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Grønlandsudvalget 2014-15 (1. samling)
KOM (2015) 0045 Bilag 4
Offentligt

Seals in Greenland

- An important component of culture

and economy

The Last Ice Area Project

December 2013

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Report

Seals in Greenland: - An important component of culture and economy.

The Last Ice Area Project.

Published by

WWF Verdensnaturfonden, Svanevej 12, 2400 København NV.

Telefon: +45 35 36 36 35 – E-mail: [email protected]

Project

This report is part of the WWF project the Last Ice Area.

Front page photo

Ringed seal on sea ice, Scoresbysund//Ittoqqortoormiit, East Greenland.

The Author

Eva Garde is a biologist. She has a PhD in narwhal population biology from the University of

Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Greenland.

Comments to the report from:

KNAPK has commented on the report.

The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources has commented on the first chapter ‘The

Greenlandic seals’

This report can be downloaded from:

WWF: www.wwf.dk/arktis

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Table of Content

The Last Ice Area ........................................................................................................................... 2

Ilisarititsineq .................................................................................................................................. 3

Last Ice Area/Den Sidste Is ............................................................................................................ 4

Foreword ....................................................................................................................................... 6

English abstract ............................................................................................................................. 7

Eqikkagaq ...................................................................................................................................... 8

Resumé ........................................................................................................................................ 10

The Greenlandic seals ......................................................................................................... 12

The harp seal ........................................................................................................................... 13

The ringed seal ........................................................................................................................ 15

The hooded seal ...................................................................................................................... 17

The bearded, harbor, and grey seals....................................................................................... 19

Seals on the Red List................................................................................................................ 20

Seals in a changing world .................................................................................................... 22

Seals as a hunted resource .................................................................................................. 25

Seal management.................................................................................................................... 25

The Greenlandic seal harvest – in numbers ............................................................................ 26

Greenlandic hunters – in numbers.......................................................................................... 27

How to hunt a seal in Greenland… .......................................................................................... 30

The fall of an ancient profession ......................................................................................... 34

Inuit Sila - the Greenlandic pro-sealing campaign .................................................................. 35

Banning the seals ................................................................................................................ 38

Summary: Seals ahead…...................................................................................................... 41

Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 41

References................................................................................................................................... 43

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The Last Ice Area

This is one of a series of research resources commissioned by WWF to help inform future

management of the area we call “the Last Ice Area”. We call it that because the title refers

to the area of summer sea ice in the Arctic that is projected to last. As climate change eats

away at the rest of the Arctic’s summer sea ice, climate and ice modelers believe that the

ice will remain above Canada’s High Arctic Islands, and above Northern Greenland for

many more decades.

Much life has evolved together with the ice. Creatures from tiny single celled animals to

seals and walrus, polar bears and whales, depend to some extent on the presence of ice.

This means the areas where sea ice remains may become very important to this ice-

adapted life in the future. One of my colleagues suggested we should have called the

project the

Lasting

Ice Area. I agree, although it’s a bit late to change the name now, that

name better conveys what we want to talk about. While much is changing, and is likely to

change around the Arctic, this is the place that is likely to change the least. That is also

meaningful for the people who live around the fringes of this area – while people in other

parts of the Arctic may be forced to change and adapt as summer sea ice shrinks, the

people around the Last Ice Area may not have to change as much.

As a conservation organization, WWF does not oppose all change. Our goal is to help

maintain important parts of the natural world. These parts are important in their own

right, and they are important for people. WWF does not have the power and authority to

impose its vision on people. Instead, we try to present evidence through research, and

options for management action. It is then up to the relevant authorities as to whether they

will take action or not; the communities, the Inuit organizations, and the governments of

the Last Ice Area will decide its future fate. We hope you will find the information in this

report useful, and that it will help you in making wise decisions about the future of the

Last Ice Area.

Clive Tesar, WWF Global Arctic Programme. Last Ice Area lead.

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Ilisarititsineq

Siunissami

Last Ice Area-mik

(LIA) taagugaq – imaluunniit Siku Kingulleq pillugu

misissuinissap nakkutigineqarnissaanut ikorfartuiniarluni misissuinerit ilaattut misissuineq

una WWF-ip aallartippaa. Issittup imartaa aasaanerani sikuuinnartartoq, sivisunerpaamik

aannikuunngitsoq misissuinerup taaguuteqaatigaa. Issittup imartaa aasaanerani

sikuuinnartartoq silap pissusaata allanngoriartornera peqqutigalugu

milliartuinnaraluartoq, sikumik silallu pissusaata allanngoriartorneranik misissuinerit

naapertorlugit, qeqertat Canadap avannnaata kangianittut kiisalu Kalaallit Nunaata

avannaata avataat suli ukiuni qulikkaani arlalinni sikuuinnarallassapput.

Siku uumassusillit minnersaanniit puisinut, aarrinut, nannunut arfernullu

ineriartorfiusimalluni, siku tamanna arlalinnit pinngitsoorneqarsinnaanngilaq. Sumiiffiit suli

sikusartut uumasunut sikup sinaanut naleqqussarsimasunut siunissami

pingaaruteqartupilussuussaaq. Suleqatima siunnersuutigingaluarpaa sumiiffik tamanna

atsissagipput

Lasting Ice Area

– Siku aajuitsoq. Uanga isumaqataavunga. Atsernissaanut

kingusinaareeraluarluta, samminiagarput taamatut paasiuminarsarneqarsinnaavoq.

Issittumi sorpassuit allanngoriartorput sulilu allat aamma allanngoriartulissagunarlutik,

sumiiffilli tamanna allanngujuinnerpaassagunarpoq. Sumiiffimmi aamma inunnut sikup

sinaani najugalinnut tamanna pingaaruteqarpoq. Issittumi sumiiffinni allani aasaanerani

sikuuinnartartup milliartornera ilutigalugu inuit noorarlutik allami

naleqqussartussaassasut, maani Siku Aajuitsup eqqaani najugallit inuunerminnik

allannguingaartariaqassanngillat.

WWF pinngortitamik avatangiisinillu illersuiniaqatigiiffittut pissutsinut allanngortunut

akerliuniartuunngilaq. Pinngortitap, minnerunngitsumik inunnik najugaqartunit

pingaartinneqartup illersornissaanik eriagisaanissaanillu suliaqartuuvugut. Inuit allat uagut

takorluukkatsinnik sunnerniarnissaanut WWF-imi pissaaneqaratalu pisussaaffeqanngilagut.

Isummagulli ilisimatusarnikkut periusissanillu saqqummiisarnikkut

uppernarsaaserniartarlutigit. Tamanna pereeraangat periuseqartoqassanersoq

iliuuseqartoqassannginnersorluunniit taava oqartussat namminneq

aalajangertussaasarpaat. Sumiiffimmi Siku Kingulliup inissisimaffiani najugallit, kattuffiit

kiisalu oqartussat tamaani qanoq iliuuseqartoqassanersoq aalajangissavaat. Neriuppugut

nalunaarusiaq iluaqutigisinnaassagissi, siunissamilu Siku Kingulleq pillugu

aalajangiinissassinnut ikiuutaalluarumaartoq.

Clive Tesar, WWF Global Arctic Programme. Projektleder Last Ice Area.

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Last Ice Area/Den Sidste Is

Dette studie er et i en række af studier, som WWF har igangsat med det formål at bistå

fremtidige forvaltninger af det område, som vi kalder Last Ice Area/Den Sidste Is. Navnet

refererer til det område med sommerhavis i Arktis, som beregnes til at bestå længst. I takt

med at klimaforandringerne tærer på den resterende sommerhavis i Arktis, forudser is- og

klimaberegninger, at denne is fortsat vil eksistere over Canadas nordøstlige øer og over

Nordgrønland i mange årtier endnu.

Meget liv har udviklet sig sammen med isen. Fra de mindste encellede organismer til

sæler, hvalrosser, isbjørne og hvaler er en hel række skabninger afhængige af

tilstedeværelsen af denne is. I fremtiden kan de områder, hvor der stadig findes havis,

blive meget vigtige for de dyr, der er tilpasset et liv ved isen. En af mine kolleger foreslog,

at vi skulle have kaldt området Lasting Ice Area/Den Blivende Is. Selvom det er for sent at

ændre navnet nu, så giver jeg ham ret i at denne titel bedre ville formidle det vi ønsker at

tale om. Mens meget er under forandring og sandsynligvis vil ændre sig i Arktis, er dette

område det, der formentlig vil ændre sig mindst. Det har også stor betydning for de

mennesker, der bor i udkanten af dette område. Mens folk i andre områder af Arktis kan

blive tvunget til at ændre og tilpasse sig, i tråd med at sommerhavisen bliver mindre,

behøver de mennesker, der lever ved Den Sidste Is måske ikke at ændre deres livsform så

meget.

WWF er en natur- og miljøbeskyttelsesorganisation der ikke modsætter sig al forandring.

Vi arbejder for at beskytte og bevare natur, og især den natur der er vigtig simpelthen

fordi den findes og fordi den er vigtig for mennesker der. WWF har hverken indflydelse

eller mandat til at pålægge andre vores vision. I stedet forsøger vi at dokumentere vores

holdninger gennem forskning og ved at fremlægge handlingsmuligheder. Det er herefter

op til de relevante myndigheder om de vil handle eller ej: lokalsamfund, organisationerne

og regeringerne i det område, hvor vi finder Last Ice Area/Den Sidste Is, vil afgøre

områdets fremtidige skæbne. Vi håber, at I vil finde rapporten nyttig, og at den vil hjælpe

til med at træffe gode beslutninger om fremtiden for Last Ice Area/Den Sidste Is.

