The Seal Hunt: A Perfect Storm of Optics, Emotion and Irony

[IronNoggin]

The Seal Hunt: A Perfect Storm of Optics, Emotion and Irony

It’s early April - the time of year when ice floes reappear off the coast of Newfoundland, and sealers, just as they have done for centuries, head out to them to undertake the harp seal hunt. With the launch of the hunt, so begins the annual anti seal hunt circus. You'll likely see click-bait pieces all over social media, and uninformed (or paid-off) celebrities championing the cause they know so little about. Money thirsty animal rights cults double down on their campaigns to “ban” the seal hunt this time of year. I say “ban” in quotations because that’s likely the very last thing they want to see happen. If it were ever banned these groups would lose their ability to leverage this cash cow.

The seal hunt is without a doubt the most regulated and coddled hunt/industry in the world, and the number of layered nuances, ironies, misconceptions and straight up lies being told about it is nauseating. In this post I’ll tackle these misconceptions and hopefully set the record straight.

https://jenshears.com/f/the-seal-hunt

The interview with Paul Watson (my old nemesis) is a must watch!

[Fish along]

The Seal Hunt: A Perfect Storm of Optics, Emotion and Irony

It’s early April - the time of year when ice floes reappear off the coast of Newfoundland, and sealers, just as they have done for centuries, head out to them to undertake the harp seal hunt. With the launch of the hunt, so begins the annual anti seal hunt circus. You'll likely see click-bait pieces all over social media, and uninformed (or paid-off) celebrities championing the cause they know so little about. Money thirsty animal rights cults double down on their campaigns to “ban” the seal hunt this time of year. I say “ban” in quotations because that’s likely the very last thing they want to see happen. If it were ever banned these groups would lose their ability to leverage this cash cow.

The seal hunt is without a doubt the most regulated and coddled hunt/industry in the world, and the number of layered nuances, ironies, misconceptions and straight up lies being told about it is nauseating. In this post I’ll tackle these misconceptions and hopefully set the record straight.

https://jenshears.com/f/the-seal-hunt

The interview with Paul Watson (my old nemesis) is a must watch!
Iwas born and raised in NL and ive huntsd and eaten plenty of seals. there are so many now that they are threat to all other species especially the cod, IF a cull dosent happen soon they will destroy everything. I was watching a drone video a few days ago of the ice flows around the island and the seals are numerous,nothing like when i was a kid and everyone hunted and ate them its totally ridiculous.:mad0100:

[thorne]

This is where I throw a common sense comment in the ring and start taking a absolute S###t ball to the face. In regards to the seal hunt, walleye stocking, trout population and every other God D**n issue people have with where this species is over populated and having an absolutely devastating effect on another population, so we, as humans, should kill this to manage that or stock more to balance this, or do what ever to achieve this cause to many of this is killing off that...People...for millions of years nature has kept itself in perfect balance...happy and trouble free. It is us, as humans who, especially in the last 300 years or so, have thrown everything out of balance. We just take and take till s*#t we want runs out! Then we try to "Balance" it out and just make crap worse. I know I am comming across as a simpleton tree hugger, but I also grew up in NF in the 70's and 80's..ya I hunted and ate seal...lots of em, and damn that's some great eating...and ya I went out as a teenager and caught as much Cod as I could to enjoy. Fished of the warfs and probably killed thousands of Tomcods from when I was eight uears old till I left in 1990...and I was just one person....but almost every young person growing up in NF did the same. All my family depended on the Cod fishery for survival...as did a huge population of the island, not to mention thousands of factory freezers trawlers from all over the world...so honestly...its humans who are to blame for it all... not the seals. Yes we as Newfoundlanders have a long history of hunting seals as well. Then a few videos of killing baby white coats ended all that. And yes caused a huge rebound of the seal population...probably back...but nothing like it was before they were commercially harvested. The Cod was just way to far gone already because we, as humans, decimated the stocks...not seals. So but saying kill seals to save Cod it so hypoticratical, it's laughable...if you want to actually save the Cod...stop eating it! But that would not be a workable solution as we want to save a species, so we can ironically harvest more of it...again a total hypocritical concept. K...Please do not take this as a direct attack on the OP...or even the Cod vs Seals issue. I just get so tired of listening, in general to the " kill this to increase that, or stock what ever to balance something else..blah, blah, blah...maybe, just maybe, we can just look in the mirror. Acknowledge that what ever is dissapearing or if something else is over populated, in our opinion, then maybe it's actually our own fault and we should stop messing with crap! Let nature do its own damn thing! It's been working for a millenia, why mess with it now. Nature will balance itself out, may take a thousand years, but that is but a millisecond in the span of our planet...but we are just to impatient I guess. We want it all and now...
Humans are jut to damn short sighted. We are here for 80ish years if we are lucky, planet will be here millions of years after we are gone...anyway, I know the backlash is comming...lol...well, this is the country that I wore a uniform for the majority of my adult life to uphold its values...free speech is one of em...so let the rounds fly...All I'm saying is, before we blame this or that and get all crazy with kill all this or flood something with what the f#$k ever to "Balance" a population, take an honest look in mirror and ask if maybe it's all our fault to begin with? S*^t, I wish I had the answers...F<>k knows I don't. I'm just a simple Dumb ***** human like the rest of us. At least let's take responsibility for our mistakes and stop the damn "Attempt to balance" act. If a species is being depleted, it's because we as people damn well depeated it! If we want to save it, then damn well stop harvesting it! knowing that it may take hundreds of years to repopulate...ya, hard pill to swallow I know...but hey, truth hurts. K...dug my old flack jacket and helmet out of my barracks box. Gentlemn, let the rounds fly!

