Seal Hunting in Norway "No Longer Economically Viable"
In a recent BBC article about Norwegian seal hunting and a documentary about the country’s “last seal-hunting expedition,” business reporter Jorn Madslien outlines the various reasons why the industry is in decline, with the conclusion being that it is “no longer economically viable.”
In the article, Captain Bjorne Kvernmo, who has hunted seals for over four decades, states:
“It’s over. In Norway, there’s nobody hunting anymore. The protest industry has been the winner.”
While Madslien briefly notes some of the animal rights campaigns by various organizations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the Humane Society and Greenpeace, he also attributes the decline of the industry to the 2009 European Union ban on the trade of seal products produced in the EU or imported, which includes seal-skin or fur boots and jackets, supplements with omega 3 oil, and seal meat (traditional hunts by Inuit communities in the Arctic were exempt from the ban). Madslien also notes another significant reason:
“The withdrawal in 2015 of a 12m kroner Norwegian government subsidy means the practice is no longer economically viable. Subsidies had accounted for up to 80% of sealers’ income.”
Captain Kvernmo defends seal hunting and states that it was done “in the most humane way” possible and that the information that shaped public policy is “not a real picture of what’s going on.” The documentary is called Sealers: One Last Hunt, and is described as an “unashamed celebration of a controversial industry that a century ago numbered more than 200 ships.” To read the full article, visit this link.
Photo Credit: www.twointheblue.com
