Thick ice hinders controversial seal hunt

[Mugu]

By Paul Darrow, Reuters via Yahoo

CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island (Reuters) - Canada's annual seal hunt, which the government promised would be more humane this year, cranked up slowly on Friday because of thick ice.

The government is allowing hunters to kill up to 275,000 young harp seals on the ice floes off Eastern Canada, but only three had been reported killed on the first morning of the hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

"It's a very slow start," said Phil Jenkins, spokesman for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, noting that sealing boats were finding it difficult to get to the herds because of thick ice.

Anti-sealing groups complained they had not yet been allowed to observe the sealing and said that in any case the government's new killing procedures, intended to ensure a swift death, were not likely to be more humane.


Complete article at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080328/wl_canada_nm/canada_seals_col

[Scurrilous]

1. Hopefully the 'hunters' will become frustrated and end up clubbing each other. n/t

[SteinbachMB]

2. The seal hunt

...will continue as per usual. The seal population will continue as per usual. C'mon, we're Canadians after all. We're nice people!!!