can be deceiving. "Sometimes a seal may appear to be moving after it has been killed," the DFO says. "However, seals have a swimming reflex that is active, even after death. This reflex falsely appears as though the animal is still alive when it is clearly dead - similar to the reflex in chickens."
Furthermore, the DFO says the club, or hakapik, used by many sealers is "an efficient tool" that kills "quickly and humanely." The Royal Commission on Seals and Sealing in Canada found that clubbing, when properly performed, is at least as humane as killing methods in commercial slaughterhouses. Opponents say clubbing often isn't "properly performed."
The federal government acknowledges that it has laid more than 200 charges against sealers since 1996, but argues that shows it's serious about enforcing its regulations.

Give me your input on this hunt