2007 Kill Quota Announced:

On March 29th, 2007 Canada's department of Fisheries and Oceans released a 'management' plan that consists of setting the quota of seals to be killed at 270 000. This is despite the worst ice conditions in recorded history 

The hunt commenced on April 2nd, 2007. The ice conditions are so horrible that up to 90% of newborn seals are perishing. Seals require ice to give birth and without this ice newborns cannot survive.

The good news is that this years hunt is smaller than last years which was set at 335 000 (nonetheless the reported catch exceeded 354 000) this is good news for the seals. It's because of pressure from activists that the government had to take a look at the ice floes and lower the kill quota.  Unfortunately the 270 000 quota is not much more sustainable than last years.

When Canada was discovered there was an estimated seal population of 30 million. 5 years ago the population was estimated to be at less than 5 million, and even that number was considered optimistic. Since then over 1 million seals have been killed, including many seals in the 1-5 months rage. (seals are legally allowed to be killed after they shed their white coat which is at 3 weeks). Last year was a difficult year for seals due to the high kill quota and the terrible ice conditions. This year the ice conditions are much worse with far less survivors.

It is unknown how many seals are still alive, but a very optimistic number would be between 2 and 3 million. That means the Canadian government is allowing approximately 10% of a wild population to be killed. This does not include the unreported kills from seals that are shot or clubbed and slip into the water.

It's unfortunate but the Canadian government has yet again decided to ignore the worlds opinion. In return there cannot be anymore playing around. It's a fact that Canada could care less about what the world thinks. From now on it's going to be war between activists and our government.

We require that:

1. All Canadians avoid consuming any seafood from Eastern Canada. People residing outside of Canada should boycott Canadian seafood all together, and this includes chains that serve Canadian seafood such as Red Lobster.

2. No one needs to travel to Newfoundland. Many people go there for Humpback whale watching. Humpbacks are returning to the coast of Vancouver Island in higher numbers. If you plan on going whale watching please go there. Canada is a big country and there are many other places to visit.

3. Please donate to organizations that are actively fighting the hunt.

4. We still recommend that you sign petitions and send letters when possible, but unfortunately it is unclear if this is having any positive affect. Nonetheless we still recommend that you try.

As a Canadian I can only say that I am yet again very disappointed with my government. In October 2006 Canada was the only first world country to refuse to sign a ban on bottom trawling, a practice that is very devastating to our worlds oceans. Canada also still allows polar bear trophy hunting. In Eastern Canada the cod industry has been destroyed from mismanagement. It appears that this same mismanagement is going to take away some of the beautiful wildlife that Canada has to offer. At this rate unless some serious changes are made there will be no fish, polar bears, or seals left in 20 years time.

Thank you to everyone who has tried to stop the hunt. We especially give a big thank you to those who risk imprisonment and receive large fines for attempting to film or intervene with the hunt. Read Canadian Injustice to learn about how Canada is against free speech and protecting the environment.