Skinned Alive:

In 2001, 5 eminent veterinarians (2 British, 2 American, and 1 Canadian) monitored the seal hunt in the Gulf of the St Lawrence. What they found is disturbing.

They concluded the hunt caused "considerable and unacceptable suffering".  Over 40% of the seals that were caught were conscious and fully aware, when they were skinned alive.

That same year postmortem examinations revealed 25% of seals showed minimal or moderate signs of injury when the skinning occurred. This is proof that the seals were still alive and well.

In 2001 video evidence indicated that in nearly 80% of instances, sealers did not examine the body to check if the seal was dead or unconscious prior to skinning the body. This same evidence indicated that in 40% of cases the hunter left an animal clubbed and suffering for extended periods of time before returning to club it a second time or to skin it alive.

IFAW which is one of the most world renowned animal rights groups charges that seals are often "skinned before being rendered fully unconscious" and that few sealers check for a blinking reflex to confirm the brain is dead prior to skinning. Some studies indicate that up to 45% of seals are skinned alive