EU Bans Seal Products: a blow to the Canadian seal hunt

Back in March, I commented on the efforts of The Humane Society to generate public and political interest to curb Canada's annual harvest of fur seals. The latest word from the Humane Society is an encouraging one. The European Union (EU) has initiated a ban on seal products in specific response to a public outcry regarding the Canadian hunt.

It has been estimated that this ban cuts out as much as $6.6 million CAD of Canada's annual take of $7 million CAD. The ban has also driven down prices for seal products and of the annual quota of 280,000 seals, so far only 60,000 have been taken. However, The Humane Society will continue its efforts as the government-subsidized industry is not yet ready to admit defeat. But the EU ban is certainly a major blow.

One of the things I found interesting in this entire campaign was the strategy taken that has proved the most successful - that of developing a general public interest and consensus and applying political and economic pressure; forces that the seal industry fears the most. Extreme activism did not necessarily move the ball forward; it was the relentless pressure placed upon the traditional decision-making forces: politics and dollars. Currently, 60's-style activism and protests don't seem to be as effective as they once were. Getting endorsements from opinion makers ranging from Paul McCartney to the European Parliament's Swedish member, Carl Schlyter, and bringing their influence to bear behind the scenes with international decision-makers may not be very dramatic or "sexy" . . . but it appears to be working.

Canadian Harp Seals: remember, the hunt still continues

I received an email today from the Humane Society to remind me that the clubbing of harp seals in Canada for the fashion fur industry still continues to this day. This was a hot button issue at one point in the past, with activist organizations like Greenpeace getting physically involved, and yet it has somewhat fallen off the radar - an unfortunate victim of too many issues and too short an attention span.

Part of the Humane Society's strategy is to get a celebrity face involved, in this case, Cat Cora, executive chef for Bon Appetit magazine and founder of Chefs for Humanity - an excellent choice because of the Ms. Cora's and the Society's call to boycott Canadian seafood products as a form of protest.

How so? Because it represents a method for a broader audience to participate in and have a greater effect than if they chose not to purchase fashion fur. Face it, fashion fur appeals to a small, upscale market - a market, however, that is still fed by the loss of up to a million seals in the past four years. In contrast, Canadian seafood is consumed by a broader market and a successful boycott can send a stronger economic message.

And in the end, nothing legitimizes the opinions of the general public in the mind of commercial enterprise than when the bottom line is involved. To them, definitely money talks, bulls**t walks.

So, check out the Human Society's boycott campaign, include your voice if you feel it's right for you, and pass on consuming Canadian seafood as one way of showing that you care about issues, no matter how far past our intellectual expiration date they may be. Click here for more info.