[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 50 (Thursday, March 22, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3629-S3630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 118--URGING THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TO END THE
COMMERCIAL SEAL HUNT
Mr. LEVIN (for himself, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Biden) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations:
S. Res. 118
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 legally be 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
[[Page S3630]]
the Northwest Atlantic are preventing the recovery of cod
stocks, despite the lack of any credible scientific evidence
to support this claim;
Whereas two 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 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 and the text of the resolution 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, D. C.
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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