The annual hunt of harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) in Atlantic Canada is contested at the start of nearly every season, with celebrities, politicians, and the public actively weighing in on the matter. Within all of the dialogue and debate, there can be a lot of bias and misrepresentation of facts advocating for or against the seal hunt. Thus, the true sustainable aspects of the industry are drowned out and lost due to the sheer amount of controversy surrounding the issue. Sustainability entails meeting the needs of today without sacrificing the needs of the future (“Sustainable Development” 1). The concept of sustainable resource development involves support pillars that represent economics, society, and the environment. Seal hunting, as it is practiced today in Canada, is indeed sustainable and should continue. The harvest is rooted in a cultural tradition that brings economic benefits to Atlantic Canada while maintaining due respect to the environment. An examination of these tenets, as well as criticism in opposition of the hunt constitute the body of this essay.
Sealing in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador has been occurring for hundreds of years and has become a mainstay in the traditional way of life for coastal communities and aboriginal peoples (“Facts” 1). Many jobs and commodities such as seal meat, oil, and hides arise as direct benefits to society through the seal harvest. According to the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, seal hunting “provides direct annual employment for over 6000 people on a part time basis” and provides employment at a time of the year when opportunities may be limited (“Facts” 1). The historical integration of seals in aboriginal heritage can not be discounted when consid...
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"A Sustainable Harvest." Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 10 May 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. .
Waldie, Paul. "Deal Lets Canada Sell Seal Products to China." The Globe and Mail [Toronto] 12 Jan. 2011, Business sec. The Globe and Mail. 12 Jan.
It is apparent that over several centuries, Aboriginals have developed a close spiritual connection with the land. Unfortunately, Bill C-45 “…attacks the land base reserved for Indigenous people, removes protection for hundreds of waterways and weaken[s] Canada’s environmental laws” (Caven, 2014). In essence, this legislation sees the vulnerable waterways that Aboriginal individuals rely on furthermore, feel united with, and are left exposed to potential contamination. As such, they have become deeply in tune with the environment, thus truly...
Justify why the cultural practice of eating seal blubber among many indigenous populations in the Arctic is both an evoked culture and a transmitted culture.
The Makah’s seemingly domestic issue of whaling has and is taking on a larger international problem. The United States plays a large part in policing the hunting of whales, one of the most recent examples being the U.S.’s ...
The Great Lakes Heritage Coast is a forward step in protecting and preserving the coastline. There needs to be further action taken in order for this project to be put in place. One of the key aspects in doing so is community involvement, such as First Nations people.
The indigenous population of the Canadian Arctic, also known as the Inuit (Inuk for “People”), are a proud nation of historically marginalized communities. This diaspora of scattered and remote communities are predominantly found in regions of Canada, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunatsiavut, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Quebec. Although, the Inuit community also spans as far as Greenland, Denmark, Russia, and the United States of America. This community holds their cultural institutions in very sacred and high regards as observed by their passionate ambitions to pass down their traditions, methods, and spoken history to their prosperity. However, these proud descendants of the earliest Arctic tundra conquerors have had an historically
For years corporations have been depleting the oceans of its wildlife for our benefit. However, one thing these corporations tend to not mention is the bycatch they encounter when catching fish for the purpose of consumption. The definition of bycatch “is the unintended capture of nontarget animals…”(Crowder and Murawski pg.1). Bycatch takes a negative toll on our ocean ecosystem that cannot be reversed.
Parliament of Canada. (n.d.). Northern Cod: a failure of Canadian fisheries management. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from Parliament of Canada: http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=2144982&Mode=1&Parl=38&Ses=1&Language=E&File=21
In the conclusion of “Bloody Ice,” the author makes the suggestion of ranching the seals. But how is that a better method to regulate the killing of seals? Ranching seals might come off as inhumane and cruel to somebody else. The author needs to define what is inhumane and cruel. The author states, “According to Oceans magazine, before the limit of 180,000 seals was established in 1950, the number of seals had dwindled from 3,300,000 to 125,000,000.” That is a large reduction in the number of seals dying. The author claims, ”Now, even with this allotment, the seals are being killed off at an almost greater rate than they can remultiply.” It doesn’t prove to the audience that with current regulations that their is a danger of the extension of seals.
