A day to Celebrate!
Posted on May 7, 2009 - Filed Under Charity, HSUS
Today is a day to celebrate. The European Union has slammed shut the door on trade in the products of the commercial seal slaughter.
The Canadian government used every trick in the book to try to derail the ban: massive lobbying, misinformation, and even threats of trade reprisals. But the EU stood its ground and honored its citizens’ opposition to this trade in cruelty. By doing so, the EU has saved millions of seals from a horrible fate.
Every year, the ProtectSeals team has endured hazardous conditions to document the seal hunt. We are committed to showing the world that the Canadian government is lying when it claims that the hunt is humane.
What Does It Mean?
This is the beginning of the end for the Canadian seal hunt. The Canadian government estimates that losing this primary market will cost Canada’s sealing industry $6.6 million (CAD) each year. The hunt brought in less than $7 million last year. It’s not hard to do the math.
Just the promise of an EU ban was enough to drive the prices for seal fur down to $15 (CAD) per skin — a decline of 86 percent since 2006. As a result, many sealers stayed home. Out of this year’s quota of 280,000 harp seals, fewer than 60,000 have been killed so far.
Now that the EU has banned its trade in seal products, countless more seals will live their lives in peace from this year forward.
What’s Next?
Canadian seal hunt supporters won’t give up just yet. With government subsidies still in hand, the sealing industry will be chasing down new markets. The ProtectSeals campaign is working to convince all targeted nations to follow the EU’s example.
We’re keeping the pressure on the Canadian fishing industry and government with the global boycott of Canadian seafood products. Since the boycott began, the Canadian fishing industry has suffered a $750 million (CAD) drop in the value of snow crab exports alone to the United States.
Canadian Senator Mac Harb has introduced his nation’s first bill to end the hunt. The ProtectSeals campaign is striving to convince other members of Canada’s Parliament to support the bill.
Yes, there is still much to do — and if you’d like to help, please visit humanesociety.org/protectseals to learn how. But for the moment, please join me in celebrating this historic victory. Thank you for fighting alongside me to make this day possible. The seals could not ask for stronger allies.
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4 Responses to “A day to Celebrate!”
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Congratulations!!! This is FANTASTIC news. One step closer to saving these beautiful creatures. You need to be commended on your fantastic and energetic work and really highlighting this issue.
Thank you. You make a very good role model. If I lived a life even half as fulfilled (and adventurous) as yours then I couldn’t really ask for much more : )
Keep up the great work and thanks for being so inspiring. I’m looking forward to a happy ending for the seals!
Take care,
Bella
Glad to have stood there with you… and I will continue to be there until the hunt stops.
Nigel,
I was never even aware of these statistics. We all see and hear a bit now and then about seal slaughtering, but it always gets passed off as “just a few here and there”. I believe that humans don’t have the right to just treat other living things on this planet how we see fit. We are tenants on this planet as well, not the landlords.
After reading about this and now have been made aware, I will also initiate efforts to spread the word to help defeat those who wish to hurt animals for greed. Stop the money flow, and the whole machine will cease to function. You have my support, -Matt
That is amazing!!! You must feel very proud to have contributed in the fight to end this awful practice. Well done