Are seal populations becoming endangered from seal hunting?
The resounding answer is no – especially not in Canada’s case. The Northwest Atlantic Harp Seal population is abundant and well conserved, numbering between 6.9 million and 8.2 million – the highest level ever scientifically estimated. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists it as a species of “least concern”. Hunting of this species in Canadian waters is based around a sustainable use model. While many other nations in the world allow killing, or culling of animals for the express purpose of managing seal populations, in Canada management measures are applied to the hunt itself in the form of quotas, based on a precautionary principle. In definition, the first thing to keep in mind about the precautionary approach is that, in Canada, the harp seal population is viewed as a public resource. For the socio-economic and ecological benefits of hunting seals, the Federal Government has strong incentives to manage seal hunting levels with every intention to keep the population healthy for
