The seal hunt in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence officially opened Tuesday morning.
The harvest further north and off the northeast coast of Newfoundland in the area known as ‘the front’ begins Thursday.
The provincial government is lending up to $3.6 million to a company buy seals from fishermen to ensure there is a hunt this season. The money will allow Carino Processing Limited to purchase seal pelts and blubber or fat.
Members of animal-rights groups say they be on the ice with a camera crew to videotape during the hunt.
“We’ll be there … based on the past, yes, we expect to see examples of inhumane killing,†said Sheryl Fink of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
She said the IFAW expects a significant portion of the allowable catch, set at 400,000 animals, to be taken this year. Despite that she said the IFAW believe the end of the seal hunt is just a matter of time.
