Animal rights activists said Tuesday they would be on the water and in the air, looking for examples of cruelty. Rick Smith of the International Fund for Animal Welfare said the group will also be checking to see whether sealers are breaking the law.
Activists maintain the hunt is an unnecessary slaughter.
But fishermen often say too many cod-feeding seals are the reason groundfish stocks haven't rebounded off the East Coast. Smith said activists have seen many examples of cruelty, but the federal government has been unwilling or unable to enforce its own laws. The quota in the area, including waters off the Iles de la Madeleine, is 275,000 animals. Roger Simon of the federal Fisheries Department said five boats headed out from the Iles de la Madeleine on Monday, killing 1,200 seals. Simon was expecting 15 boats to hit the waters Tuesday.