Clive Tesar, WWF Global Arctic Programme. Projektleder Last Ice Area.

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The dotted line shows the Greenland Last Ice Area. The area includes marine, coastal, and

terrestrial regions as well as the Greenland Ice Sheet. There is one town (Qaanaaq), and

three settlements (Savissivik, Qeqertat and Siorapaluk) located within the Greenlandic

part of the Last Ice Area.

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Foreword

Seals are fundamental pieces in the puzzle called Arctic ecology. They fill out a significant

role in the ice cold habitats on top of the world, and as such they are essential and

irreplaceable as most other species inhabiting these pristine regions. But the seals are also

a hunted resource – as they have been for as long as man has lived in the Arctic regions.

Today, as in the past, the majority of people in Greenland live in close connection to the

sea and the Arctic nature. They engage in hunting and fishing activities on a regular or

daily basis that sustain them and contribute to their income. The traditional way of life of

hunting and fishing is thus intertwined with a modern society and economics. But there is

more to hunting and fishing than earning money. It is a lifestyle, a culture, a tradition, and

it provides local food for the inhabitants in Greenland – hence the seals remain to be an

important part of everyday life here.

This report focuses on seals in Greenland, their biology, their dependence on sea ice and

the impacts of climate change on seals in the North Atlantic. We place special emphasis on

three seal species that are found in the Last Ice Area which are also the most important

from a cultural and socioeconomic perspective in Greenland. In words and numbers, we

describe the Greenlandic hunt on seals and the negative impacts that the European Union

import bans on seal products have had on the Greenlandic hunters and the sealskin

business in Greenland.

The purpose of the report is to provide insightful and useful information for its reader

either as an information source on seals and seal hunting in Greenland or to facilitate

decision-making regarding the Last Ice Area.

Gitte Seeberg, CEO WWF Denmark

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English abstract

Within Greenland waters six species of true (or earless) seals can be found. In this report

we will describe these six species with emphasis on three ‘ice-seals’; the harp seal (Phoca

groenlandica),

the ringed seal (Pusa

hispida)

and the hooded seal (Cystophora

cristata).

These three species are dependent on sea-ice for e.g. reproduction, and they are all found

in the Greenland Last Ice Area. They are also essential from a cultural and socioeconomic

perspective where they continue to be an important part of the Inuit way of life in all of

Greenland.

The harp seal and the ringed seal are the most abundant of the Greenlandic seals

with population estimates in the millions, whereas the hooded seal populations estimate is

more than half a million individuals. The status of all three species is of

Least Concern

according to the Greenland Red List. Although these species are numerous and in general

the populations are thriving (however this does not apply for the decreasing Northeast

Atlantic stock of hooded seals), the seals are living in areas where the impacts of climate

change are progressing. And the ice-seals will at least to some degree be challenged by the

effects of climate change, although the extent is difficult to predict.

In Greenland, as in most other Arctic areas, humans have utilized seals for food,

clothes and revenue, and as such the seals are and have been for centuries maybe

the

most vital resource in these often very remotely located communities. The hunt of seals in

Greenland is as large as ever with approximately 150,000 animals being caught a year. This

hunt is managed by the Government of Greenland based on advice from international

organizations, and is regarded as biologically sustainable. Roughly 7,000 Greenlanders

have a hunting license (12 % of the total human population in Greenland). Of these,

approximately 2,000 have a full time hunting license and 5000 are leisure hunters.

In the Last Ice Area one town and three settlements are located. Here, hunting is the

main occupation, and nearly 20 % of the human population (less than 800 people) has a

hunting license. Important prey species include seals (ringed seal in particular), beluga

whales and narwhals. In Greenland four hunting methods are used for hunting seal.

The seal hunt and the sealskin business in Greenland has been challenged over the

past four decades, first by anti-sealing campaigns in the 1970s and 1980s directed against

the Canadian harvest of harp seal pups, and later by the European Union’s (EU) import

bans on seal products. Although the European bans exempted the Inuit subsistence hunt

of seals, the bans have resulted in dramatic dives in sales of sealskin from Greenland and

hunters, their families and the business are severely affected. Stakeholders want the EU to

inform its citizens about the Inuit exemption as a way to reverse the trend positively.

WWF supports the sustainable Inuit hunt of seals in Greenland and call for the EU to

address the impacts of their import bans as well as to act in response by informing the

European public about the Inuit exemption. With support from the EU, the existing

certification label could considered expanded to guarantee e.g. sustainability of the hunt, full

utilization of catches and animal welfare

to meet increasing demands from conscious

consumers in the EU as well as worldwide.

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Eqikkagaq

Kalaallit nunaanni puisiviit artit arfiniliupput. Uani taakkua artit arfinillit allaaserivagut,

puisit sikumiittartut pingasut pingaartinnerullugit, tassaasut; aataaq (Phoca

Groenlandica),

natseq (Pusa

hispida)

kiisalu natsersuaq (Cystophora

cristata).

Artit taakkua pingasut

tamarmik siku pisariaqartippaat soorlu piaqqiornissaminnut, tamarmillu WWF-ip

sulinermini Last Ice Area/Sikoqarfik Kingullermik taagugaata ilaani Kalaallit Nunaannut

killeqarfiup iluani siumugassaallutik. Puisit suli kalaallit inooriaasaannut ileqqutoqaannullu

pingaaruteqarput taamatullu kulturimut inuiaqatigiillu aningaasaqarnerannut

pingaaruteqarluinnarlutik.

Kalaallit Nunaata imartaani Aataat natserillu amerlanersaallutik miliuuninik arlalinnik

amerlassuseqarput, natsersuit miliuunip affaanik amerlassusillit. Kalaallit Nunaanni

uumasut nungunnissaminnut aarlerigineqartut allassimaffiat naapertorlugu artit taakkua

pingasut

Least Concern/aarlerinartorsiunngillat.

Puisit tamakkua amerlagaluarlutillu

iluarusukkaluarlutik (Natsersuilli atlatikup avannaata kangianiittut ikiliartoramik taamatut

naliliiffigineqanngilat), sumiiffinni silap pissusaata allanngoriartorneranik

sunnerneqariartuinnartuni uumasuupput. Silap pissusaata allanngoriartornerata

sunniutissai suli siumut eqqoriaruminaakkaluartut, puisit sikumiittartut

sunnerneqarnermikkut unammilligaqanngitsoornavianngillat.

Issittumi sumiiffinni amerlanerpaani allanitulli Kalaallit Nunaanni inuit

nerisaqarniarlutik, atisassaqarniarlutik isertitaqarniarlutillu puisinik

isumalluuteqarnikuupput, ukiunilu hunnorujukkaani ilaatigut sumiiffinni

avinngarusimaqisuni najugalinnit pingaaruteqaqisumik isumalluutigineqarnikuullutik.

Kalaallit Nunaanni maannakkut aatsaat taama puisinik pisaqartoqartartigaluni ukiumut

puisit 150.000-it missaanniittut pisarineqartarput. Kalaallit Nunaanni Naalakkersuisut

kattuffinnit nunanit tamaneersunit siunnersorneqartarlutik puisittanik nakkutilliisuupput.

Kalaallit 7.000-it missaanniittut piniarnissaminnut akuersissummik allagartaqarput, tassa

kalaallit inuiaqatigiit tamarmik 12 procentii. Taakkua 7.000-it akornanni 2.000-it

piniarnermik inuussutissarsiutilittut kiisalu 5.000-it sunngiffimminni piniartartutut

allagartaqarput.

Sumiiffiup Last Ice Area/Sikoqarfik Kingulliup iluani sisamanik nunaqarfeqarpoq.

Taakkunani piniarneq inuussutissarsiutit annersaraat, tamaanilu najugallit tamarmik 800-t

inorlugit amerlassusillit 20 procentingajaat piniarnissaminnut allagartaqarput. Puisit

(annerusumik natserit), qilalukkat qaqortat (Delphinapterus

leucas)

kiisalu qilalukkat

qernertat (Monodon

monoceros)

pingaarnerusutut piniagarineqarput. Puisinniariaatsit

sisamat Kalaallit Nunaanni atorneqarput.

Kalaallit Nunaanni puisinniarneq puisillu amiinik tunisassiorneq ukiuni qulikkaani

sisamani kingullerni arlaleriarlutik annertuunik unammilligassaqartsinneqartarnikuupput.

Siullermik 1970-ikkunni 1980-ikkunnilu puisinniarnermik akerliusut paasititsiniaasarnerinit,

annerusumik Canadami aataat piaraannik piniarnermut sammisunit, kingusinnerusukkullu

Europami Naalagaaffiit Kattuffiata (EU) puisit amiinik taakkungannalu tunisassianik

Europamut eqqusseqqusiunnaarnerannit. Naak Kalaallit Nunaanni nunap inoqqaavisa

puisittaasa amii europamiut eqqusseqqusiunnaarnerminnut ilanngutinngikkaluaraat,

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taamatut inerteqquteqalernerup kinguneranik kalaallit puisittaasa amiisa

nioqqutigineqarnerat apparujussuarnikuuvoq, taamaalillutillu piniartut, taakkua ilaqutaat

kiisalu puisit amiinik tunisassiorfiit annertuumik eqqorneqarlutik. EU-p

inerteqquteqarnermini naggueqatigiit Inuit pisaasa pineqannginnerat, innuttaasunut EU-p

paasititsissutiginiassagaa, tamatumannga soqutigisallit, soorlu kalaallit piniartortaasa,

Kalaallit Nunaanni Naalakkersuisuisa kiisalu amernik tunisassiorfiit kaammattuutigaat,

taamaalilluni eqquinerlunneq aaqqiissutissiiffiginiaqqullugu.

