Federal fisheries official says grey seal hunt to proceed in Cape Breton

HALIFAX - The federal Fisheries Department is poised to open a grey seal hunt on Nova Scotia's Hay Island, a protected wilderness area that has become a battleground for sealers and anti-hunt activists.
Andrew Newbould, an adviser for the department, said Monday the start of the hunt could begin early next week.
Newbould expected the quota to be 2,220 seals in the eastern Nova Scotia region, which includes Hay Island, 7,927 in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, and 39,803 on Sable Island where sealers have not yet conducted a hunt.
Thirty-six sealers have expressed interest in a licence from the Fisheries Department, but they'd also need one from the Nova Scotia government to conduct a seal hunt in a wilderness area.
Hay Island is a rocky island that is part of the Scaterie Island wilderness area off Cape Breton.
Robert Courtney, president of the North of Smokey Fishermen's Association, said sealers hope to have a Hay Island hunt this year but first have to confirm there are buyers for the pelts.
Courtney said the sealers are looking at several possible buyers in Canada and other countries, including last year's buyer, NuTan Furs, a Corner Brook, N.L., processing company.
"If we can get the market, the animals are there," he said Monday.
Facing depressed markets last year, sealers only killed 256 seals overall, including 200 from Hay Island, from an overall quota of 50,000, said Courtney.
"Nobody was buying fur," he said. "There was a lot of fur out there that wasn't moving but things have started to pick up a bit this year, so hopefully that will trickle back down to us."
European Union countries gave final approval in July to ban imports of seal products in an effort to force Canada to end its annual seal hunt, although regulations enacting the ban are not expected to be in place for several months.
Last month, federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea and several Canadian sealing companies were in Beijing, China, trying to drum up new markets for pelts, seal oils and seal organs for medical uses.
Rebecca Aldworth of the Humane Society International said Monday the group will be on Hay Island to document any hunt.
"We are in daily contact with the DFO and we have advised all parties that we fully expected to be alerted to when the seal hunt does begin," he said.
She called the Hay Island seal hunt "one of the cruellest in existence today."