Culture & Livelihood

Sealing is a vital activity for tens of thousands of rural and Indigenous Canadians across the country. Harp Seal are harvested primarily in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Magdalen Islands, with smaller traditional or occasional harvests also taking place in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Ringed Seal are harvested across the North, including Nunavut, northern Quebec and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. As Grey Seal populations have grown in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, grey seal harvesting has developed in Nova Scotia, the Magdalen Islands, and New Brunswick. More recently, Indigenous communities in British Columbia have also revived the harvest of harbour seals, including in response to concerns about their predation on salmon populations.

This Certification allows products harvested by Indigenous communities and/or made by Indigenous crafters to be marketed and sold on the Proudly Indigenous Crafts & Designs (PIC&D) online store. PIC&D is working with recognized bodies to ensure consumers receive high quality and authentic Indigenous seal products.

At the national level, the economic contribution of sealing is small—yet it represents a significant source of income for over 6,000 individuals and their families for Atlantic Canada coastal communities at a time of year when employment opportunities are extremely limited. In some communities, over 25% of households take part in the hunt, and among those people the hunt can account for 25-35% of their annual income.

Indigenous peoples in Canada have a constitutionally-protected right to harvest marine mammals, including seals, as long as the harvest is consistent with conservation needs and other requirements. Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.