PHOTO: IFAW/Stewart Cook

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IFAW representatives are monitoring and documenting this year's hunt, both from the air and on the ice itself. In the last five years alone, IFAW has submitted video evidence of more than 660 probable violations of Canada's marine mammal regulations to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). To date, no charges have been placed.

These abuses include skinning live seals, dragging live seals across the ice with hooks and shooting seals and leaving them to suffer.

Sealers are required by law to perform a simple test to determine if the seal is dead before skinning it. IFAW observers rarely witness any sealers performing this test. IFAW submitted the footage to the DFO as evidence of extreme cruelty to animals and gross infractions of the marine mammal regulations that control the commercial seal hunt. Last month, a DFO representative contacted IFAW to say they would not be pressing charges.

(Please continue for information on what you can do to help stop the slaughter.)