Kalaallit Nunaanni nungusaataanngitsumik puisinniarneq WWF-ip tapersersorpaa,

EU-llu inerteqqusiinermi sunniutai erseqqissarlugit kiisalu naggueqatigiit Inuit

inerteqqusiinermi pineqannginnerat EU-mi innuttaasunut paasissutissiissutigissagai

kaammattutigaa. EU-mi nunarsuattalu sinnerani pisisartut pissutsit pillugit ilisimasatik

naapertorlugit annertusiartuinnartunik piumasaqaateqartalernerat pissutigalugu, EU-p

tapiissuteqarneratigut piniarnissamut akuersissuteqartarnermi piumasaqaatit allat, soorlu

nungusaataanngitsumik piniarnissap, pisap tamarmi atorluarneqarnissaata kiisalu

uumasunik naalliutsitsinnginnissap piumasaqaatigisalernissaasa

qularnaarneqarsinnaanerat eqqarsaatigineqarsinnaavoq.

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Resumé

I Grønland findes seks arter af ægte (eller øreløse) sæler. Her beskriver vi disse seks arter,

med hovedvægt på tre ’is-sæler’; grønlandssælen (Phoca

Groenlandica),

ringsælen (Pusa

hispida)

og klapmydsen (Cystophora

cristata).

Disse tre arter er alle afhængige af havisen

til for eksempel reproduktion, og de er alle at finde i den grønlandske del af det område,

som WWF arbejder med under navnet Last Ice Area/Den Sidste is. Sælerne er også

afgørende set fra et kulturelt og samfundsøkonomisk perspektiv, hvor de fortsat er en

vigtig del af den grønlandske livsførelse og tradition.

Grønlandssælen og ringsælen er de mest talrige af de grønlandske sæler med

populationer, der tæller flere millioner individer, mens den samlede klapmyds-bestand er

på mere end en halv million sæler. Status for alle tre arter er

Least Concern/Ikke truede

henhold til den grønlandske rødliste. Men selvom disse sælarter er talrige og generelt

trives (gælder dog ikke for den Nordøstatlantiske bestand af klapmyds, som er for

nedadgående), så lever sælerne i områder, hvor virkningerne af klimaændringerne er

fremskredne. Og is-sælerne vil, i hvert fald til en vis grad, blive udfordret af

klimaændringerne, selv om det er vanskeligt at forudsige konsekvensernes omfang.

I Grønland, som i de fleste andre arktiske områder, har mennesket udnyttet sæler til

at skaffe mad, tøj, og indtægter og som sådan er og har sælerne i århundreder været den

nok mest afgørende ressource i disse ofte fjernt beliggende samfund. Fangsten af sæler i

Grønland er i øjeblikket større end nogensinde før med omkring 150.000 nedlagte dyr om

året. Fangsten administreres af den grønlandske regering som modtager rådgivning fra

internationale organisationer. Cirka 7.000 grønlændere har i dag et jagttegn, hvilket svarer

til 12 % af den samlede grønlandske befolkning. Af disse 7.000 har cirka 2.000 et

fuldtidsjagttegn og 5.000 er fritidsfangere.

Indenfor området Last Ice Area/Den Sidste Is findes fire bygder. Her er fangst

hovederhvervet, og næsten 20 % af områdets samlede befolkning på mindre end 800

personer, har et jagttegn. Vigtige fangstdyr inkluderer bl.a. sæler (ringsæl i særdeleshed),

hvidhvaler og narhvaler. Fire jagtmetoder bliver brugt til at fange sæler i Grønland.

Sælfangsten og sælskindsindustrien i Grønland er i løbet af de seneste fire årtier

blevet kraftigt udfordret af flere omgange. Først af antisælfangst-kampagnerne i 1970'erne

og 1980'erne, der primært var rettet mod den canadiske fangst af grønlandssælernes

unger og senere af Den Europæiske Unions (EU) import forbud mod sæl-produkter. Selvom

de europæiske forbud fritog fangsten på sæler foretaget af den oprindelige inuit-

befolkning i Grønland, så har forbuddene resulteret i dramatiske dyk i salget af de

grønlandske sælskind, og fangerne, deres familier, og sælskindsindustrien er hårdt ramt.

Interessenterne, herunder de grønlandske fangere, den grønlandske regering og

industrien, opfordrer EU til at informerer sine borgere om Inuit undtagelsen for på den

måde at vende en negativ tendens til en positiv.

WWF støtter bæredygtig fangst af sæler i Grønland, og opfordrer til, at EU

adresserer virkningerne af deres importforbud samt at EU handler derefter ved at

informere sine borgere om Inuit undtagelsen. Med støtte fra EU, kunne det overvejes om

den eksisterende certificeringsordning kan udvides til at garantere f.eks. en bæredygtig

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fangst, fuld udnyttelse af byttet samt dyrevelfærd, for at opfylde de stigende krav fra

bevidste forbrugere i EU såvel som i resten af verden.

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1. The Greenlandic seals

Seals, also called pinnipeds, are a widely distributed and diverse group comprising the

families Phocidae (earless or true seals), Otariidae (eared seals, sea lions, and fur seals)

and Odobenidae (the walrus). Within Greenlandic waters, six species of true seals can be

found: the harp seal (Phoca

groenlandica),

the ringed seal (Pusa

hispida),

the hooded seal

(Cystophora

cristata),

the bearded seal (Erignathus

barbatus),

the harbor seal (Phoca

vitulina)

and the grey seal (Halichoerus

grypus)

(however only a rare visitor) (Table 1). The

walrus (Odobenus

rosmarus)

is the largest seal species in the Arctic but is not part of the

true seals and therefore not described here.

In this chapter we will introduce the Greenlandic seals but place special emphasis on three

species of ‘ice-seals’; namely those that are dependent on sea-ice for reproduction, those

that are found in the Greenland Last Ice Area (Table 2) and those that are the most

abundant in Greenland. These three species are also the most essential, seen from a

socioeconomic perspective, as still today they form the economic backbone for many

hunters and their families (Government of Greenland 2012a).

The three species are:



The harp seal

The ringed seal

The hooded seal

English

Harp seal

Ringed seal

Hooded seal

Bearded seal

Harbour seal

Grey seal

Latin

Phoca groenlandica

Pusa hispida

Cystophora cristata

Erignathus barbatus

Phoca vitulina

Halichoerus grypus

Greenlandic

Aataaq

Natseq

Natsersuaq

Ussuk

Qasigiaq

Sigguttooq

Danish

Grønlandssæl

Ringsæl

Klapmyds

Remmesæl

Spættet sæl

Gråsæl

Table 1.

Seal names of the six true seal (Phocidae) species that can be found in

Greenlandic waters in English, Latin, Greenlandic and Danish.

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The harp seal

The harp seal is a medium-sized seal inhabiting the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans from

Russia in the east to Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, in the west (Fig.

1). The harp seal is found all along the Greenland coast except in the fast ice in the far

north of Greenland. Its range includes parts of the Last Ice Area.

There are three populations of harp seals; one in the Barents Sea that reproduces in the

“East Ice” in the White sea, Russia, one off the coast of East Greenland that breeds in “the

West Ice” near Jan Mayen, and one in the northwest Atlantic off the east coast of Canada

that breeds at two locations; off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and in the Gulf

of St. Lawrence (Fig. 1). The total worldwide population of harp seals is estimated to be at

around 10-11 million animals

(DFO 2012) (Table 2). Of these, approximately eight-nine

million seals belong to the population off the east coast of Canada alone (Fig. 1) (DFO

2012).

The harp seal is a highly gregarious and a migratory species that live in close association

with pack ice. In late February to mid-late March, the females congregate in four specific

pupping areas (Fig. 1). Here, on the pack ice, they give birth to a single pup. Newborns and

young pups are known as ‘whitecoats’ due to their characteristic white pelt, which they

shed within the first 3 – 5 weeks (Lavigne and Kovacs 1988). Transition to the adult pelt

starts at the onset of sexual maturity at approximately five years of age. The pups lack the

thick insulating blubber layer when born, however they quickly gain weight. During an only

12 days nursing period they deposit a five cm thick blubber layer, and go from a body

http://www.natur.gl/en/birds-and-mammals/marine-mammals/harp-seal/

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weight of about 11 kg to 36 kg (more than two kg per day). Weaning is abrupt and the

female will engage in mating immediately hereafter. The fertilized egg is however not

implanted before July/August (called delayed implantation), after which embryonic

development begins. The weaned pups stay up to six weeks on the ice; after this period

they enter water and starts feeding on their own.

After the mating season is over, the seals gather together in large concentrations to

undergo their annual moult, after which they migrate to feeding areas in Arctic or

Subarctic waters to the north. The first seals arrive in West Greenland from the breeding

and moulting grounds in mid-May.

1,4 mill.

Ca.

(2013)

2 mill.

Ca. 700.000

627,000

(2013)

8-9

mill.

Ca. 6

mill.

(2008)

Whelping and molting area (March-April)

Spring - Summer

Fall - Winter

Fig. 1.

Harp seal distribution, migration and approximate population numbers (in 2011) on breeding

and moulting sites. Source: Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, www.natur.gl.

Along the West Greenland coast, the harp seal forage mainly on capelin (Mallotus

villosus;

commonly referred to as

ammasat

in Greenland), krill and other small fish, while on the

fishing banks in the open water areas the sand lance (family Ammodytidae) is an

important food item. In Northwest Greenland (north of the settlement of Upernavik at 72°

W, 78° N), harp seal forage mainly on polar cod (family Gadidae) and parathemisto (an

amphipod that lives in the surface water). According to local knowledge, harp seals in East

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Greenland forage on halibut, Greenland Cod (Gadus

ogac),

Atlantic cod (Gadus

morhua)

and capelin.