[SNAPFisher]

I don't know if you have flack coming you way and this is wayyyyy off the original topic already.

I generally agree with you. The population that needs balancing, and it already too late I suspect, is humans. Billions of people growing and larger and larger rates is not sustainable in itself. Whether it is salmon or some other species, or, worse yet, not enough water to go around. It will be corrected one way or another. Not much to squabble over once something is gone.

[lmtada]

I don't know if you have flack coming you way and this is wayyyyy off the original topic already.

I generally agree with you. The population that needs balancing, and it already too late I suspect, is humans. Billions of people growing and larger and larger rates is not sustainable in itself. Whether it is salmon or some other species, or, worse yet, not enough water to go around. It will be corrected one way or another. Not much to squabble over once something is gone.

Human growth isn’t coming from North America. Only imports is where the growth is happening. Look at where the populations are growing. 1) Asia, 2) Africa. Canada stopped immigration, then Canada will drop in population. Death rate and low birth rates. Canada would be below 25 Million had Canada reduced immigration 20 years ago. Meanwhile foreign fisheries (Asia, Russia, France, Spain) invade Canada waters to steal Canada fish.

[SNAPFisher]

Human growth isn’t coming from North America. Only imports is where the growth is happening. Look at where the populations are growing. 1) Asia, 2) Africa. Canada stopped immigration, then Canada will drop in population. Death rate and low birth rates. Canada would be below 25 Million had Canada reduced immigration 20 years ago. Meanwhile foreign fisheries (Asia, Russia, France, Spain) invade Canada waters to steal Canada fish.

It is a not a NA or Canada only problem. Populations is a world problem. And will become a bigger one.

[Jims83cj5]

Soooooo,,,this baby seal walks into a club

[Stubb]

This is where I throw a common sense comment in the ring and start taking a absolute S###t ball to the face. In regards to the seal hunt, walleye stocking, trout population and every other God D**n issue people have with where this species is over populated and having an absolutely devastating effect on another population, so we, as humans, should kill this to manage that or stock more to balance this, or do what ever to achieve this cause to many of this is killing off that...People...for millions of years nature has kept itself in perfect balance...happy and trouble free. It is us, as humans who, especially in the last 300 years or so, have thrown everything out of balance. We just take and take till s*#t we want runs out! Then we try to "Balance" it out and just make crap worse. I know I am comming across as a simpleton tree hugger, but I also grew up in NF in the 70's and 80's..ya I hunted and ate seal...lots of em, and damn that's some great eating...and ya I went out as a teenager and caught as much Cod as I could to enjoy. Fished of the warfs and probably killed thousands of Tomcods from when I was eight uears old till I left in 1990...and I was just one person....but almost every young person growing up in NF did the same. All my family depended on the Cod fishery for survival...as did a huge population of the island, not to mention thousands of factory freezers trawlers from all over the world...so honestly...its humans who are to blame for it all... not the seals. Yes we as Newfoundlanders have a long history of hunting seals as well. Then a few videos of killing baby white coats ended all that. And yes caused a huge rebound of the seal population...probably back...but nothing like it was before they were commercially harvested. The Cod was just way to far gone already because we, as humans, decimated the stocks...not seals. So but saying kill seals to save Cod it so hypoticratical, it's laughable...if you want to actually save the Cod...stop eating it! But that would not be a workable solution as we want to save a species, so we can ironically harvest more of it...again a total hypocritical concept. K...Please do not take this as a direct attack on the OP...or even the Cod vs Seals issue. I just get so tired of listening, in general to the " kill this to increase that, or stock what ever to balance something else..blah, blah, blah...maybe, just maybe, we can just look in the mirror. Acknowledge that what ever is dissapearing or if something else is over populated, in our opinion, then maybe it's actually our own fault and we should stop messing with crap! Let nature do its own damn thing! It's been working for a millenia, why mess with it now. Nature will balance itself out, may take a thousand years, but that is but a millisecond in the span of our planet...but we are just to impatient I guess. We want it all and now...
Humans are jut to damn short sighted. We are here for 80ish years if we are lucky, planet will be here millions of years after we are gone...anyway, I know the backlash is comming...lol...well, this is the country that I wore a uniform for the majority of my adult life to uphold its values...free speech is one of em...so let the rounds fly...All I'm saying is, before we blame this or that and get all crazy with kill all this or flood something with what the f#$k ever to "Balance" a population, take an honest look in mirror and ask if maybe it's all our fault to begin with? S*^t, I wish I had the answers...F<>k knows I don't. I'm just a simple Dumb ***** human like the rest of us. At least let's take responsibility for our mistakes and stop the damn "Attempt to balance" act. If a species is being depleted, it's because we as people damn well depeated it! If we want to save it, then damn well stop harvesting it! knowing that it may take hundreds of years to repopulate...ya, hard pill to swallow I know...but hey, truth hurts. K...dug my old flack jacket and helmet out of my barracks box. Gentlemn, let the rounds fly!