As sea ice begins to melt, opportunity in sea transportation strikes as an interesting topic for the Canadian economy. Wintertime shipping has proven to be difficult in the Canadian arctic, due to heavier and thicker ice (Fergal & Prowse, 2007). Summertime has always been a preferable season for sea transportation partially due to the softened ice, and the amount of daylight produced, compared to wintertime darkness (Ferg...
Aboriginal women had occupied an essential position in the fur trade of the North American region from its birth during the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though this is true, the role of women, especially those of the Native American society, has been ignored a great deal in the entire history of fur trade. Contrary to the belief that the whole fur trade activity was only male-dominated, it very much depended upon Native women and their participation and labor in order to ensure survival as well as economic success. This paper will attempt to illuminate how Native women played the role as important producers when it comes to fur trade of the American Plains and, of course, the Canadian region. This paper will also deal with the two important company's namely the North West and Hudson's Bay Company and tell how each functioned during the time of fur trade. The term “fur traders” is the term often used to described anyone who was interested in the traffic of furs. The traditional picture has been that of a male in buckskin shirt and a raccoon cap, dispensing alcohol and trinkets to gullible savages, in turn for the quality furs worth 10 times their value.
... In the debate over the ethics of whaling and its regulation since the formation of the IWC, widely diverse arguments have been made concerning the legitimacy of the whaling enterprise and the economic, ethical, and practical aspects of international regulation. Different views of ecology, culture, and legitimacy as they pertain to a valued resource and its exploitation for human purposes. While it is safe to say one must preserve the historical and cultural value of whaling nations and nations around the world, it can also be said of animals. While many nations continue to cling to their cultural ancestry, background of whaling, and the right for scientific research, it is proven that such human endeavors must be carefully and faithfully regulated.
...hrow off the balance of the ecosystem. Different marine biodiversity requires different types of ways to conserve them, some need government and some do not. Depending on the different types of technology of public goods supplied, there are different ways to and different methods to preserve the marine biodiversity. We have looked at the different types of externalities that are associated with impure public goods (in this case marine biodiversity). We also looked at the three types of technology of public good supplies and see why it affects marine biodiversity. Lastly, we have discussed the incentives to conserve marine biodiversity, both private solutions and public solutions. To put it briefly, “wildlife exploitation and conservation involves various costs and benefits, which should all be taken into account to achieve an optimal outcome.” (Bulte, 1)
The DFO says that they monitor all aspects closely of the seal hunt from the licensing of hunters, examining the duties of sealers, dock inspections, to inspections at the buying and processing plants. But in reality, it shows that the DFO has given more fines to other animal rights groups then to the hunters in the seal industry. That has changed many people’s minds on the outlook of the nature of the DFO’s duties. Due to the DFO holding out on fining the hunters and stopping them from hunting over their quota, they are still continuing to do as they want without any implications to them.
On June 28, 2005, a 4-man SEAL patrol was on a mission in the Kunar Province, Afghanistan to kill or capture a high ranking Taliban leader, thought to be close to Osama Bin Landen. During this mission sometime after the sun came up the Seals were found by a small group of goat herders who had walked right into the middle of the Operation. They were faced with a dilemma: do they execute the goat herders or let them go? In decision that would haunt the mission's sole survivor, the SEALs decided to let the goat herders go, knowing full well there was a good chance they would alert local Taliban forces to the SEAL's presence on the mountain.In an attempt to stay ahead of the Taliban, the SEALs switched to an alternate OP and resumed their mission.
The International Whale Protection Organization (IWPO) was organized against the act of whaling and is a non-profit organization. This organization is for supporters like the citizens of Iceland who are concerned with the potential dangers this business brings to the whale population. Another organization that has similar goals as the IWPO is The Internal Whaling Commission (IWC) whose mission it to protect the whales of the sea, consisting of 88 members all around the world. This organization to this day is to make sure the whales are safe, not only from whaling, but from any environmental concern there may be. Although there are many organizations to help the whales, a factor to be considered is that whaling has done well for the economy for the countries that pursued this commercial industry. Whaling has produced many jobs for citizens in these countries, which is not only important to those individuals, it is also important to the economy. Whale’s and their meat are sold at very high profit margins, which results in a great economic