Should Seals be hunted?

[spoolin01]

Should seals be hunted? I ask the question because it seems apparent to me that seals are no longer endangered--and they eat a lot of fish. In fact, I "always" see many of them each time I go diving. Besides the fact that they are cute, should they be protected if they have adaquet numbers? Maybe there should be a season to hunt them? Don't get me wrong, we can have no hunt seal zones combined with minimum lengths and aggregate catch limits.

I guess this depends on your perspective on hunting 'higher' mammals more generally, as I think you're right, from a sustainable population point of view, harbor seals and Cali sea lions along the CA coast are abundant. Most people in developed countries have a tendency to blanch at the idea of killing especially something with the intelligence of a seal, even for food. They can hunt their meat in the supermarket aisles and avoid unpleasant awareness of the killing. Pinnepeds are pests that cause a lot of noise, pollution, and damage in harbors up and down the coast, but aside from the inconvenience and cost in those settings, many people like having them around in numbers, I do. They must also take a lot of fish, but killing them just to limit that, even if you acknowledge the meat it would provide, will be opposed by most of the people who live along the coast. I support meat hunting generally - if you're going to eat meat you should own the process - and pinnipeds could be hunted without materially threatening the population.

 

[letterboy]

If seals are not hunted how am I going to get my seal coats made and who will make my seal burgers?

 

[White Knight]

Thanks for everyone's honest response. As I suspected, it appears that the group average reason for not being able to hunt seals has nothing to do with their protection as a species. Animals are not hunted based upon challenge or the sort, and when managed and regulated by government authorities they are not hunted into extinction like sharks (not very cute looking) almost were.

 

[Charlie99]

If seals are not hunted how am I going to get my seal coats made and who will make my seal burgers?

You'll get your seal coats and seal burgers the same way you get your leather coats and beef hamburgers. The coats are found down at your local apparel shop and the shrink wrapped seal burgers will miraculously appear overnight in your grocery store.

Even 4 year olds know that meat comes from the grocery store. Duh.

 

[letterboy]

You'll get your seal coats and seal burgers the same way you get your leather coats and beef hamburgers. The coats are found down at your local apparel shop and the shrink wrapped seal burgers will miraculously appear overnight in your grocery store.

Even 4 year olds know that meat comes from the grocery store. Duh.

My seal fur coat will come shrink wrapped?:huh:

 

[wardric]

The key is that it's the "marine MAMMAL protection act". Just like cute dolphins and whales, seals are mammals. That invokes a kinship response in human mammals.

Now you are probably going to ask some awkward question, such as why we don't consider cows worthy of the same sort of protection.

-------

After we solve the questions about seals, then we can attack the really important question:

What's the difference between a rat and a squirrel?

Spoiler

Both are nasty filthy rodents, but the squirrel has better PR.

a squirel is just a rat with a nice tail

 

[Tigerman]

a squirel is just a rat with a nice tail

And a couple of kickass film roles

 

[Belmont]

After we solve the questions about seals, then we can attack the really important question:

What's the difference between a rat and a squirrel?

Spoiler

Both are nasty filthy rodents, but the squirrel has better PR.

You just have to see the face of people when you tell them a squirrel is just a rat with a furry tail, just varmint

Here in eastern Canada seals are seen as varmint also, but oh boy, do they have good PR, "Sir" Paul Mc Cartney, Brigitte Bardot, IFAW...

 

[wardric]

You just have to see the face of people when you tell them a squirrel is just a rat with a furry tail, just varmint

Here in eastern Canada seals are seen as varmint also, but oh boy, do they have good PR, "Sir" Paul Mc Cartney, Brigitte Bardot, IFAW...

yep, good PR indeed

(the last 2 might be the same person though...)

 

[Gregordo]

If we are going to hunt something because they kill alot of fish and damage harbors, why not shoot fishermen and oil tanker crews. Their population is very strong.
But it depends on the population and area you are hunting. I'm sure no one would suggest blasting away at a Monk Seal.