May 6, 2009—The European Parliament has voted to ban the import of seal products, mainly from Canada, in an effort to stop that country's annual seal hunt—angering some Canadian fishers and Inuit people. Warning: graphic video.

© 2009 National Geographic (AP)

Unedited Transcript

The European Parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to ban imports of seal products. Its part of an effort to force Canada to end its annual seal hunt, the worlds largest.

The EU voted to endorse a bill that said commercial seal hunting, notably in Canada, is "inherently inhumane."

EU governments still need to back the law, but officials called that a formality and said the ban is expected to take effect in October.

The EU ban will apply to all products and processed goods derived from seals, including their skins, used to make fur coats, bags and adorn clothing, as well as meat, oil blubber, organs and seal oil, used in some omega-3 pills.

Animal rights advocates, who consider the hunt barbaric, welcomed the vote.

SOUNDBITE (English) Robbie Marsland, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Seals Program director: "To see the wishes of the people of Europe come true and for Europe and their politicians and parliamentarians to ban the trade in what is an unsustainable and cruel, inhumane and unnecessary hunt - I am over the moon that this is come to an end."

But Canadian fishermen, many of whom earn money from the seal hunt, are not happy. Some are calling for a cutoff of sale of all products to Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English) Gordon Noseworthy, Twillingate Harbor Authority: "Big source of income for all inshore fishermen, all around Newfoundland coast. But for sure, there are lots of things Newfoundland got that they want, so we shouldn't sell them none of it."

Inuit groups said the restrictions will spell disaster for their communities, and that there is a long history of others making decisions that hurt the Inuit community.

SOUNDBITE (English) Mary Wilman, Inuit business owner: "I think they're very uneducated, self-righteous people. They have no clue what their policy will have impact on us, Inuit. To me, it just comes to show how ignorant they are."

Canada's East Coast seal hunt kills an average of 300-thousand harp seals every year.

The EU bill targeted the Canadian hunt because of the size of the annual slaughter and the way seals are killed, either clubbed or shot with rifles.

Seals are also hunted in several other countries, including Namibia and the countries of Scandinavia.