[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 21, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3532-S3533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 115--URGING THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TO END THE 
                          COMMERCIAL SEAL HUNT

  Mr. LEVIN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 115

       Whereas on November 15, 2006, the Government of Canada 
     opened a commercial hunt for seals in the waters off the east 
     coast of Canada;
       Whereas an international outcry regarding the plight of the 
     seals hunted in Canada resulted in the 1983 ban by the 
     European Union of whitecoat and blueback seal skins and the 
     subsequent collapse of the commercial seal hunt in Canada;
       Whereas the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 
     1361 et seq.) bars the import into the United States of any 
     seal products;
       Whereas in February 2003, the Ministry of Fisheries and 
     Oceans in Canada authorized the highest quota for harp seals 
     in Canadian history, allowing nearly 1,000,000 seals to be 
     killed over a 3-year period;
       Whereas more than 1,000,000 seals have been killed over the 
     past 3 years;
       Whereas harp seal pups can be legally hunted in Canada as 
     soon as they have begun to molt their white coats at 
     approximately 12 days of age;
       Whereas 95 percent of the seals killed over the past 5 
     years were pups between just 12 days and 12 weeks of age, 
     many of which had not yet eaten their first solid meal or 
     taken their first swim;
       Whereas a report by an independent team of veterinarians 
     invited to observe the hunt by the International Fund for 
     Animal Welfare concluded that the seal hunt failed to comply 
     with basic animal welfare regulations in Canada and that 
     governmental regulations regarding humane killing were not 
     being respected or enforced;
       Whereas the veterinary report concluded that as many as 42 
     percent of the seals studied were likely skinned while alive 
     and conscious;
       Whereas the commercial slaughter of seals in the Northwest 
     Atlantic is inherently cruel, whether the killing is 
     conducted by clubbing or by shooting;
       Whereas many seals are shot in the course of the hunt, but 
     escape beneath the ice where they die slowly and are never 
     recovered, and these seals are not counted in official kill 
     statistics, making the actual kill level far higher than the 
     level that is reported;
       Whereas the commercial hunt for harp and hooded seals is a 
     commercial slaughter carried out almost entirely by non-
     Native people from the East Coast of Canada for seal fur, 
     oil, and penises (used as aphrodisiacs in some Asian 
     markets);
       Whereas the fishing and sealing industries in Canada 
     continue to justify the expanded seal hunt on the grounds 
     that the seals in the Northwest Atlantic are preventing the 
     recovery of cod stocks, despite the lack of any credible 
     scientific evidence to support this claim;
       Whereas 2 Canadian government marine scientists reported in 
     1994 that the true cause of cod depletion in the North 
     Atlantic was over-fishing, and the consensus among the 
     international scientific community is that seals are not 
     responsible for the collapse of cod stocks;
       Whereas harp and hooded seals are a vital part of the 
     complex ecosystem of the Northwest Atlantic, and because the 
     seals consume predators of commercial cod stocks, removing 
     the seals might actually inhibit recovery of cod stocks;
       Whereas certain ministries of the Government of Canada have 
     stated clearly that there is no evidence that killing seals 
     will help groundfish stocks to recover; and
       Whereas the persistence of this cruel and needless 
     commercial hunt is inconsistent with the well-earned 
     international reputation of Canada: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate urges the Government of Canada to 
     end the commercial hunt on seals that opened in the waters 
     off the east coast of Canada on November 15, 2006.

  Mr. Levin. Mr. President, Canada's commercial seal hunt is the 
largest slaughter of marine mammals in the world. According to the 
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), over one million seals have 
been killed for their fur in the past three years. In 2006 alone, more 
than 350,000 seals were slaughtered, most of them between 12 days and 
12 weeks old.
  Canada officially opened another seal hunt on November 15, 2006, 
paving the way for hundreds of thousands of baby seals to be killed for 
their fur during the spring of 2007. Today, I am joined by Senator 
Collins and Senator Biden in submitting a resolution that urges the 
Government of Canada to end this senseless and inhumane slaughter.
  A study by an independent team of veterinarians in 2001, found that 
the seal hunt failed to comply with basic animal welfare standards and 
that Canadian regulations with regard to humane killing were not being 
enforced. The study concluded that up to 42 percent of the seals 
studied were likely skinned while alive and conscious. The United 
States has long banned the import of seal products because of 
widespread outrage over the magnitude and cruelty of the hunt.
  It makes little sense to continue this inhumane industry that employs 
only a few hundred people on a seasonal, part-time basis and only 
operates for a few weeks a year, in which the concentrated killings 
takes place. In Newfoundland, where over 90 percent of the

[[Page S3533]]

hunters live, the economic contribution of the seal hunt is marginal. 
In fact, exports of seal products from Newfoundland account for less 
than one-tenth of one percent of the Province's total exports.
  Canada is fortunate to have vast and diverse wildlife populations, 
but these animals deserve protection, not senseless slaughter. 
Americans have a long history of defending marine mammals, best 
evidenced by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Polls show that 
close to 80 percent of Americans and the vast majority of Europeans 
oppose Canada's seal hunt. In fact, close to 70 percent of Canadians 
surveyed oppose the hunt completely, with even higher numbers opposing 
specific aspects of the hunt, such as killing baby seals.
  The U.S. Government has opposed this senseless slaughter, as noted in 
the attached, January 19, 2005, letter from the U.S. Department of 
State, in response to a letter Senator Collins and I wrote to President 
Bush, urging him to raise this issue during his November 30, 2004, 
visit with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.
  The clubbing of baby seals can not be defended or justified. Canada 
should end it, just as we ended the Alaska seal hunt more than 20 years 
ago.
  I ask unanimous consent that the January 19, 2005, letter from the 
U.S. State Department be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                          Department of State,

                                 Washington, DC, January 19, 2005.
     Hon. Carl Levin,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Levin: This is in response to your letter to 
     the President of November 24, 2004, regarding Canadian 
     commercial seal hunting. The White House has requested that 
     the Department of State respond. We regret the delay in 
     responding. Unfortunately, this letter was not received in 
     the Department of State until mid-December, well after the 
     referenced meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister 
     Paul Martin of Canada.
       We are aware of Canada's seal hunting activities and of the 
     opposition to it expressed by many Americans. Furthermore, we 
     can assure you that the United States has a longstanding 
     policy opposing the hunting of seals and other marine mammals 
     absent sufficient safeguards and information to ensure that 
     the hunting will not adversely impact the affected marine 
     mammal population or the ecosystem of which it is a part. The 
     United States policy is reflected in the Marine Mammal 
     Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA) which generally prohibits, with 
     narrow and specific exceptions, the taking of marine mammals 
     in waters or lands subject to the jurisdiction of the United 
     States and the importation of marine mammals and marine 
     mammal products into the United States.
       The United States has made known to the Government of 
     Canada its objections and the objections of concerned 
     American legislators and citizens to the Canadian commercial 
     seal hunt on numerous occasions over recent years. The United 
     States has also opposed Canada's efforts within the Arctic 
     Council to promote trade in sealskins and other marine mammal 
     products.
       We hope this information is helpful to you. Please do not 
     hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance in this or 
     any other matter.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Nancy Powell,
         (For Paul V. Kelly, Asst. Secretary, Legislative 
           Affairs).

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