|
|
Article: Canada's controversial seal hunt starts
- Article from:
- AP Worldstream
- Article date:
- March 23, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (Hide copyright information)
|
Canada's annual seal hunt is under way amid continuing protests from animal rights activists and an international effort to ban imported seal products.
Department of Fisheries and Oceans spokesman Phil Jenkins said Monday about 20 sealing vessels have ventured out into the ice floes in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, while some land-based hunting is also under way.
This year's total allowable catch has been set at 280,000, up from 275,000 last year.
Animal rights groups say the seal hunt is cruel, difficult to monitor, ravages the seal population and doesn't provide a lot of money for sealers. It is the largest marine mammal hunt in the world.
Sealers and the ...