The ringed seal

The ringed seal is the smallest of the Greenlandic seal species (Table 2). Ringed seals have

a circumpolar distribution, with a range that more or less includes all of the Last Ice Area.

However, the ringed seal is restricted by the thick multiyear ice in parts of the Arctic Ocean

and North of Baffin Island, where they are not able to create and maintain breathing holes

in the sea ice (Rosing-Asvid 2010).

Ringed seals are divided into five subspecies (Fig. 2). The Arctic ringed seals (Pusa

hispida

hispida)

are widely distributed in the Arctic and subarctic regions and are by far the largest

group, with estimated population numbers of about five million. Approximately one

million seals of the subspecies

Pusa hispida ochotensis

occupy the Sea of Okhotsk. The

three southern subspecies, of which two,

P. h. ladogensis

and

P. h. saimensis,

live in large

fresh water lakes, and the third,

P. h. botnica,

inhabits parts of the Baltic Sea and the

adjacent Gulfs of Bothnia, Finland and Riga, constitutes a total population size of about

10.000 animals (Rosing-Asvid 2010).

Sindre Kinnerød

/WWF-Canon

Like the harp seal, the ringed seal depends on sea ice for reproduction (Table 2). Shore-fast

ice is considered to be the most important habitat for pupping, but in some areas the pack

ice is also important. A single pup is born per female. Pups are born in spring (March and

April) in small caves, also called lairs, build in the snow on the sea ice or in ice ridges. These

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lairs are extremely important for neonatal survival as well as for providing a shelter for the

adult ringed seal in winter. Each female builds several lairs so that she and her pup can

switch between lairs if one is destroyed by predators

. The principal predator is the polar

bear (Ursus

maritimus)

but also the polar fox (Alopex

lagopus)

predates on ringed seals in

coastal areas. At birth, pups are approximately 60 cm long and weigh about 4.5 kg.

Lactation lasts an average of 39 days and pups are weaned at approximately 20 kg

(Lydersen and Kovacs 1999). Mating takes place towards the end of the lactation period or

immediately hereafter, similar to other phocid seals. Moulting occurs from mid-May to

mid-July. The seals spend time hauled out (= rests) on the sea ice and feeding is at a

minimum in this period.

Ringed seals in Greenland feed mainly on polar cod (Boreogadus

saida)

and Greenland

cod, capelin, krill and parathemisto, but ringed seals also eat a variety of other smaller fish,

crustaceans and cephalopods, which can be important food items in some regions of their

range, at least seasonally

(Rosing-Asvid

2010).

Pusa hispida hispida

Pusa hispida ochotensis

Pusa hispida botnica

Pusa hispida lagodensis

Pusa hispida saimensis

Fig. 2.

Ringed seal subspecies distribution. Source: Greenland Institute of Natural Resources,

www.natur.gl.

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41672/0

http://www.natur.gl/en/birds-and-mammals/marine-mammals/ringed-seal/

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The hooded seal

The hooded seal is one of the larger species of seals (Table 2). Distribution of hooded seals

includes high latitudes of the North Atlantic, and seasonally they are found in the Arctic

Ocean and the North Sea of the Northeast Atlantic (Fig. 3). Hooded seals are found in parts

of the Last Ice Area range. Hooded seals have been known to wander extensively, and

have been recorded in Portugal, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, southern California and

the eastern Beaufort Sea. The worldwide population is estimated at approximately

680,000 animals.

Photo: Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid/the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources.

www.natur.gl

Hooded seals are ice-associated and depend on offshore pack ice for breeding (Table 2).

There are four major pupping areas: Gulf of St. Lawrence, north of Newfoundland, the

Davis Strait and in the Greenland Sea near Jan Mayen (Fig. 3) (Asvid-Rosing 2010). Hooded

seals give birth in March and April to a single pup. At birth, the pup is about one meter in

length and weighs about 24 kg. The pups gain weigh faster than any other mammal in the

world. Lactation lasts as short as four days and the pup gains no less than seven kg á day

(Kovacs 2002). Immediately after weaning the female will mate again, leaving the pup to

survive on its own. The thick layer of blubber helps the pup survive while practicing fishing,

swimming and diving. The pups stay close to the area where they were born, but after a

few weeks most of them take off and swim to the field ice off East Greenland where they

grow into adults.

Hooded seals moult in June-July, with each breeding stock congregating at a separate

traditional site. Seals breeding at the three breeding sites west of Greenland gather in the

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field ice near Ammassalik to moult, whereas seals from the breeding site off North-east

Greenland will moult in a nearby area (Fig. 3).

Hooded seals are capable divers. Most dives are from 100-600 meters in depth and last 5-

25 minutes but they can dive to below 1500 meters and stay down for an hour (Andersen

et al. 2009). Hooded seals feed on species of fish and invertebrates that occur throughout

the

water column. Typical prey is Greenland halibut, cod, redfishes (Sebastes spp.), sand eels,

herring, capelin, squid (e.g.

Gonatus fabricii),

and shrimp (Kovacs 2002).

80.000

20.000

540.000

Breeding area (March – April)

Molting area (June – July)

40.000

April – June

July - March

Fig. 3.

Hooded seal distribution and numbers. Reproductive areas used in March and April are

illustrated by squared ovals. Moulting areas used in June and July are illustrated by lined ovals.

Source: Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, www.natur.gl.

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The bearded, harbor, and grey seals

The bearded seal

is, together with the hooded seal, the largest of the northern phocid

seals (Table 2). The bearded seal has a circumpolar distribution inhabited by two

subspecies;

Erignathus barbatus barbatus

and

E.b. nauticus.

The former is found in

Greenlandic waters and are distributed throughout the Last Ice Area. The entire world

population is estimated at 750.000 animals, with two thirds belonging to

E.b. nauticus

and

one third to

E. b. barbatus

(Rosing-Asvid 2010). The bearded seal gives birth to a single pup

in April – May. Bearded seal pups are born on small floes of annual ice and swim within

hours of birth (Kovacs et al. 1996). The pup lactates for approximately 24 days and in this

period it begins to find food for itself. Around the time of weaning, the female mates

again. The male bearded seal sings to attract females and to defend his territory. Bearded

seals are mainly found in areas with sea ice. They are typically solitary animals that occur

at quite low densities (Bengtson et al. 2005). They are benthic feeders and live mostly in

coastal areas or in waters overlying the continental shelf. They feed on a variety of fish,

crustaceans and benthic prey, e.g. bristle worms and sea slugs.

Harbour seals,

also known as common seals, are one of the most widespread of the

pinnipeds. World-wide population of harbor seals is estimated at 350,000 – 500,000

animals

, whereas probably only a few hundred animals remains in Greenlandic waters

They inhabit coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere, from temperate to Polar Regions.

Five subspecies of the harbor seal are recognized. Harbour seals in Greenland are

restricted to the subarctic zone and therefore not found in the Last Ice Area. Harbour seals

give birth and lactate on land. They are not dependent on sea ice for reproduction,

moulting, and resting, which occurs on land. Harbour seals eat a variety of fish,

cephalopods and crustaceans. In Greenland the Arctic char (Salvelinus

alpinus)

is an

important food item. The harbour seal is totally protected in Greenland

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/17013/0

http://www.natur.gl/en/birds-and-mammals/marine-mammals/common-seal/

Selvstyrets bekendtgørelse nr. 16 af 12. november 2010 om beskyttelse og fangst af sæler

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Only very few sightings of

grey seals

in Greenlandic waters has been reported, and only for

the past four years (since 2009)

. It is currently not known how many grey seals there are

in Greenlandic waters, and whether they breed or if a population could even be

established. The grey seal is, as the harbor seal, totally protected in Greenland.

Seals on the Red List

Status of the six seal species found in Greenland from the International Union for

Conservation of Nature

(IUCN)

Red List of Threatened Species

and the Greenlandic Red

List (2007) is listed in table 2.

The IUCN Red List status of five of the six seal species is of

Least Concern,

which

means that these species are not threatened. The status of the sixth species, the hooded

seal, is

Vulnerable.

The reason for this classification is that the Northeast Atlantic stock of

hooded seals has declined dramatically over the last five decades, the reason for this is

unknown (IUCN 2008). The Northwest Atlantic stock of hooded seal is currently stable or

increasing modestly, and the populations in Greenlandic waters are stable and numerous,

why the status of the hooded seal in Greenland is of

Least Concern,

according to the

Greenlandic Red List (Boertmann 2007).

The bearded seal and the harbor seal in Greenlandic waters are categorized as

Data

Deficient

and

Critically Endangered,

respectively (Boertmann 2007). The bearded seal is

widely distributed but not very numerous, and there is little data on population size and

trends for this species, whereas the population of harbor seal in Greenland is an isolated

stock which has experienced a severe population decline within the past 50 years. As a

result, the Greenland Government prohibited all hunt of harbor seals in Greenland in

http://www.natur.gl/en/birds-and-mammals/marine-mammals/grey-seal/first-record-of-the-grey-seal-

from-greenland/

http://www.iucnredlist.org/search

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2010

. The grey seal is only a rare visitor in Greenlandic waters and is not described in the

Greenlandic Red List, like the harbor seal, the grey seal is fully protected in Greenland.

