Urging the Government of Canada to end the commercial seal hunt.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the Record a letter from Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson in regards to H. Res. 427 the bill introduced by Mr. Lantos from California urging the Government of Canada to end the commercial seal hunt.

Canadian Embassy,

Washington, DC, June 25, 2007.

Hon. Tom Lantos,

Chairman, Foreign Affairs Committee, House of

Representatives, 2170 Rayburn House Office Building,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen,

Ranking Member, Foreign Affairs Committee, House of

Representatives, B-360 Rayburn House Office Building,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Lantos and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen: I am

writing regarding House Resolution 427, urging the Government

of Canada to end the commercial seal hunt, scheduled for mark

up by the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, June 26,

2007. As outlined below, Canada pursues a sustainable and

humane harvest of the seal herds. In this context, I would

ask that the Committee on Foreign Affairs reconsider

proceeding with this resolution.

The Government of Canada takes its role as steward of the

environment and wildlife seriously and is committed to the

sustainable management of its renewable resources. The

Canadian seal hunt is a sustainable, economically viable

activity based on sound conservation principles.

Canada sets quotas at levels that ensure the health and

abundance of seal herds. The harp seal population,

approximately 5.8 million animals based on a 2004 survey, is

nearly triple what it was in the 1970s. In no way can seals--

and harp seals in particular--be considered ``endangered

species''. Fisheries and Oceans Canada manages the seal hunt

and has put in place a five-year management plan for 2006-

2010. In 2007 the total allowable catch was reduced

considerably to ensure the resource remains sustainable.

The Canadian commercial quota is unrelated to groundfish

stock levels. Several factors have contributed to the lack of

recovery of Atlantic cod stocks, such as fishing effort, poor

growth and physical condition of the fish, and environmental

changes. In addition, there are many uncertainties in the

estimates of the amount of fish consumed by seals.

The Government of Canada makes every effort to ensure the

seal hunt is conducted in a safe and humane manner. The seal

hunt is c1osely monitored and tightly regulated. Fisheries

and Oceans Canada officers monitor catches, ensure humane

harvesting practices, and enforce regulations and licence

conditions. The hunting of harp seal pups (whitecoats) and

hooded seal pups (bluebacks) is illegal--and has been since

1987. Penalties are substantial and can include court-imposed

fines and orders to forfeit catches, gear, boats and

licenses.

In September 2002 veterinarians from the Canadian

Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) issued a Special Report

on Animal Welfare and the Harp Seal Hunt in Atlantic Canada.

In independent observations of the seal hunt, the study

concluded that 98 percent of seals taken during the hunt were

harvested in an acceptably humane manner, contrary to the

reference in tile resolution. Harvesting methods used for the

seal hunt have also been studied and approved by the Royal

Commission on Seals and Sealing.

An Independent Veterinarians' Working Group formed in 2005,

with representatives from the United States and four other

countries, made observations and recommendations to further

improve management and hunting practices. Fisheries and

Oceans Canada is currently working to adopt these and other

recommendations including improved enforcement and sealer

training. Neither of the above groups called for a ban on the

hunt.

Seals are a valuable natural resource that provides 25-30

percent of an annual income to thousands of Canadians in many

remote coastal communities. This is a significant income when

average annual incomes may be only $17,OOOUSD a year and

unemployment rates are far above the national average.

Sealing and fishing are also time-honoured traditions that

allow people to provide for their families through knowledge

of the marine environment and hard work.

In light of this clarification on the sustainable

management and humane harvest of the seal herds in Canada, I

would ask that the Committee on Foreign Affairs reconsider

whether proceeding with this resolution is warranted.

I have included a fact sheet that provides more information

on the seal harvest in Canada. The Embassy staff remain

available to meet with your staff to discuss these issues

further.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Wilson,

Ambassador.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 427) urging the Government of Canada to end the commercial seal hunt.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we are all familiar with National Geographic images of fluffy white baby seals nestled next to their mothers. We stare at them on our TV screens or in our magazines and reflexively remark about how adorable they are. But now imagine, if you can, the brutal death that awaits hundreds of thousands of these baby seals every single year. With stunning barbarism, Canadian hunters swoop in with heavy clubs and stun guns to immobilize these little innocent creatures. They are then skinned alive simply so that their soft white fur can adorn winter coats, coats that could be composed of different materials without torturing animals.

These gruesome images are sadly commonplace in the Canadian Northwest. The Canadian Government estimates that over 1 million seals have been killed in the most recent 3-year period. Public outcry over this barbarism led to a ban of all seal products in the United States and in the European Union in 1983. Unfortunately, the public seems to have forgotten that the grisly practices of commercial seal hunters still go on, and international pressure on Canada to end the hunt has abated.

My resolution brings the focus of the United States Congress back to this heinous yearly slaughter. It urges the Canadian Government to cease this gruesome practice and bring Canadian policy in line with that of the United States and the European Union.

Mr. Speaker, let me note that this annual seal slaughter, enacted for mere vanity and vulgar consumerism, is also having deleterious effects on the ecosystem. Nature's careful balance is being thrown off by the depletion of the seal population. The barbaric seal hunt disturbs the food chain, hurting the fishing industry, which is now suffering in Canada.

