I don't want to get into the arguments this thread is generating, but there are certain things I know from my career as a conservation office. I worked with the officers of the Dept. of Fisheries & Forestry out of Halifax when we were all charged with enforcing international treaties.

1. Organizations like Greenpeace have been caught and exposed setting up and filming the brutal slaughter of seals, and the whole idea was to make it look as cruel as they could for the express purpose of inflaming the viewers.

2. I don't know how it is these days, but when I was on the job, only the little white pups were taken. That video showed juveniles and adults.

3. Blaming the drop in fish on the seals just doesn't hold water. Our lobster fishermen used to complain that seals were taking too many lobsters. That was also a myth. The lobsters are dwindling in numbers because of the airplane. Worldwide markets have demanded more and more lobsters to the point that natives can't afford to eat them anymore.
When In was a warden, the annual catch of lobsters in Maijne was around 20 million pounds. Since that time, the catch doubled, and is now falling off again.
As Pogo said, We have met the enemy, and he is us.

Finally, I was appalled at that Canadian ship that collided with the ship that was being used to interfer with the seal harvest. It was a deliberate collision, and the protesters ship clearly had the right of way. That's why all ships have a red sidelight on their port side, and a green light on starboard. The CG ship was showing a green light yet not yielding the right of way.That's a violation of the rules of the road.
No matter where you stand on seal killing, even if it is legal, ramming another ship is a violation of international law. I can't believe that the Canadian government would condone that act!