Stagg Editorial- April 1994

Pretty blonde television journalists in Toronto are once again being fed stories about wanton destruction of wild seal populations in Newfoundland. It is such an appealing story for those walking the bloodless sidewalks of Toronto. It once again points out that a pretty white seal pup is much more appealing to a Toronto television audience than is a harried and desperate Newfoundlander trying to make a living from the natural resources of the sea.

This is the essential dilemma that Newfoundlanders have found themselves in for years when it comes to making a living using the bloody tactics that go with harvesting wildlife. Greenpeace and other fellow travellers in the professional fund raising business are able to prey upon the insulated sensibilities of city dwellers who long ago were separated from the realities of killing animals to provide food.

It is high time that the sidewalk class was re-educated about the realities of surviving in a world where animal flesh provides the bulk of food needed for human survival. The days of kindergarten sheltering of city dwellers should end now. Likewise the time for political backpeddling on the issue of supporting a seal hunt should end. If Newfoundlanders can find a market for seal in any part of the world then Canadians and those concerned with animal welfare should confine their worries to ensuring that the seals are killed in as humane a way as possible.

The bottom line is that the animals will still be killed. Fairy tale stories about lovely seal pups must become a thing of the past. With the exception of a very small fringe element in our country, we are meat eaters. Spoiled brats fuelled by urban ignorance must not be allowed to curtail a reasonable and justified effort by Newfoundlanders to make a living from the sale of seal.

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