Seal

species

Harp

Ringed

Hooded

Bearded

Harbor

Grey

Max

body

length

(cm)

165-200

110-180

200-260

230-250

150-190

180-225

Max

body

weight

(kg)

200

50-110

300-450

400

65-170

150-400

World

population

numbers

10-11 mill

6-7 mill

680.000

750.000

600.000

450.000

Ice-

dependent

reproduction

yes

LIA

range

Status,

IUCN

Redlist

Least

concern

Least

concern

Vulnerable

Least

concern

Least

concern

Least

concern

Status,

Greenlandic

red list 2007

Least

concern

Least

concern

Least

concern

Data

deficient

Critically

endangered

yes

Body length and weight varies among populations.

Hooded seals are only distributed in the southern part of LIA in the Baffin Bay.

Table 2.

Max body length (cm), max body weight (kg), approximate world population numbers, and

population status from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and from the

Greenland Red List. Female seals are generally smaller and weigh less than males. Both female and

male body weight varies considerably throughout the year. Sources: Greenland Institute of Natural

Resources (www.natur.gl) and Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2002).

Selvstyrets bekendtgørelse nr. 16 af 12. november 2010 om beskyttelse og fangst af sæler.

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2. Seals in a changing world

Arctic ice-seals rely on sea ice as a platform for hauling out, whelping, and moulting, as

well as for sub-ice foraging (Laidre et al. 2008). The ice-breeding seals are critically

dependent on stable pack ice, at least until pups have weaned and completed their post-

weaning fast and transition to pelagic feeding (Stirling 2005). Reduced sea ice availability

and stability in whelping areas may cause neonatal mortality, changes in food availability

for pups, and increased risk of diseases due to crowding on whelping patches (In Laidre et

al. 2008).

Two fundamentally different nursing strategies are exhibited by the ice-breeding phocid

seals (Lydersen and Kovacs 1999). Harp and hooded seals form dense congregations in

pupping areas and have very short lactation periods, while ringed and bearded seals pup

at low densities over large areas, and females lactate for a longer period. Reduction in the

amount and stability of pack ice in pupping habitat will therefore be more deleterious for

harp and hooded seals than bearded or ringed seals (Laidre et al. 2008). The weaned seal

pups of all four species require a period where sea ice remains stable so they can rest

upon it and possibly hunt from it. This period must be long enough to survive the phase

where they fast and learn to hunt independently, even if they have sufficient fat stores at

the time of weaning (Stirling 2005). The stability of sea ice is especially important for harp

and hooded seal pups that whelp in large numbers at high density and with a high degree

of site fidelity to traditional and critical whelping locations.

Harp seal, suckling pup. Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. © Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon.

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The harp, ringed, hooded, and bearded seal have been estimated to be highly sensitive to

changes in sea ice according to a sensitivity index for Arctic marine mammals (Laidre et al.

2008). The purpose of the index was to quantify the sensitivity of Arctic marine mammals

to climate-induced habitat change. Laidre et al. (2008) found that the narwhal (Monodon

monoceros),

the polar bear (Ursus

Maritimus)

and the hooded seal were the three most

sensitive Arctic marine mammal species, primarily due to reliance on sea ice and

specialized feeding. The least sensitive species were the ringed and bearded seal, mainly

due to large circumpolar distributions, large population sizes, and flexible habitat

requirements.

But also ringed seals are very dependent on sea ice, and several studies have

demonstrated demographic sensitivity of ringed seals to changes in sea ice conditions or

habitat. Reproductive failures, reduced reproduction and reduced pup survival of ringed

seals have been associated with both severe ice conditions and with a general warming

trend, decreased snow depth and changes in the timing of breakup of sea ice. These

events clearly demonstrate the sensitivity of ringed seals to changes in their sea ice habitat

(Laidre et al. 2008, Stirling and Smith 2004, Ferguson et al. 2005, Stirling 2005). The ringed

seal populations are also influenced by prey availability as well as predation from mainly

polar bears and hunting by man. In warm years, the ringed seal pups are more exposed to

predation from polar bears due to higher density of lairs on lesser available sea ice and

less strong lairs because of less snow and periods of thaw that will destroy lairs and expose

the pups (Hezel et al. 2012, Rosing-Asvid 2010). In the 1920’ies, coinciding with a warming

trend, Arctic cod and other ringed seal prey items receded northward. Also the ringed seal

retracted northward which could have been a result of both the change in sea ice habitat

and the availability of their preferred prey items (Laidre et al. 2008).

Model of a ringed

seal lair on the sea

ice from the

Natural History

Museum in

Copenhagen,

Denmark. Photo:

Aqqalu Rosing-

Asvid/the

Greenland

Institute of

Natural

Resources.

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It is for certain that the ice-seals will be challenged to some degree by the effects of

climate change, e.g. reduction in sea ice availability. And changes affecting seals will also

affect a large range of other Arctic species as well as people living in the Arctic areas.

Several studies over the years have demonstrated the negative consequences of climate

change on Arctic species such as polar bear

and the Pacific walrus. Besides being a

platform for foraging, reproduction and resting for some marine mammals, sea ice is also

an essential habitat for the Arctic primary producers (sea-ice algae and sub-ice

phytoplankton) of which zooplankton are dependent and thereby the rest of the Arctic

food web. Sea-ice also acts as both a platform and as a barrier for animal migration and

mixing. Reduced sea-ice will increase genetic isolation among some terrestrial populations

but enhance genetic mixing for species of marine mammals. Also, hybridization among

species and pathogen transmission (of e.g. the lethal phocine distemper virus) will

probably be the result of lesser summer sea-ice in the Arctic (see review by Post et al.

2013).

The reduced sea-ice combined with earlier spring break-up and later autumn freeze will

facilitate industrial development and extend the season for shipping in the Arctic regions.

Increased human activity in formerly remote Arctic oceans will lead to enhanced ocean

noise when more and larger ships enter these pristine waters or oil- and gas exploration

bangs away for weeks and month during seismic surveys. The consequences of such

activities on marine life are not yet fully understood nor suitably explored, and more

investigations and large-scale science projects are needed to extensively map the impacts

of such activities. The Arctic countries as well as the industry have a responsibility to make

sure that the damage to wildlife and ecosystems remains at a minimum despite the search

for new economic profit.

The seals are and will remain an important part of Arctic ecology and ecosystems. But

seals are also and have always been a vital source of food, clothes and income for the

people inhabiting the Arctic regions. Seal hunting and seal management in Greenland is

described in the next chapters.

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22823/0

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3. Seals as a hunted resource

For millennia seals have been vital for the survival and welfare of Inuit people in Greenland

as well as in other parts of the Arctic region. Essential products from seals included meat

for consumption for humans and for dogs, skins for clothing and fuel in the form of

blubber for lamps. As such seals formed the basis of the Greenlandic households. But seal

products were also used to produce other equally important items such as tools, kayaks

and tents, and they were used for decoration and jewelry. Hence, all parts of the seal were

being utilized, and seals were thus the backbone of Inuit culture and everyday life.

Today, the seal continues to form the commercial basis for many people in Greenland, and

the seal hunt is larger than ever with approximately 150,000 animals a year being caught

(Rosing-Asvid 2010). The seal hunt provides an important income for the approximately

two thousand full time hunters in Greenland both as a means of trade in sealskin and for

consumption. Seals are also subject to game hunting from parts of the 5000 leisure

hunters in Greenland. Hence, seal hunting remains a central traditional, cultural and

economic part of the Greenlandic people and their identity.

Seal management

To secure and maintain sustainable hunting levels, management based on solid scientific

advice is required. Harp and hooded seals in the Arctic are managed by the individual

Arctic countries upon advice on sustainable utilization from a joint working group under

the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and the Northwest Atlantic

Fisheries Organization (ICES/NAFO). The working group consists of researchers from

Norway, Canada, Greenland and Russia

. Greenland and Canada have no bilateral

management agreements regarding shared populations of harp and hooded seal but meet

regularly to discuss common species such as seals and fish. In Canada, quotas on these two

seal species are set from a unilateral decision from Canada, although quotas are set upon

advice from ICES/NAFO. In Greenland, there are no quotas on harp and hooded seals but

the hunt is considered as being sustainable (Government of Greenland 2012a).

Also the hunt of ringed seal in Greenland is unlimited, and no international governing body

regulates the harvest of ringed seals. Advice on sustainable hunting and management of

ringed seals lies with the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO)

. As is

the case with the harp and hooded seal hunt, the hunt of ringed seals in Greenland is

considered sustainable (Government of Greenland 2012a).

http://www.natur.gl/

http://www.natur.gl/en/birds-and-mammals/marine-mammals/ringed-seal/

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The Greenlandic seal harvest – in numbers

In Greenland there are no hunting quotas on harp, ringed, hooded and bearded seals,

while harbor and grey seals are fully protected. Hunting licenses are used to control the

harvest of seals, and hunters are bound to submit a catch report annually to the

Government of Greenland, Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, and Agriculture. This reporting

system makes it possible to monitor and evaluate catch levels of the different species of

seals at a local as well as national level (Government of Greenland 2012a).

Seals can be hunted at any time of the year. For the years 1995 – 2010, the mean catch of

harp, ringed and hooded seals in Greenland was 81.016, 78.512 and 5.437 animals,

respectively, which sums up to a total mean catch of 162,185 seals (Fig. 4).

Annual catch of seals in Greenland

200,000

180,000

160,000

140,000

120,000

100,000

80,000

60,000

40,000

20,000

0,000

1993

1998

2003

2008

Harp seal

Ringed seal

Hooded seal

Total catch

Year

Fig. 4.

