Ag-Gag for Seal Advocates: New Bill Aims to Limit Seal Hunting Observations

Despite international outrage and a dwindling market for seal products, seal hunting still continues in Canada and the country’s 2014 hunting season is set to open once again later this month.

The Humane Society of the United States reports that over one million seals have been slaughtered in Canada over the last five years.

While journalists and concerned nonprofits, like the Humane Society International (HIS) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), have been able to document the cruel and unnecessary hunt for years, a new bill in the Canadian legislature is threatening to deter these observations just as ag-gag laws have done in the U.S. with regards to undercover factory farm investigations.

According to The Epoch Times, Bill C-555, also referred to as An Act Respecting the Marine Mammal Regulations, “seeks to increase the distance that unauthorized persons or ‘unlicensed observers’ must maintain from seal harvesters.”

If passed, the bill, which just had its second reading, would change the observation safety distance from half a nautical mile to a full one or 1.8 kilometers (equivalent to around 1.1 miles).

Conservative MP Grey Kerry introduced the bill in November 2013 and has said that its aim is “to protect sealers and hunt observers, show Support for the commercial seal hunt, and ensure that seal harvesters can go about their job ‘without fear of disruption.’”

However, the bill may end up punishing “innocent bystanders such as tourists, wildlife observations and local residents who unknowingly enter the 1.8 km range of the seal hunt and subsequently incur hefty fines,” said Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HIS-Canada, to The Epoch Times.

Even Kerr admitted last week that license misuse incidents have been “few and far between,” calling into question why this bill was even introduced, yet despite this fact, he still feels that “radical groups” are a threat.

In reality, the bill appears to be just another attempt by the industry to save its dying trade and avoid the ever increasing influx of bad press. It’s high time for Canada’s seal hunt be put to rest, and most importantly, it’s time to finally let harp seals live out their full lives without the continuous threat of slaughter.

Image source: IFAW via Harpseals.org