FAQs: The Atlantic seal hunt – Canada – CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/05/05/f-seal-hunt.html

This seal hunt business is the kind of news item that drives me to want to club everybody involved.

First off, can you say, “sound and fury”? Every newscast right now is dominated by the EU snub of our seal products. And yet the seal-clubbing industry is a seasonal one that only nets us $15 million a year. No skin off our noses to cease taking the skins off seal backs, really.

The fishing industry likes to fuss that the seals are competing for “their” catch, but I have little sympathy for any such outdated industry, especially one that is notorious for causing massive environmental damage and is the main source of its own hardship.

To the PETA types, shut up. These aren’t endangered animals, and in most cases (one assumes, since they are fatty little bastards) the pelt sales are secondary to the meat sales. As much as it’s practicable, I imagine this is an “using all of the buffalo” scenario.

Finally: Dear Europe, until you’re willing to revisit your own gross slaughter of sentient and endangered animals, such as the whales Norwegians* find so delicious, keep your moralising to yourself.

Seriously, enough of the fuss. It’s enough to make me miss the panicky reports of swine flu and economic collapse. Here’s hoping there’s another Billy Bob Thornton episode on which our high-strung media can focus.

*And myself, unknowingy. Unlike today’s louche journalism, I believe in full disclosure.

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