Annual catch of harp, ringed and hooded seals in Greenland from 1993-2010. Mean catch of

the three species for the period was 162,185 animals. Data extracted from

Government of

Greenland 2012a&b

The harp and ringed seal are by far the most important seals in Greenland from a hunting

and socioeconomic perspective. In the years 2009 and 2010 (most recent data available),

the catch of these two species made up 98 % of the total catch of seals in Greenland

(Government of Greenland 2012). Mean catch of harp, ringed and hooded seals per hunter

is roughly 23 á year, however most seals are caught by full time hunters, at least this is

true for the ringed seals.

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The harbor seal and the grey seal have been totally protected in all of Greenland since

November 2010

. This hunting ban will be maintained until the biological advice shows

that the populations can sustain a hunt. Lactating females and their pups are likewise

protected as is pups with lanugo hair (‘white-coats’). This protection applies for all the

Greenlandic seal species.

Greenlandic hunters – in numbers

All engaged in hunting in Greenland must have a valid hunting license. There are two types

of licenses: a full time license or a leisure license. Being a full time hunter requires that at

least 50 % of your income comes from hunting. Full time hunters can be licensed to hunt

species like baleen whales and polar bears that leisure hunters are not allowed to hunt.

Since 2009 only full time hunters qualify to sell sealskins to the tannery Great Greenland

A/S (Government of Greenland 2012a). The Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture

administrates and manages nearly all aspects of hunting and fishing in Greenland,

including management of hunting quotas, issuance of licenses and permits and trading

subsidies for sealskins

. To obtain a hunting license in Greenland you will have to apply for

one of the two specific licenses and pay a small amount annually to the Greenland

Government. The age limit is 12 years to obtain a hunting license. No tests or training in

hunting theory or hunting skills are required to obtain a hunting license in Greenland.

Hunting skills are often passed on from father to son.

In 2011

a total of 7,033 hunting licenses were issued in Greenland, of which 2,060 were

full time licenses and 4,973 leisure licenses. The number of full time hunters has been

fairly stable at around 2000 while the number of leisure hunters in 2011 was the lowest

since 2007. In the years 2007 – 2010 there were between 5000 – 6000 leisure hunters in

Greenland. The youngest age groups that are represented in the statistics are the 12-14

year-olds. In 2011, 33 of the 12-14 year-olds were given a hunting license; of these one

was registered as a full time hunter (Government of Greenland 2012b).

In the Last Ice Area, only one town and a few residential settlements are found (Fig. 5).

Qaanaaq (77° N, 69° W) at the mouth of Inglefield Bredning is the largest one with 656

inhabitants (Table 3). The total human population is 782 individuals

divided between one

town, Qaanaaq, and three settlements, previously four (Table 3). In 2011 144 inhabitants

in the Qaanaaq area were registered as hunters, where 78 were full time hunters and 66

leisure hunters (Government of Greenland 2012b).

Selvstyrets bekendtgørelse nr. 16 af 12. november 2010 om beskyttelse og fangst af sæler.

http://naalakkersuisut.gl/da/Naalakkersuisut/Departementer/Fiskeri-Fangst-og-Landbrug/Fangst-og-

jagtafdelingen.

Latest available numbers.

Numbers are from February 2013: http://www.qaasuitsup.gl/

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Fig. 5. The town Qaanaaq and the settlements Siorapaluk, Savissivik, Qeqertat and Moriusaq

located in the Greenland part of the Last Ice Area.

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Settlements and inhabitants in LIA (West Greenland)

Qaanaaq

Siorapaluk

Savissivik

Qeqertat

Moriusaq

Total

656

782

Table 3.

One town, Qaanaaq, and three settlements (previously four but Moriusaq is now

depopulated) in the LIA (Northwest Greenland) and number of inhabitants.

Source: http://www.qaasuitsup.gl/ (of November 2013).

The Qaasuitsup Kommunia, where Qaanaaq is located in the far north, is the world largest

spatial municipality. It stretches more than 1,600 km from just above the Arctic Circle

(66.56°) to 81° N covering an area of more than 660.000 km

. A little less than 18,000

people inhabit the area. The largest industry here is, without comparison, the fishing

industry; although activities involving mining and oil- and gas exploration are on-going and

might take the lead as the largest source for employment and income in this remote area

in the future

. In Qaanaaq, and the other smaller settlements in the area, hunting is still

the largest profession (Jensen et al. 2003). In 2009 and 2010, Qaanaaq was the

management area with the third highest catch numbers, after Upernavik and Nuuk. The

most important prey species in Qaanaaq are seals (ringed seal in particular), beluga whale

(Delphinapterus

leucas)

and narwhal (Monodon

monoceros)

but also walrus, polar bear,

musk oxen (Ovibos

moschatus),

and reindeer (Rangifer

tarandus)

are essential prey

species for the people here. Other catches include birds and fish e.g. little auks (Alle

alle)

and Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius

hippoglossoides).

http://www.qaasuitsup.gl/~/media/Files/Om-komunen/Fakta-om-

kommunen/Qaasuitsup_KommuniaPraesentationDK.ashx

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Dinghy and two kayaks at the waterfront in Qaanaaq, Inglefield Bredning. Photo: Eva Garde.

How to hunt a seal in Greenland…

In Greenland, there are four traditional ways to hunt seals (Government of Greenland

2012a):



Open water hunt from dinghies

Hunting on the ice

Hunting from the ice edge

Hunting using nets

Open water hunting

from open dinghies and small boats using riffles are often a one-man

activity (Fig. 6). It is performed in the summer period or when sea ice cover permits sailing.

This type of hunting requires experience and good hunting skills. Harp seals are exclusively

hunted from boats with riffles. The risk of striking and losing the targeted seal during this

kind of hunting is present, but the rate of struck-and-lost

depends on the time of year

and the salinity of surface water. The loss rate is highest in May and June, where up to one

third of harp seals may be lost, depending on hunter experience (Government of

Greenland 2012a). In this period harp seals are lean after having lost a fair share of their

body weight during annual moult. With no pronounced blubber layer, the seals are prone

to sink before the hunter can reach them and haul them into the boat. In autumn, when

the majority of harp seal hunting takes place and when the fat reserves have been

reinstalled, the loss rate is significantly reduced. Localities and time of year are also a

factor, as salinity in the water tends to keep animals floating for a longer time than in

areas with fresh water. In winter, when salinity is high and the seals have thick layers of

blubber, the struck-and-lost rate is at the lowest.

Struck and lost

is defined as animals being killed or fatally wounded but not recovered by hunters.

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Hunting on the ice

is performed during spring when sea ice is still stable and when ringed

seals haul out near their breathing holes. This kind of hunting is done using a white piece

of canvas that the hunter hides behind as he slowly crawls toward the seal until he has

reached an appropriate shooting distance. He will try to hit the seal with a deadly shot,

preferable in the head, as the seal will be lost to him if it reaches the breathing hole.

Hunting from the ice edge

takes place during springtime and mainly ringed seals are the

targets. The hunter will bring a kayak or a small boat on his dog sledge to haul up the seal

when shot.

Hunting seals using nets

under the sea ice is common in Greenland where no other hunting

methods are possible during the months of winter darkness (in the north this period

extends from October to March). Especially ringed seals are taken using this method. Nets

are most widely used in northern Greenland, where darkness rules for months and ice

conditions favors this type of hunting (Fig. 6). In some municipalities about two thirds of

total ringed seal catch is constituted by the use of nets. Setting and tending to the nets is

influenced by the duration and stability of fast ice cover, amount of snow, and wind speed.

Seal hunting on sea ice, Scoresbysund/Ittoqqortoormiit, East Greenland. © Carsten Egevang/ARC-PIC.COM.

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100

Distribution of catches (%)

within the region

North

Greenland

Disko Bay

West

Greenland

Region

Distribution of catches (%)

between the regions

North

Greenland

Disko Bay

West

Greenland

Region

South

Greenland

East

Greenland

Net

Riffles

South

Greenland

East

Greenland

Net

Riffles

Fig. 6.

Distribution in percentage (%) of ringed seals catches using nets and riffles within (A)

and between (B) the Greenlandic regions (year 1993-2009). Data retrieved from

Government of Greenland 2012.

There are several different hunting methods used to catch seals in the Arctic that all

depend on the specific conditions that characterize each hunting location (NAMMCO

2004). These include the species of seal hunted, weather and ice conditions, the time of

year and whether daylight or polar darkness rules. A set of recommendations was put

down at a NAMMCO workshop in Denmark in 2004 where experts and stakeholders met

to discuss hunting methods for seals and walrus (NAMMCO 2004). Recommendations

included:

hunter training

to e.g. reduce suffering of animals and minimize struck-and lost-

rates, in particular training of inexperienced hunters was recommended and that such

training should be a continuous process for all hunters in general;

better estimates of

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struck-and-lost numbers

and a recognition of that reduced struck-and-lost numbers would

benefit hunters because of potential higher catches, less unnecessary suffering to animals

and better public image;

minimization of animal suffering

through minimizing killing times

and avoid letting injured animals escape;

technical innovation

into developing new

equipment and hunting techniques;

objective studies on terminal ballistics of various

calibre and bullet types

in the hunting should be carried out;

full utilization of catches

and

hunter safety

(NAMMCO 2004).

In Denmark Animal welfare organizations

have criticized Greenland for its use of nets in

the Greenlandic seal hunt. The animals are simply taking too long time to die, they say

In 2009, a NAMMCO Expert Group met in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss best practices

in the hunting and killing of seals which was followed by a report (NAMMCO 2009). The

Expert Group also discussed netting of seals, and noted that this is an important and

widely used form of subsistence hunting in areas where there are no other alternatives

during certain periods of the year. The group further noted that limited data restricted an

assessment of the extent of suffering experienced by the seals or the cause of death using

this hunting method, and that factual information was required to explain the process of

dying under such conditions. However, seals adaptations to diving do imply that seals

caught in nets may survive for prolonged periods before unconsciousness and death

ensues, although documentation is limited (NAMMCO 2009).

