phone: 709 579 1205
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If you have any questions or
comments, please write to: "T.N.G." Box 625 Station C, St. John's Newfoundland
CANADA A1C 5K8
phone: 709 579 1205 |
Seals are native to Canada's maritime bio-region and the Newfoundland Seal cull is age old. Origionally, the seal cull was carried out by Canada's indigenous peoples. Later, settlers continued the phenomenon of a seal fishery for food and industry.
Early seal harvesters would use nets to catch seals. They would set their nets near the shore and trap the animals. On the Atlantic seaboard, "Swiling" from the shore depended for it's success on north east winds to drive ice and seals inshore.
Later, harvesters would set to sea in schooners that were 20-40 ton boats. It was 1793 that schooners are first recorded sailing to the Newfoundland ice flows for the seal cull. In the mid-ninteenth century, even larger steel hulled ships were used.
the use of steel hulled ships was the height of Newfoundland's sealing industry. And much history and folklore surrounds ships such as the Kyle, the Portia, the Prospero, the Florizel, the Terra Nova, the Viking, the Stephano and others.
Swiling folklore can focus on famous figures such as Captain Abram Kean, it can focus on myths like the "Seal Prince" or on calamities and distasters such as the 1914 Sealing disaster.
The
1914 Sealing disaster occurred on March 30, 1914 when 115 swilers accidently
left on the ice floes of the North Atlantic in a blizzard. They were stranded
for 53 hours. The swilers had no food, no protective clothing and no shelter.
In the 1014 Sealing Disaster 78 swilers died from drowning or exposure
while 11 more were permanently disabled.
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| Ships like this one, the S.S. Bruce, are symbols of the height of Newfoundland's sealing industry. There is much history and folklore about such vessels the traditional North Atlantic seal harvest. |
The traditional method of seal culling involves sailing to the large expanses of ice flows that surround the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts in the spring. Ships would stop in or near the ice and the crews of "swilers" would comb the ice in search for seal herds.
The "swilers" would use a long wooden gaff to harvest the seals. Later, rifles would be used in the seal harvest.
The first year which there is any definate information on the seal cull is 1749. In this year the value of seal oil exported from Newfoundland was $5000. In 1768 the value of seal oil exports was over $60 000.
The number of seals harvested varies considerably from year to year and the seal hunt vies with the cod fishery for it's uncertainty. The Seal cull depends on favourable wind and weather.
Historically,
in years of adverse weather conditions there have been small returns. Examples
of the fluctuations in the seal industry can be illustrated by the years
1816 to1818; In 1816 147,009 seals were recorded harvested by Newfoundland
swilers. However, in 1817 the number had dropped to 37,338 and in 1818
the number had risen to 165,622 pelts.
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1815...141,370 seals harvested 1825...221,510 seals harvested 1831...559,342 seals harvested 1842...344,683 seals harvested 1844...685,530 seals harvested 1852...534,378 seals harvested 1862...268,624 seals harvested 1871...537,094 seals harvested 1880...223,795 seals harvested 1882...200,500 seals harvested |
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| An inshore fisherman sells seal carcasses
while behind him is bearthed one of the many draggers that are contributing
to the destruction of the North Atlantic bio-mass
It is the opinion of the Terra Nova Greens that not only must the seal cull be regulated, but animal groups must act against the industrial draggers that rape the north atlantic. |
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This is a harp seal . The spot on its back is where an electronic device had been placed for research purposes. Newfoundland. 1999. H. Pinsent |
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Two seals enjoy the weather and the water. The seal on the left is a harp seal. The seal on the right is a hood seal. They are two different species. Newfoundland. 1999. H. Pinsent. |
See Captain Abram Kean for one of Newfoundland's most famous and controversial sealing Captains.
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TERRA
NOVA GREENS |
Newfoundland
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Newfoundland Heritage site index membership The Beothuk |