Ending the commercial seal hunt is not simply a matter of saving beautiful and innocent animals that tug at our hearts. It is a matter of intelligent ecomanagement, prevention of cruelty against animals, and helping our friends to the north restore their otherwise pristine international reputation. Killing baby seals echoes the torture and cruel killing of so many other animals around the world. As cochairman of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, I will continue to bring the world's attention to such practices wherever they exist. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important and humane resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, last month the House of Representatives voted on important legislation including VA health care bills, lobbying reform legislation, and amendments to the fiscal year 2007 supplemental appropriations bill.

During the consideration of these bills, I was in Minnesota to attend the funeral Mass for my uncle, Frank Oberstar.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on the motion to recommit to H.R. 1100 (rollcall vote 408); I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 1100 (rollcall vote 409); I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 67, ``Veterans Outreach Improvement Act'' (rollcall vote 410); I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 612, ``Returning Servicemember VA Healthcare Insurance Act'' (rollcall vote 411); I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 1470, ``Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act'' (rollcall vote 412); I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 2199 ``Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act'' (rollcall vote 413); I would have voted ``aye'' on H.R. 2239, ``Early Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits Act'' (rollcall vote 414).

I would have voted ``aye'' to order the previous question on H. Res. 427 (rollcall vote 415); I would have voted ``aye'' to approve H. Res. 427 (rollcall vote 416). I would have voted ``aye'' to order the previous question on H. Res. 438 (rollcall vote 417), and I would have voted ``aye'' on H. Res. 438 (rollcall vote 418).

I would have voted ``nay'' on the Smith motion to recommit with instructions on H.R. 2317 (rollcall vote 419); I would have voted ``aye'' on passage on H.R. 2317 (rollcall vote 420); I would have voted ``aye'' on the Conyers amendment to H.R. 2316 (rollcall vote 421); I would have voted ``aye'' on the Chabot motion to recommit with instructions on H.R. 2318 (rollcall vote 422); I would have voted ``aye'' on passage on H.R. 2316 (rollcall vote 423).

Because of my strong support for important and necessary funding for VA health care; necessary assistance for the Gulf region and U.S. farmers, and my support for an increase in the minimum wage, I would have voted ``aye'' on House Amendment 1 to H.R. 2206, the fiscal year 2007 supplemental appropriations bill (rollcall vote 424. Because House Amendment 2 to H.R. 2206 failed to provide reasonable accountability provisions to measure the Administration's Iraq policy, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall 425.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 427, urging the Government of Canada to end its commercial seal hunts. While many countries have banned the importation of seal products, seal hunting in Canada has grown steadily in size over the past six years.

The Canadian commercial seal hunt is said to have killed approximately 350,000 seals this year--a huge increase from the 67,500 average number of seal deaths during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The seals are either clubbed to death or shot with high-powered rifles so as not to bloody their fur.

Last year the Canadian Government claimed the seal killings brought in $16 million. I question the number and believe even if it is accurate $16 million does not come close to justifying this brutality.

Sixteen million dollars is a mere fraction of the $3 billion that Canada receives from seafood exports. In addition, commercial seal hunting amounts to less than three percent of the annual incomes of commercial fishermen. Furthermore, the market for seal meat is limited. It is generally considered to be inedible and only a few nations import it for human consumption, additional proof of how wasteful seal hunting truly is.

Canada allows the seal hunt because it allegedly helps provide jobs for the region. Newfoundland experiences unemployment rates of up to 40 percent in winter because of its reliance on seafaring jobs and the collapse of the cod fishing industry. While I am sensitive to these concerns, how can this justify the cruel hunting methods employed during seal hunts. Eyewitness reports indicate numerous violations of Canada's marine mammal hunting regulations, such as baby seals being culled, animals being skinned alive, and injured animals being left behind to die slowly.

H. Res. 427 urges the Canadian government to end commercial seal hunting, putting a stop to this cruel practice. I strongly urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Harp seals, which live off of Canada's east coast, are sought for their pelts. Canadian hunters, who are regulated by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, have killed almost a million seals in the past 3 years. The government set a quota of 270,000 seals for the season of 2007, which is lower than the limit of 335,000 seals set in last year's season. The quota is determined annually by the department and is set based on estimates of the current seal population. Many concerned citizens are quite upset that these seals are killed in an inhumane way, since many

are beaten unconscious and then skinned while they are still alive.

An independent group of veterinarians, invited by the International Fund for Animal Welfare to observe the seal hunt, concluded that the seal hunt was out of compliance with basic animal welfare regulations in Canada. Also, 95 percent of the seals are less than a year old.

This resolution urges Canada to end the commercial seal hunt. Our Canadian friends are good allies and partners in many areas of common interest, and we hope that they will take this important step. Many have raised alarm about this, including our distinguished chairman of our committee, Mr. Lantos, and I thank him for his many years of leadership on the plight of people who have been abused, but also animals who have been mistreated.

I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do the same

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.