# Clubbing baby seals in Newfoundland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clubbing-baby-seals-in-newfoundland/147570 "2003-01-09T19:03:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hrdygrdymn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Hrdygrdymn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hrdygrdymn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clubbing-baby-seals-in-newfoundland/147570/21 "2003-01-11T06:43:22Z")
Clubbing for fur is only one motive. Culling herds is frequently seen as a necessary step in reviving the nearly dead cod fishery. And let’s not forget, if we hadn’t gone and killed most of the seal pup-eating whales, the seal population wouldn’t be the problem it is in some places. If you were a Newfoundland fisher whose traditional livelihood had been destroyed by overfishing (largely from foreign fleets), seal clubbing might seem like a way to ensure future cod stocks, plus put some food on the table (literally and figuratively) in the short term. We going to fault only them for playing mother nature? I think it has to do with the fact that seals have big eyes. Seriously. If they were clubbing sewer rats would there be all the fuss? BTW Its more of a heavy sharp hook than a club. Death is quick (usually) and they tend not to get away. ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clubbing-baby-seals-in-newfoundland/147570/22 "2003-02-03T09:17:09Z")
> [@](#): > > I am just wondering if there were ever roving bands of men with clubs whacking baby seals. Yes there were. I was born and raised in Newfoundland (living in Alberta now). I highly recommend [Death On the Ice](http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~n43aid/dyke2.html) by Cassie Brown. It tells the story of a tragic series of events in 1914 which left 133 men stranded on the ocean ice during a blizzard for 2 days. 55 survived, my great-uncle was one of them. While the men of the _Newfoundland_ were on the ice [the Southern Cross](http://cjtm.icaap.org/content/10/v10art4.html) was lost on its way back to St. Johns, 173 men died. Before this the worst season was 1898 when [the Greenland](http://ngb.chebucto.org/Articles/greenland.html) lost 48 men, also frozen during a blizzard on the ice. These weren’t bloodthirsty men out to kill defenseless baby seals for the sport, they were hard-working family men who spent 2-3 weeks living in horrendous conditions to earn a few dollars. And I mean a few dollars, I don’t have my copy of \*Death On the Ice \* handy, but IIRC they would make $50-150 for the trip, depending on the success of the hunt. And at least one man, George Tuff, survived **both** disasters. > [@](#): > > They had a hard time facing the conditions. The sealers lived in hope and their living conditions were poor. They wore poor clothing. When they were on the ice they almost froze to death in the clothes that they were wearing. There was barely enough food for everyone as well. The sealers ate hard bread and drank black tea(Brown,1972). Their sleeping conditions were also poor. They slept in holds on the vessel. They had to build their own beds from any material that they could find on the ship. When the hole was filled with seal pelts, the men had no other choice but to sleep on them. These days [sealing](http://www.k12.nf.ca/roncallips/roncallian/seal/seal.htm) is much different. The protests of the 70’s and 80’s led to the Canadian government banning the harvest of whitecoats and the use of boats longer than 65 feet. And no they don’t use clubs anymore: > [@](#): > > Today Section 8, of the Marine Mammals Regulations states, that no person is allowed to kill a marine mammal without the use of a high powered rifle; shotguns, slugs, or traditional clubs are no longer permitted in the killing of marine mammals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clubbing-baby-seals-in-newfoundland/147570.md?page=1)