Personally, I had no idea that Canada still slaughters thousands of immature seals each year, but apparently they do. The Humane Society put out an action alert to let folks know that in late March, the largest marine mammal killing festival on the planet will occur in eastern Canada, when more than 300,000 seals will be clubbed and shot. In addition some will be skinned before they have died.
According to the HSUS, last year 317,000 seals were killed, and of that group, 98.5% of them were two months old or younger.
The HSUS reports that the seal hunting is an off-season activity conducted by fishermen from eastern Canada who mainly make their living from commercial fishing. Canada takes in nearly $3 billion annually from seafood exports to the United States, so the Humane Society is urging folks to attack them economically -- by boycotting Canadian seafood.
You can visit the Humane Society Protect Seals website to see footage of the killing (if you have the stomach for it), to find out how to spot Canadian seafood, and to take their boycott pledge. Also you can see a list of the many restaurants, chefs, and companies who have already joined the boycott.
Also be sure to look at the list of major restaurants that have not joined the boycott yet. Fire off a letter to ask why they haven't.
If there are any Canadians reading this, be sure to offer your thoughts. Americans would like to know what you think of this.