Hunters planning to kill 338,000 seals!

OTTAWA, Canada - April 9, 2009 - Hunters have begun the slaughter of 63,500 more seals in Canada for their fur and for use in beauty products.

The killings in Newfoundland and Quebec come ahead of another hunt next week which will see a further 188,600 seals slaughtered.

It will bring the total number of deaths in Canada to 338,000 - a 55,000 increase on last year's quota.

The killings come despite a major downturn in the price of the seal's pelts and plans for a European ban on seal products.

Environmental groups have condemned Canada's decision to boost its annual quota, describing the killings as "inhumane slaughter".

Around 19,400 seals have already been killed in the southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence, as part of "phase one".

The second phase - the quota of 63,500 - began on Wednesday along the west coast of Newfoundland province and Quebec's lower north shore.

The main hunt - the 188,600 quota - will start April 15 off the northeast coast of Newfoundland.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare said it welcomed news that fewer sealers were taking part in this year's hunt due to a "lack of markets for seal fur."

"Of course we are pleased," IFAW researcher Sheryl Fink said in a statement.

"If market conditions ultimately lead to the demise of this inhumane slaughter, that's fine by us."

According to the IFAW, sealskin prices have fallen to £8 from £51 in 2006.

Canada's Fisheries and Oceans department valued the Canadian seal hunt at £4m last year, down from just under £7m in 2007 and £18m in 2006.

The seals are hunted mainly for their pelts, but also for meat and fat, which is used in beauty products.