Possible revival of Canada's declining seal industry involves China

Reporter (Saskatchewan)

Christopher Oldcorn is a Saskatchewan Reporter for the Western Standard & Saskatchewan Standard. He studied at the Centre for Investigative Journalism at Goldsmith’s, University of London and served as editor-in-chief of the SaultOnline.

Grey seal animal halichoerus grypus

A federal memo states China is considered the last opportunity for the commercial success of the Atlantic seal hunt.

China banned the sales of Canadian seal oil and other products in 2011, posing a significant challenge to the industry's viability.

“Since the fall of 2022, Chinese importers have been making an increasing number of requests to Canadian manufacturers of edible seal oil to ship their product to China,” said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency memo.

“The Canadian seal products industry views access to China as one of its last opportunities for their industry to again become commercially viable, underlining a need for the timely resumption of access.”

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the memo is dated March 23 and a briefing note from the department of Fisheries on May 17 stated Canada had taken all necessary actions it could.

“Canada has taken all available and necessary measures to enable the export of seal products to China,” said the note Seal Market Development.

“In response to a request from the industry, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has clarified China suspended trade for edible seal products from Canada in response to a proposal from a Beijing animal welfare group (the Beijing Capital Animal Welfare Association),” according to the note.

“Canada continues to take every opportunity to advise Chinese officials the Canadian seal harvest is sustainable, humane and adheres to strict government regulations,” wrote the Fisheries department.

Taiwan also prohibited seal imports, except for oil sourced from animals hunted by indigenous Canadians.

The Fisheries department stated that meeting the Taiwanese requirement was burdensome.

“An indigenous exemption to this ban allows the import of seal oil derived from seals hunted by indigenous people for subsistence within their traditional territories,” said the note.

“To allow for seal oil exports under this exemption, a traceability system would need to be in place to separate indigenous harvested oil from non-indigenous harvested oil, which presents a logistical challenge to industry.”

After a 2009 European Union export ban, seal exports collapsed.

The trade at its peak in 2006 was worth $34.3 million, now reduced to about $275,000 annually “which was mainly seal oil and fats to Asian markets,” Jordan Reeves, director general of trade at the department of Foreign Affairs, testified last Nov. 24 at the Senate Fisheries committee.

Reeves stated that small shipments of seal meat were sold in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.

“For 2017 to 2021, the total export of seal skins and pelts to Japan and Korea was just over $6,000, which was not a lot,” said Reeves.

“As we all know, negative media reports and anti-sealing messaging from animal rights groups had major impacts,” said Reeves.

“Between 2005 and 2017, according to our statistics, Canada exported about $69 million worth of seal and seal-related products to 49 countries.”

In the 2013 report The Sustainable Management of Grey Seal Populations, the Senate Fisheries committee complained there “never has been a well-developed and viable market for grey seals.”

The government proposed the Cabinet work on expanding Asian markets for seal meat to be used as pet food.

Additionally, they want to promote seal oil as a supplement in the Canada Food Guide.

Reporter (Saskatchewan)

Christopher Oldcorn is a Saskatchewan Reporter for the Western Standard & Saskatchewan Standard. He studied at the Centre for Investigative Journalism at Goldsmith’s, University of London and served as editor-in-chief of the SaultOnline.

Using numbers for just harbor seals, no other seals, they consume 9,000,000 lbs of fish per day, on average, if we don’t manage these populations, they will will continue to grow in number, and fish stocks will continue to decline, and keep in mind this is just harbor seal numbers. For all you “all or nothing people” I’m jot saying wipe them out I’m simply saying a well managed seal population will ensure a strong fish population as well as seal population.

Killing more seals helps the oceans fisheries.

China wants to starve the world and killing ocean life is part of it.

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