Seal hunting is a subject that many people think they know a fair amount about, despite many individuals not being from a culture that practices sealing or even from a culture that has active sealing practices within it. Under-represented in the discussion about sealing is the perceptive of sealers, which is often dismissed, ignored or misrepresented. This interview is with Mr. James Winter founding president of the Canadian Sealers Association. Winter first came to be involved in the seal hunt as a writer/broadcaster with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) who conducted participant observation of the seal hunt off the coast of Newfoundland in 1977 and 1978. What Winter experienced while reporting on sealing changed his life and opened his eyes to the widespread intolerance against minority sealing cultures in Canada, the growing disconnect between urban communities and rural areas and cultural roots, and the rapid expansion of the activist industry. This interview explores Winter’s personal journey trying to re-inject nuance and cultural sensitive global debate on seal hunting and sealing cultures.
WiAA Blog
Nicole Covey
I am a PhD student at Trent University in the department of Canadian Studies located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. My dissertation is going to look at how Canada leverages its alliances and relationships to maintain Arctic security historically. I focus on understanding the evolution of Canada’s relationship with NATO and NORAD and how that transects … Continue reading Nicole Covey
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Laura Barbero Palacios
I am an Arctic terrestrial ecologist and modeler with a focus on in wildlife management and conservation. My PhD studies the spatial feedback between caribou and vegetation communities in West Greenland under different scenarios of land use and climate change. I live in Nuuk, Greenland, and work at the Greenlandic Institute of Natural Resources). I research … Continue reading Laura Barbero Palacios
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Penny Clarke
I am a marine conservationist and ocean educator, who draws upon perspectives, whether through spying on whales from space or exploring the human lens, to foster a collective connection to our oceans through science communication. I am a PhD Researcher, studying cetacean mass strandings and ocean health from space, with SENSE Earth Observation CDT, based at … Continue reading Penny Clarke
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Shalaka Kiran Patil
I am an Arctic microbiologist exploring the flourishing interaction between microbial warfare in global climate change which has become a major concern. My work evolves around bacterial and archaeal domains of life from the study of landfills to the frozen soils of Arctic permafrost. I am a native of India currently based in Norway for … Continue reading Shalaka Kiran Patil
Women in the Arctic and Antarctic 