Event Garnered Some Criticism as Majority of Discussions Took Place Behind Closed Doors
The seal industry might have been on display, but the majority of the conversations surrounding it took place behind closed doors.
The federal government played host to its promised seal summit in St. John’s on November 8 and 9 to discuss the utilization of the marine mammal with the commercial fishing industry, Indigenous communities, provincial representatives and other stakeholders — however, the media and the public were left in the dark as to what exactly happened behind closed doors.
Journalists were allowed to attend limited sections of the summit, including the opening and closing statements and an exhibitor showcase featuring a variety of seal products. Out of the day-and-a-half event, the media was privy to roughly an hour and a half of coverage time.
When asked about the limited access to the event, Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard Minister Joyce Murray indicated the government wished for a private event to “create a safe space for a difficult conversation.”
“It was about having a place where people could express their feelings as well as their ideas on what in the past has been a very contentious subject, and we wanted them to feel they could do that without any risk that their comments would be made public.”
In an opening statement for the seal summit, Murray said, “Fishing and seal harvesting have been a way of life for people who live in coastal, rural, remote communities right across Canada. Finding new markets for Canadian seal products represents an opportunity and helps ensure these communities can preserve a way of life.”
Despite the talk of finding new markets for Canadian seal products, the Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) criticized the government for not having any solid information for its stance on seal harvesting going forward. SEA-NL highlighted the rising concern about the population of seals in Canadian waters, with the harp seal alone having a population of 7.6 million, up from 5.5 million 20 years ago.
“A change in tone remains just talk without a plan to back it up,” said Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director in a statement. “Until Ottawa produces a game plan with clear objectives and timelines to deal with the rising seal population, events like this week’s Seal Summit in St. John’s must be seen as window-dressing.”
In a closing statement for the summit, Murray indicated the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) will “open a call for proposals from industry and Indigenous partners to increase our understanding of the role seals play in the ecosystem.”
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) indicated that it was happy with the minister’s announcement and hoped that it will result in more research on how the seal population affects fish stocks like cod and capelin.
“We are certainly pleased with Minister Murray’s funding announcement today to better assess and understand seal stocks and the impacts overpopulation is having on the ecosystem. In particular, the ramifications natural mortality from seals is having on important fish stocks, predominantly the three cod stocks and the capelin stock adjacent to Newfoundland and Labrador, need to be better understood,” said FFAW-Unifor Secretary-Treasurer Jason Spingle.
Given that DFO has expressed interest in utilizing seals commercially, a question remained — what are some products that can be derived from the abundance of seals in Canadian waters?
The department worked with some Canadian companies during a showcase on November 8 to answer this question. Booths were set up to show the many utilizations of seals like clothing, supplements, food, pet food and art.
Carino Processing Ltd., based out of South Dildo, N.L., specializes in a variety of seal products. The company highlighted the advantages of seal oil supplements as an alternative to Omega-3 fish oil supplements, available for both people and pets.
“Seal oil is very unique from other Omega-3 oils,” said Carino’s market development manager, Catherine Moores. “There’s two main differences. One is that it contains three different Omega-3s: DHA and EPA, which are also found in fish oils, but it also contains DPA, which is a very unique and powerful Omega-3 and the only other natural source of DPA in significant amounts is mother’s breast milk. And the DPA also boosts the levels of the other Omega-3s within the body. Also, because seal oil comes from a mammal, other mammals are better able to absorb and utilize the Omega-3s.”
Another common use of seal skin and fur is its application in art.
Timeless North was started by lifelong friends Carla Hunt and Charlene Penney in 2021. They started making seal skin crafts as a hobby.
“We decided, let’s do some crafts,” said Hunt. “Charlene suggested doing seal skin art. So, we just got into it. We tried a few things and all of a sudden people wanted to order things from us. So now we’re going bigger and bigger.”
Despite some concerns about the ethicality of products made from seal skin, Hunt says their artwork has yet to encounter much pushback from the public.
“What we find is that when we’re at a craft show, some people pass by our table and go, ‘Oh, seal’ and keep on going,” said Hunt. “Most people actually really like it. Seal crafting or any seal product is not a ‘maybe’ business, you either like it or you don’t.”
Canadian Seal Products (CSP) is a branding by the Seals and Sealing Network (SSN). CSP represents vendors of seal oil products across Canada, seeking to promote the sealing industry to the general public.
Romy Vaugeois, the program manager at the Seals and Sealing Network, spoke on using as much of the seal carcass as possible in the name of sustainability. One byproduct of this goal is using seal byproducts to create pet food.
“The pet food is a new project that we developed a few months ago. The objective was to use as much as possible of the seal carcass. The dogs and cats don’t really care if there’s bones in their treats or a little bit of fat, or if it’s smelly. So, we can really optimize the utilization of the seal,” said Vaugeois.
“We made some samples that we distributed at the Toronto National Pet Show, which is the biggest pet show in Canada and I think people were really excited to see a new protein that is sustainable as well.”
Vaugeois believes that education would reduce much of the stigma that seal products have encountered over the years and help bring the product to a more mainstream market.
“There’s still a lot of education to do to the whole Canadian population about the sustainability of seals and how many seals there are,” said Vaugeois. “I often meet people that think seals are endangered when we’re the place in the world with the most seals.”
DFO is currently taking project proposals via www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca, where an application form can be found. The deadline for proposals is January 8, 2023.
