The one I posted before was of a "whitecoat" and yes, I know that they are not the ones hunted harvested. Once they start to shed that coat, they have the beautiful silver spotted coat in the picture above. They are still just babies. They still cannot get away from the fishermen jumping from their boats, wielding hakapiks. What I know about the hunt is what I've read online, not just at the HSUS website but also other websites, even Canadian websites. They might want to twist things to make it seem worse than it is, but the videos they post speak for themselves. Not once does the fisherman keep the carcass, not once do they check that the seal is unconscious before skinning it. It's easy to see some seals still squirming as they are dragged by a hook across the ice.
I'm curious where Heather gets her seal meat, do you buy it in the grocery store next to the beef and pork? Where does the meat come from when the fishermen in the videos always leave it behind?
I've read stuff about the cod population being the excuse for culling the seal population. But nature is never really just a one way street. Killing hundreds of thousands of seals may sound like the best way to get the cod population back up, but taking away one predator usually just leaves room for another to take its place. Other fish eat cod, seals eat those fish and the cod, so without the seals to eat one predator, they are still there to eat the cod. Maybe it was over fishing that made cod endangered.
I haven't read up on the seal hunt for a while, it's too gory and depressing, so I'll admit that I'm not the most informed about this subject. I just didn't want you to think that I thought the white coats where the ones killed. They wait until they're 2-3 weeks old before they kill them.
I don't want to get in an argument about this either since this is suppose to be a blog about Isabella and Sean. If you have information from other websites disproving what the HSUS says I would love to look at it. I hope I didn't offend anyone or come across as too ignorant.
2 comments:
'Tis my last comment on this because, like you, I blog about my baby, and also because I don't consider myself an authority on the issue.
We get out seal meat directly from the hunters, from processing plants, and yes, at grocery stores. Not big nation-wide chain stores, but local stores. I couldn't tell you if it's baby meat or adult meat, it's not called anything different. Obviously not all the seals are left behind.
A lot of what you say I actually agree with; no one would argue the seal hunt is warm and fuzzy. My point is, are beef slaughterhouses? Chicken processing plants? The general public is not phased by any of these, there are no country-wide boycotts, although I'm sure some videos of choice moments from these processes would be equally as gruesome and disturbing as the one's you've mentioned. Do cattle bred for beef have any chance of escaping their fate? Is it fair to raise calves in pens so small they can't move for the sake of tender meat? Of course not, it's all horrible. The difference, in my opinion, is that seals are cute. People don't want to see cute things killed. Hence this huge international movement against the seal hunt.
Oh, and yes, overfishing did cause the decline in cod stocks. There was a HUGE moratorium in cod fishing in 1992, and the industry was virtually shut down. Cod stocks, however, have not recovered.
Ok, I'm done. Topic shut down on my end.
I completely agree with you about the disparity between seals and cows or chickens. Seals are cute, but then so are baby anything. I think baby cows are adorable, I don't eat veal because of it. I've seen boycotts against KFC because of the treatment of chickens they use. I don't eat at KFC or any fast food restaurant. The seals are just one tiny piece of the animal rights cause. Dog and cock fighting, animal abuse, people eating dogs, cats or horses in other countries. It's horrible what we do to animals, poaching, skinning them, testing beauty products on them. That is part of the reason why I have considered giving up meat in the past. I have a lot of conflict with that though. It's hard to explain it concisely here. I think deer are cute, but I don’t know many deer hunters who run up and smash them over the head. I think that’s the part that I can’t get past. The seals can’t get away. They’re wild creatures and they aren’t old enough to escape or have any means to protect themselves. Maybe the fishermen should capture some seals and breed the babies similar to farmers raising cows. I don’t know what the answer is. It just makes me sad.
I’m done too.
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