European seal bans worry Nunavut politicians

European sealing bans have become an urgent concern among Nunavut politicians after Russia decided this week to ban the hunting of baby harp seals while the European Union considers its own seal ban.

Nunavut Environment Minister Daniel Shewchuk said it's hard to tell how Russia's ban, announced Wednesday, may affect the Inuit seal hunt in the northern Canadian territory.

"Hopefully, though, the Russian market looks at our seals in the future and further down the line and the fact that we do not harvest young seals that are less than a year of age and sell them in the open market," Shewchuk told CBC News on Thursday.

"So, hopefully, it doesn't affect us that much, but we have a long way to go."

Russia's Natural Resources Ministry said the Federal Fisheries Agency issued an order Wednesday, protecting harp seal pups up to one year of age.

The move came weeks after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reportedly called the seal hunt a "bloody industry."

While the Russian ban is not a full ban on seal products, it does not help settle the anxieties of Inuit hunters whose livelihoods were devastated by anti-sealing campaigns in the 1980s.

"It just comes at a bad time when we're having difficulty with our own seal issues, and Canada is, too," Shewchuk said.

The European Parliament is set to vote April 1 on whether to ban the import of seal products while making an exemption for seals harvested by Inuit for cultural, educational or ceremonial purposes.

Iqaluit West MLA Paul Okalik said there is no time to waste on the issue, calling on the government to do something before the April 1 vote.

Speaking in Inuktitut, Okalik said Nunavut representatives need to go to Europe to show people the Inuit perspective on seal hunting. Waiting until after April 1 to act would be too little, too late, he said.

Nunavut has already sent officials to two European nations in the past three months to lobby against the EU ban. Shewchuk said the government has done all it can for now.

"But once this decision is made, then we do have to look at different strategies and ways that we're going to move on if it does affect us," he said.

The result of the European Parliament vote would still require approval from the European Council.

Shewchuk said markets for seal products outside Europe are still an option.