Net

hunting in Greenland is most often conducted in the northern parts (Fig. 6), where lack

of daylight for periods of the year excludes the use of riffles for seal hunting, and therefore

necessitates the use of nets. The Organization of Fishermen and Hunters in Greenland

(KNAPK) strongly points out that net hunting is the only method that can be used for seal

hunting in the dark winter months

. A beneficial outcome of net hunting is that seals

caught in nets are rarely lost, and the struck-and-lost rate is therefore at an absolute

minimum.

However, although the seal hunt currently is as large as ever in Greenland, hunting seal is

not an economically viable way of life and subsidy is being provided the hunters

(Government of Greenland 2012a). The next chapter is focusing on the drop in the

Greenlandic trade in sealskin and the challenges of a broken business to rise from the fall.

Dyrenes Beskyttelse og Selskab for Bevarelse af Havpattedyr

http://www.knr.gl/kl/node/60923

http://sermitsiaq.ag/wwf-stoetter-groenlandsk-saelfangst

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4. The fall of an ancient profession

Since world market prices on sealskin collapsed as a result of the anti-sealing campaigns in

the 1970s and 1980s (Box 1), the Government of Greenland has seen it necessary to

subsidize the Greenlandic trade in sealskin. Hunting seals is no longer an economically

viable way of living for the Greenlandic hunters without a subsidy, and the Government of

Greenland uses millions of Danish Kroner annually to subsidies the trade in sealskin

(Government of Greenland 2012a). The majority of sealskins are sold by the hunters to

Great Greenland A/S, and hunters are paid 200 - 300 DKK per skin they sell (data from the

years 2005 – 2010) (Government of Greenland 2011). Since 2006 the trade in sealskin from

Greenland has dropped 90 % (Fig. 7a). The market value of sealskin has decreased from

approximately 60 million DKK in 2006 to less than six million DKK in 2010 (Fig. 7b). In 2004

the average value per skin was 393 DKK, in 2006 the value had increased to 656 DKK, but

in 2010 upon implementation of the EU import ban of 2009, the value dropped

significantly to 249 DKK.

No. of skins sold (thousand DKK)

140

120

100

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Value (mio. DKK)

2002

2004

2006

Year

2008

2010

2012

Fig. 7.

Number of sealskins sold in Greenland in the years 2004 – 2010 (a), and the market value in

million DKK. of these skins traded in the same period (b). Data retrieved from the Government of

Greenland 2011.

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In 2006 the EU Parliament put forward a request for the EU commission to ban all seal

products into the EU (cap. 5). Before this initiative the EU was a significant trade market

for Greenlandic sealskin but as a consequence of the initiative sales dropped significantly,

and today Great Greenland aims for the Asian market (Government of Greenland 2011).

In Greenland discussions about the future of the sealskin business has focused on the poor

economic outcome of the seal harvest, as the difference between market value of skins

and government subsidies is now close to zero or even negative. But the consequences of

a lower or complete cancellation of subsidies are grim for small communities where trade

in seal is one of the few economic activities the population can engage in. The social

consequences of reduced or no subsidy and closure of local trade stations may well

increase the dependence of social security services or even migration from the smaller

settlements to the cities

The considerable dive in traded skins was mainly caused by anti-sealing campaigns, and

the EU import ban of 2009

of all seal products into the European Union and its

subsequent implementation in 2010

. Even though the import ban still allows Inuit

communities to trade their sealskins on the European markets, most consumers are not

familiar with this exemption to the ban, and several department stores (e.g. the Danish

Magasin Du Nord owned by British Debenhams) have completely stopped their trade in

sealskin products due to the EU ban and decreasing demand.

Inuit Sila - the Greenlandic pro-sealing campaign

As a response to the European seal ban policy and years of anti-sealing campaigns; the

Greenlandic campaign Inuit Sila

was started in 2012. The campaign is by and for the

Greenlandic hunters and supports the hunters and their families in more than 60

Greenlandic settlements. The main goal of the campaign is to raise awareness of the

sustainable hunt of seal conducted by the Inuit peoples, and to draw attention to the

negative impacts of the EU import ban on seal products.

On May 1

2012 the campaign initiated a demonstration in the streets of Copenhagen,

Denmark, hosted by the KNAPK. The purpose of the demonstration was to raise awareness

of the effects of the EU regulation and to voice the need for an information campaign on

sealskin. The Inuit campaign is announced to continue until fair conditions for the

Greenlandic hunters have been achieved.

http://www.eu-oplysningen.dk/upload/application/pdf/7bb8988c/2008KOM0469svar1.pdf

Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of The European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009

on trade in seal products.

Commission Regulation (EU) No 737/2010 of 10 August 2010 laying down detailed rules for the

implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on

trade in seal products.

http://www.inuitsila.org/

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campaign started, they say, the sale of sealskin has slightly gone up, and now the Danish

Box 1

The 1970’s and 1980’s anti-sealing campaigns

Greenpeace, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and other animal welfare

organizations were the first to actively campaign against the Canadian commercial sealing in

the 1970s and 1980s. Campaigns

were started as a response to Canada’s many years of

sealing using clubs and hakapiks directed towards harp seal pups (‘white-coats’ or ‘baby

seals’ ) on the breeding grounds of Newfoundland and Labrador. The campaigns were not

aimed at the Greenlandic seal hunt, but the consequences were as severe.

The organizations protested against what they perceived as a cruel and brutal

slaughter of baby seals only for the purpose of selling their white pelts for luxury products

(Ifaw.org). The campaigns and their direct actions included forcing sealing ships to a halt by

standing on the sea ice in front of their path, physically removing seal pups away from the

sealers, and spray paint baby seals to render pelts worthless. Also, celebrities like Bridget

Bardot advocated against sealing.

The campaigns created a lot of attention from media and the public worldwide. In

1983, as a result of the campaigns and public pressure against sealing, the Council of

Ministers of the European Economic Community (EEC) approved a directive banning the

import of skins of harp seal pups. This ban destroyed the market for not only the

commercial sealing industry, but the Inuit trade in sealskin as well.

Since then, several animal welfare groups such as the IFAW (IFAW 2009) and the

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have taken the lead in continuing anti-

sealing campaigns.

A Greenpeace activist

sprays a seal with harmless

dye to render its pelt

worthless to commercial

hunters in 1982.

http://www.greenpeace.org

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And according to KNAPK the campaign seems to be working as planned (interview with

KNAPK in Nuuk, June 2013). Since the campaign started people know more about seals

and how and why seals are a hunted resource in Greenland, but KNAPK will not settle with

the Danes. Yet another

demonstration, similar to the 2012 demonstration in Copenhagen, is

under preparation to take place in a so far unknown European capital to raise further

awareness in Europe.

The campaign also aims at turning an unfortunate situation where

Greenlandic hunters can barely sell their sealskin because of bans and misunderstanding

from consumers about seals and seal hunting, into a positive one. KNAPK want to promote

the Greenlandic seal hunt as sustainable as well as essential for the Greenlandic culture

and livelihoods of hunters and their families.

And the Greenlandic sealskins are now certified. In April 2013 the EU Commission

recognized the Greenland Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture as the issuing

authority attesting certificates

for the placing on the EU market of seals products deriving

from Inuit hunts

, 27

. The certificate states that; ‘Sealskins used in products with these tags

are from a sustainable Inuit source and imported to EU from Greenland according to

regulations’. Skins and products can also be traced back to its origin using a control

number

But, according to the Inuit Sila homepage, the majority of people, at least in Denmark, are

unaware of the Inuit exemption as well as of the certification mark, and consumers are still

reluctant to buy Greenlandic sealskin

Also Great Greenland A/S

, that buy skins from Greenlandic hunters under a service

agreement with the Government of Greenland, actively promotes the Greenlandic seal by

attracting famous and modern designers like the Danish designer Benedicte Utzon

. She

created the applauded 2013 collection that at the Copenhagen

Fashion Week was

accompanied by photos

of Greenlandic wildlife and traditional lifestyle by photographer

Carsten Egevang

Great Greenland A/S also has new environmental beneficial initiatives under way. New

technologies at the Great Greenland tannery ensure, according to the Great Greenland

homepage

, that there is no wastage of contaminated water or other things that can

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/animal_welfare/seals/pdf/2013_2277_en.pdf

Implementation of the Inuit exemption became fully operational in Greenland in April 2013, following

the adoption of the Commission Decision C(2013) 9453 of 25 April 2013 recognizing the Greenland

Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture for the purposes of Article 6 of Commission Regulation

(EU) No 737/2010 of 10 August 2010 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Regulation

(EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on trade in seal products.

http://www.euprovenance.eu/default.asp

www.inuitsila.org/

http://www.greatgreenland.com/

http://www.b.dk/mode/saeler-paa-den-smarte-maade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1X9nMEiI2Y

http://www.greatgreenland.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139&Itemid=652

&lang=en

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harm the nature. A new vegetable tanning technique has also been developed, although

production is still at a trial stage.

