Inuit Seal Hunting in Canada: Emerging Narratives in an Old Controversy

Vocabulary flashcards defining key terminology, policies, and concepts related to the history, controversies, and narratives of Inuit and Atlantic seal hunting in Canada.

Hakapik

A club-like tool fitted with a hammer and hook used to harvest seals in Atlantic Canada.

Villain-Hero-Victim Narrative

A strategic campaign narrative deployed by animal rights media groups that portrayed seal pups as innocent victims, Atlantic sealers as villains, and animal rights groups as heroes.

Narrative

In its simplest form, a story designed to resonate deeply with audiences, help make sense of complex issues, and guide organizational or policy action.

Hashtag Activism

The rapid dissemination of a narrative coined in a single phrase on social media platforms to spark dialogue and mobilize legislative or social change.

Whitecoats

Newborn harp seals whose commercial harvesting was officially banned by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in $1987$.

Bluebacks

Newborn hooded seals whose commercial harvesting was officially prohibited by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in $1987$.

Three-Step Process

A science-based, humane harvesting method codified into Canadian law in $2008$ requiring sealers to strike, check, and bleed the seal.

Commercial Fisheries Licensing Policy for Eastern Canada (1996)

The regulatory policy enacted under the Fisheries Act that strictly governs the issuance of commercial sealing licenses in Atlantic Canada.

Ringed Seal

The seal species most commonly harvested and sold to commercial markets by Inuit in the Canadian Arctic.

Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009

A European Union regulation banning the import of seal products on moral grounds while including a poorly implemented exemption for Inuit-harvested seal products.

sealfie

An Inuit-led social media hashtag campaign launched in $2014$ featuring photos of Inuit wearing or eating seal to reclaim the narrative regarding seal hunting, culture, and survival.

Angry Inuk

A $2016$ award-winning documentary film directed by Inuit filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril detailing the damaging effects of animal rights campaigns on Inuit communities.

Seal Day on The Hill

A government-hosted event held in May $2016$ in Ottawa to promote seal products and showcase Canadian federal support for the seal hunt.

Certification and Market Access Program for Seals (CMAPS)

A $5.7\text{ million dollar}$ Canadian federal program established to certify Inuit-harvested seals for European Union exemption compliance and expand market access.

National Seal Products Day

An official Canadian holiday established in $2017$ to recognize the cultural and economic significance of sealing for Indigenous peoples, coastal communities, and the country.