I dont disagree with some of this. But if it all comes down to Mother Nature or the big guy upstairs, aren’t we part of that plan? And maybe this is mother nature’s way. We are a small part of Mother Nature but maybe that’s why we’re here. Hmmmmmmm…

[walking buffalo]

This is where I throw a common sense comment in the ring and start taking a absolute S###t ball to the face. In regards to the seal hunt, walleye stocking, trout population and every other God D**n issue people have with where this species is over populated and having an absolutely devastating effect on another population, so we, as humans, should kill this to manage that or stock more to balance this, or do what ever to achieve this cause to many of this is killing off that...People...

for millions of years nature has kept itself in perfect balance...happy and trouble free.

It is us, as humans who, especially in the last 300 years or so, have thrown everything out of balance. We just take and take till s*#t we want runs out! Then we try to "Balance" it out and just make crap worse. I know I am comming across as a simpleton tree hugger, but I also grew up in NF in the 70's and 80's..ya I hunted and ate seal...lots of em, and damn that's some great eating...and ya I went out as a teenager and caught as much Cod as I could to enjoy. Fished of the warfs and probably killed thousands of Tomcods from when I was eight uears old till I left in 1990...and I was just one person....but almost every young person growing up in NF did the same. All my family depended on the Cod fishery for survival...as did a huge population of the island, not to mention thousands of factory freezers trawlers from all over the world...so honestly...its humans who are to blame for it all... not the seals. Yes we as Newfoundlanders have a long history of hunting seals as well. Then a few videos of killing baby white coats ended all that. And yes caused a huge rebound of the seal population...probably back...but nothing like it was before they were commercially harvested. The Cod was just way to far gone already because we, as humans, decimated the stocks...not seals. So but saying kill seals to save Cod it so hypoticratical, it's laughable...if you want to actually save the Cod...stop eating it! But that would not be a workable solution as we want to save a species, so we can ironically harvest more of it...again a total hypocritical concept. K...Please do not take this as a direct attack on the OP...or even the Cod vs Seals issue. I just get so tired of listening, in general to the " kill this to increase that, or stock what ever to balance something else..blah, blah, blah...maybe, just maybe, we can just look in the mirror. Acknowledge that what ever is dissapearing or if something else is over populated, in our opinion, then maybe it's actually our own fault and we should stop messing with crap! Let nature do its own damn thing! It's been working for a millenia, why mess with it now. Nature will balance itself out, may take a thousand years, but that is but a millisecond in the span of our planet...but we are just to impatient I guess. We want it all and now...
Humans are jut to damn short sighted. We are here for 80ish years if we are lucky, planet will be here millions of years after we are gone...anyway, I know the backlash is comming...lol...well, this is the country that I wore a uniform for the majority of my adult life to uphold its values...free speech is one of em...so let the rounds fly...All I'm saying is, before we blame this or that and get all crazy with kill all this or flood something with what the f#$k ever to "Balance" a population, take an honest look in mirror and ask if maybe it's all our fault to begin with? S*^t, I wish I had the answers...F<>k knows I don't. I'm just a simple Dumb ***** human like the rest of us. At least let's take responsibility for our mistakes and stop the damn "Attempt to balance" act. If a species is being depleted, it's because we as people damn well depeated it! If we want to save it, then damn well stop harvesting it! knowing that it may take hundreds of years to repopulate...ya, hard pill to swallow I know...but hey, truth hurts. K...dug my old flack jacket and helmet out of my barracks box. Gentlemn, let the rounds fly!



No. Just no.

Nature, or Ecology, is never in balance.
It this imbalance and constant change that created Nature and keeps it vigorous.

Within the learned scientific community, the Balance of Nature myth was abandoned a couple hundred years ago, and only continues in individual fantasy.


The rest of your statement lost my interest.
If you don't understand how critical Imbalance in Nature is, you'll never get the whole of the rest right.

[SNAPFisher]

Soooooo,,,this baby seal walks into a club

:lol: :lol:

Thanks for making my day better!