More training needed for sealers: vet

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More training needed for sealers: vet

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New rules adopted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to ensure seals are killed humanely should be accompanied by better training for sealers, says a member of the veterinary panel that looked into the issue.

A group of nine veterinarians from Canada, the U.S. and Europe met in August 2005 to look at ways to minimize or eliminate suffering of animals during the seal hunt. One of the recommendations was a three-step process for killing, including bleeding the animal after it has been clubbed or shot.

Dr. Pierre Yves Daoust of Charlottetown's Atlantic Veterinary College, a member of the panel, said he's pleased this practice was adopted, but added training in the method is important.

Sealers have to apprentice for two years to get a licence, but Daoust told CBC News Tuesday that apprenticing on the ice isn't enough.

"Something more structured, more formal in the form of a workshop [is needed]," he said.

"Maybe one- or two-day workshops where various aspects of the hunt are addressed, including the proper humane way of killing an animal including ensuring that it is dead."

DFO spokesman Kevin Stringer said the department is looking into that.

"When it comes to moving forward on the three-step process we will have to ensure that there is the ability to make sure that folks understand exactly how to do that," said Stringer.

"Whether that's information sessions, or training, or getting the veterinarians in front of the sealers, we're going to have to figure that out."

Another recommendation in the report was to slow down the pace of the hunt. Stringer said DFO has staggered season openings around the region and is looking at other measures to reduce competition between sealers on the ice.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2008/04/09/sealer-training.html