The Commercial Seal Hunt: Myths
Photo: HP Canda / ALAMY
Photo: HP Canda / ALAMY
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Protect this baby seal from a horrible fate. Act now
*I want to stress that this is NOT an anti-Canada campaign. It's a campaign to change the world's course forever...
Today, thousands of harp seals are still killed. This website exists so no more will be tomorrow...
This marks the start of the 2026 commercial harp seal hunt.
Each year, tens of thousands of harp seals are killed on the ice floes of eastern Canada, primarily in areas like Newfoundland and Labrador and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The hunt mainly targets very young harp seals, many of which only weeks old.
The DFO's own scientists have officially moved the harp seal into the "Cautious Zone." There is a 96% probability that the population is now below the level where it can be considered healthy, according to Research Document 2025/070.
Harp seal pups are born on sea ice, where they depend entirely on their mothers for warmth, milk, and protection. When the hunt begins, many pups have only just started to swim and survive on their own.
The hunt is carried out for commercial reasons, mostly for seal pelts. It is not essential for food security, and seal products are banned in many parts of the world, including the European Union and the U.S.
Veterinary experts, conservation organizations, and animal welfare institutions have raised serious concerns for decades about:
The suffering caused during the hunt
The difficulty of enforcing humane standards on moving ice
The long-term impact on seal populations and ecosystems - seal populations have already been classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to unprecedented ice conditions.
Today is not just another date on the calendar — it is a reminder that this is still happening, right now - in 2026.
There is a lot of misinformation surrounding the seal hunt. Here are the facts.
Reality:
There is no scientific consensus proving that killing seals helps fish populations recover. Overfishing, climate change, and habitat destruction are the primary causes of declining fish stocks — not seals. Harp seals have an incredibly diverse diet, with cod making up barely 3-5% of it.
Reality:
Independent veterinary reports have found that it is extremely difficult to guarantee humane killing conditions on unstable ice, often in poor weather and over large areas. Enforcement is limited, and suffering can and does occur.
Reality:
The seal hunt makes up barely <0.05% of Newfoundland's GDP. Only a few hundred fishermen participate in the hunt. It is an off-season, not a full-time job, making up only 5% of the fishermen's annual income.
Reality:
Polls consistently show that a majority of Canadians oppose the commercial seal hunt, especially when it involves young seals. Opposition is strong both nationally and internationally, facing bans from all over the world.
Reality:
Harp seals are a wild species, not a resource to be managed through commercial slaughter. Climate change is already reducing sea ice, making survival harder for seal pups — adding hunting pressure only increases the risk.
Reality:
Traditions change. Practices once considered normal can be re-examined when new knowledge, ethics, and alternatives exist. Questioning harm is how progress happens.
You can help by visiting this page here and sign our petition!
© IFAW. Visit the page on their official website here.
The Commercial Seal Hunt: Myths vs. Facts
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