Tag Archives: Sealing

Sealing was a dangerous job

I always remember a picture of my great-grandfather standing next to a pile of harp seal pelts on the heaving and unpredictable ice floes in the frigid North Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland. Most of the fishermen, who became sealers for just a few weeks every spring, wore only the clothes and footwear that they had on when they arrived at the fleet,,, It was risky business, but the fishermen were typically poor and had big families to feed, so many jumped at the chance to join the seal fleets, despite the significant hazards involved. more, >click to read< 09:44

Sealing advocates applaud idea of federal funding, but not approach

Sealing advocates from across Canada are excited the federal government is putting money into the industry, but some say the new fund’s focus on marketing is the wrong approach. This week’s federal budget included the, which rolls out over five years and is specifically targeted at ensuring Inuit can make use of an exemption to the European Union’s seal ban.  “Clearly it seems like European people have decided that seal hunting was immoral,” says Gil Theriault with the Magdalen Islands Seal Hunters Association. Read the rest here 10:25