Today Great Greenland A/S is the only company that legally sells sealskin from Greenland

for production. The reason is that Great Greenland A/S guarantees that skins originate

from Inuit hunting and therefore meets the Inuit exemption, allowing indigenous people

from the Arctic to trade sealskin on the European market. Great Greenland A/S sells skins

to the Danish North Atlantic Fur Group that trade skins to the international markets

including EU. According to the North Atlantic Fur Group (interview September 2013)

costumers, consumers and even some customs officers are unaware of the legality of the

Greenlandic sealskins and therefore North Atlantic Fur Group calls for specific information

campaigns to draw attention to their product in the EU as well as the rest of the world.

In October 2013 a new cooperation agreement was signed between Great Greenland A/S

and Kopenhagen Fur, the largest fur auction house in the world. With this agreement the

hope and expectations is to increase sales and re-establish sealskin as a coveted item on

the world's catwalks

34, 35

In the next chapter we look into the European bans in seal products and the causal reasons

for these bans.

5. Banning the seals

In 1983 the first import ban on sealskin into the EU was finalized

. This restrictive ban

included only skins from ‘white-coat’ pups of harp and hooded seals. The ban went into

force as a result of the massive anti-sealskin campaigns conducted by animal welfare

organizations in the 1970s and 1980s against Canadian sealing operations (Box 1).

Although the directive was meant to ‘only apply to products not resulting from traditional

hunting by the Inuit people’

, the impact on the Greenlandic sealskin business was severe,

and the value of sealskins dropped significantly. As a consequence, the Greenlandic

subsistence hunting on seal has been heavily subsidized since then (Government of

Greenland 2012a).

http://naalakkersuisut.gl/da/Naalakkersuisut/Pressemeddelelser/2013/10/kopenhagen_fur

http://www.kopenhagenfur.com/da/nyheder/2013/oktober-2013/den-groenlandske-sael-tilbage-

paa-catwalken

Council Directive 83/129/EEC (European Economic Community) of 28 March 1983 concerning the

importation into Member States of skins of certain seal pups and products derived therefrom.

Article 3.

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More than 20 years after, in 2006, the Written Declaration 0038/2006

from the

European Parliament was put forward, requesting the EU Commission to draft yet another

regulation, this time to ban all seal products. Two years later, in 2008, the EU Commission

decided to put forward a proposal to the EU Parliament to ban import, transit and export

of seal products from Europe

. In 2009, an EU directive concerning trade in seal products

was adopted

, which entered into force on August 10

2010

A total import ban on commercial seal products into the EU was now a reality. The

regulations include an Inuit exemption, as was also the case with the 1983 directive, which

essentially gives the Inuit people monopoly on the European sealskin market. But the

exemption is not well-known to the public and the impact of the ban has been

devastating, undermining the entire market for sealskin products – not only the intended

products stemming from commercial sealing.

The regulations of 2009 are primarily based on animal welfare issues revolving around the

Canadian hunt of harp seal on whelping grounds and the hunting methods used rather

than concerns regarding the sustainability of the hunt: ‘The hunting of seals has led to

expressions of serious concerns by members of the public and governments sensitive to

animal welfare considerations due to the pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering

which the killing and skinning of seals, as they are most frequently performed, cause to

those animals’

The 2009 EU regulation was never intended to hurt the Greenlandic hunters and the

sealskin business in Greenland; however lessons learned from previous regulations testify

that the EU could have prepared better for the consequences of its regulations. The

following text is included in the regulation of 2009: ‘The fundamental economic and social

interests of Inuit communities engaged in the hunting of seals as a means to ensure their

subsistence should not be adversely affected. (…) Placing on the market of seal products

which result from hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit and other indigenous

communities and which contribute to their subsistence should be allowed’. (…) In

particular the Commission should be empowered to define the conditions for the placing

on the market of seal products which result from hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit

and other indigenous communities and contribute to their subsistence’.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/85014109/Written-declaration-on-banning-seal-products-in-the-

European-Union

EU Commission proposal of 23 July 2008.

http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52008PC04 69:EN:NOT

Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of The European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009

on trade in seal products.

Commission Regulation (EU) No 737/2010 of 10 August 2010 laying down detailed rules for the

implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on

trade in seal products.

Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of The European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009

on trade in seal products.

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Also the Kingdom of Denmark (Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands) declare in

Strategy for the Arctic 2011-2020

to engage to ‘(…) work for the Arctic indigenous

peoples’ right to conduct hunting and to sell products from seal hunting, as long as it is

based on sustainable principles’

In February 2012, The European Bureau for Conservation and Development invited

Greenlandic and Canadian stakeholders to an open hearing held in the European

Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the EU seal ban and its consequences. Here,

head of Great Greenland A/S Lars Berg stressed that sales had fallen significantly with

serious consequences on the company’s financial situation, and as a consequence staff

numbers had fallen by almost 90 %. Furthermore, Greenland now have 290,000 sealskins

in stock as a result of decreasing sales – a stock so large that it outnumbers demands for

many years to come. Ane Hansen, former Minister for Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture,

Government of Greenland, put forward a suggestion that the EU should act in order to

support Greenland in establishing an information campaign so that people can understand

what the exemption for Inuit means and to prevent future spreading of the ban policy

. A

sentiment she also emphasized in the report ‘Management and utilization of seals in

Greenland’ (Government of Greenland 2012a). Leif Fontaine, then Chairman for KNAPK,

also emphasized that ‘The EU should take measures to mitigate the negative economic

impacts of the ban on indigenous people and should provide a fair and equitable

compensation to hunters for the difficulties they are facing because of EU decisions’. There

has been no follow-up, following the workshop in the European Parliament.

So what exactly has the EU done to inform the general public about the Inuit exemption?

Not much it seems – at least there have been no official information campaigns or other

large-scale initiatives to inform about the trade in seal products from the Inuit hunt.

According to the Directorate-General for Environment at the EU Commission, the

Commission has to be extremely careful in communicating about the trade in seal

products and sealskin as everything they say can be used in the ongoing dispute between

Canada versus the EU at the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the EU import ban

on seal products

. In November 2013, a WTO dispute settlement panel determined that

the EU seal regime was justifiable. The panel did, however, also conclude that the Inuit

exemption was applied in a way which is not consistent with WTO rules. The panel ruling is

expected to be appealed.

Regulations and relevant documents regarding the EU bans and trade in seal products can

be found on the commission’s website

http://oceansnorth.org/resources/kingdom-denmark-strategy-arctic-2011%E2%80%93-2020

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/raw-materials/files/docs/mss-denmark_en.pdf

http://ebcd.org/pdf/en/166-Report.pdf

http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds400_e.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/animal_welfare/seals/seal_hunting.htm

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6. Summary: Seals ahead….

Harp, ringed, hooded and bearded seals are found in the Last Ice Area. They are ice-seals;

they need sea ice as a platform for whelping, raising their pups and resting. With

retreating Arctic summer sea ice it will become increasingly important to treasure the

Arctic regions where summer sea ice prevails and thereby safeguard the species

depending on it.

Models have shown that by year 2040 summer sea ice in Greenland and Canada will be

restricted to the Last Ice Area

. WWF is working towards a management plan for this

biologically important region by bringing decision makers and stakeholders together for

constructive discussions about the future of the Last Ice Area. Only through action can we

ensure that areas of lasting summer sea ice will remain available for both animals and

humans in a climate changed Arctic.

But while the Arctic is facing an uncertain future in which the impacts of climate change

are difficult to predict, the majority of seal populations in the North Atlantic sector are

abundant and thriving. Despite climate change, these populations are likely to continue to

be a hunted resource for the Inuit people in the Arctic regions for many years to come.

WWF recognizes and support the Inuit hunt of seals in Greenland as long as it is

sustainable and the hunt is based on solid biological advice in collaboration with

international bodies like ICES and NAFO.

Regardless of the sustainability of the Greenlandic seal hunting and the Inuit exemption

allowing Greenlandic sealskin and other products to be sold on the European market, the

hunters and the sealskin business in Greenland are still marked by the EU bans. Although

the sale has shown a slight increase in the last few years, there is still a long way to go

before subsidy of sealskin from the Government of Greenland is no longer needed.

Recommendations

The EU must take responsibility for the unintended but very negative side effects

that the import ban has had on large parts of the inhabitants of Greenland.

The EU should address the impacts of the import ban on seal products on the

Greenlandic people and the Greenlandic sealskin business, and act in response by

informing the European public about the Inuit exemption.

The EU should support and cooperate with Greenland to inform about how to

understand the ban and the Inuit exemption and to mitigate additional ban policies

in non-EU countries.

The EU should cover the costs of establishing a potential working group consisting

of stakeholders, e.g. officials from the Government of Greenland, EU officials, the

Greenlandic sealskin business and consumers, with the purpose of evaluating the

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/last_ice_area/

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existing certification system on sealskin from Greenland with respect to costs,

control, administration, etc.

In continuation hereof, the working group could consider an expansion of the

existing certification label or the development of a new certification program for

products of the sustainable Greenlandic hunt of seals, perhaps drawing inspiration

from MSC, the certification program for sustainable seafood. Such a certification

could include and guarantee sustainable hunting levels, best practices into hunting

methods, full utilization of catches, low struck-and-lost rates, animal welfare, and

hunter experience, expertise and security, and as such be a way forward to meet

the increasing demands from conscious consumers in the EU as well as worldwide.

The EU should cover the costs of such a certification program.

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References

Andersen, J. M., Wiersma, Y. F., Stenson, G. B., Hammill, M. O., and Rosing-Asvid, A. 2009.

Movement patterns of hooded seals (Cystophora

cristata)

in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

during the post-moult and pre-breed seasons. Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery

Science 42: 1–11.

Boertmann, D. 2007. Grønlands Rødliste. Grønlands Hjemmestyre, Direktoratet for Miljø

og Natur, Nuuk, Grønland.

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