Newfoundland seal – ‘one of the most sustainable seafoods’

A Vancouver chef is making waves by putting seal on his menu, CBC News reports. As part of this year’s Dine Out Vancouver Festival, which begins Jan. 20, Edible Canada’s Eric Pateman is including Newfoundland seal pappardelle in his restaurant’s prix fixe menu. The dish, which will be offered as an entree option alongside Alberta lamb and Quebec rabbit, was developed to highlight coast-to-coast Canadian cuisine in honour of the country’s 150th birthday.

“It’s one of the most sustainable seafoods in the country. It’s unique. It’s different. certainly comes with its controversy, but I think it’s an important part of Canada’s food history and Canada’s food story and I think it’s a discussion worth having,” Pateman told CBC News.

In response to Edible Canada’s claim that seal is a sustainable seafood alternative, Peter Fricker of the Vancouver Humane Society told CTV Vancouver News: “We really don’t need to kill more animals just to satisfy the appetite of trendy foodies who are looking for another novelty food.

“It may be a sustainable food but it’s certainly not a humane food. The East Coast seal hunt is known around the world as an example of extreme animal cruelty,” Fricker added.

Politicians in Newfoundland and Labrador have long defended the East Coast’s controversial seal hunt. Pamela Anderson, Morrissey and Paul McCartney are among the celebrities and activists who have spoken out against it, while hunters say that in addition to being a traditional practice, the hunt protects cod stocks.

Yvette Brend of CBC News spoke with Jennifer Wakegijig, Nunavut’s former territorial nutritionist, who said “The idea of just not eating seals or any food on the basis that it’s cute doesn’t make any sense.”