seal clubbing is horribly cruel, my fellow canadians should know better (but they're probably too stoned to realize what they're doing is wrong)

Right now, it's not a cull. It's what's commonly known as a regulated commercial hunt. There's a difference that I'll explain but before I do, I'll also let you know that no white coats (pups) have been allowed to be hunted for over 20 years. It's the law. Anyone caught doing it faces loss of boat, fine and jail time. The hunt's regulated and observed. Nobody in their right mind would risk it. A regulated hunt is just that. A hunt with strict rules and punishments meted out to those that violate those rules. There is a set number of seals allowed to be harvested, in a International Veterinarian Working Group,approved manner. Cruelty isn't tolerated nor is it practiced intentionally. Loss of boat, loss of income and loss of freedom looms for those that do. The animal is used in some form or another. What's left and not taken is given back to the eco system for other wildlife to use. The quota of seals varies from year to year and is regulated by the DFO on consultation with various Institutions and groups. It may go up...it may go down. Now for a cull. A cull is a thinning of a population to prevent it's own species demise. It's just plain killing, not a harvest. There are no rules. Kill any which way, with no confirmation of instant death required nor use of what is killed. A cull is a number of deaths required to fix what's usually a man made problem. In this case, the seals will starve themselves a slow death or a disease ridden one because of their booming population ( they aren't endangered, their numbers have actually risen) due in large part because of the decline in their natural predator ( the polar bear) and the inability of the bears to actually get out to that remaining ice now (global warming is real). Until someone can make new polar bears, repopulate fish stocks and install a giant air conditioner, the seal population needs to be managed one way (a regulated hunt) or another (a cull). What's really amazing is that the EU doesn't seem to bother mentioning that some of their member countries engage in both and in some cases, those seals species are actually on the endangered list. Go figure. America doesn't get off scot free either. They've got a seal cull in place on the west coast.