And so the seal debate continues for another year. I found this somewhat helpful for info: FAQs: The Atlantic Seal Hunt. Either way, people's minds are usually made up in terms of this issue. Thoughts?

In all fairness, good for the EU. This is a "tradition" Canada can do without. Now, if people want to hunt seal humanely and not beat them with clubs, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to hunt, but maybe if it becomes less profitable, some of these idiots will change their policies on the issue.

I've also heard Danny Williams state that 90% are shot.

The ban has passed recently with no exemption so Canada is planning on taking this issue to the WTO.

While I am glad that Canada plans to bring this issue to the WTO, I have to say that I'm kind of confused about the whole debate over the 'humane'-ness of the killing. I don't particularly approve of animals being slaughtered in any way and so I don't get how people have come up with supposedly 'humane' ways of killing them. The end result is that they're killed. Whether or not it was put through 2 minutes of pain or 10 minutes of pain seems irrelevant to me. The most humane way to slaughter an animal is to not slaughter them!! I appreciate how there is a necessity to kill certain animals due to overpopulation problems but I just don't think these hunters should be praised for being 'humane' when in the end they're still taking an animal's life.

There's certainly no glory in killing any animal. I think the issue here is people tend to accept killing cows, pigs, lobsters, etc. but seals are somehow more special then any of those animals.

I think people condone the killing of animals like cows and lobsters simply because they're being killed mainly as a food source. Not that seal meat isn't consumed by people, but as far as I know (that being the key phrase here) seals are killed more so because their fat and other parts can be used in the production of commercialized products (like cosmetics).
People justify the killing of animals like chickens and pigs because they're considered a source of sustenance--which they are. Being a carnivore this seems like a good enough justification to me...though I know that's awfully hypocritical.
But it seems to me that it's just as hypocritical to promote and partake in killing rituals that are supposedly 'humane' when in actuality you're still killing the animal--be it seal, cow, bunny, or elephant.
In a way it just feels like this topic is a circular exercise in futility between the animal rights people who don't want the seals killed at all versus the hunters who feel a compromise is being made by killing them 'humanely'. To me it doesn't seem like there is one obvious correct choice all around--both sides have different but significant cons--and who knows if a proper solution can actually be reached....*sigh*