The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between shooting angle to the head and animal welfare outcomes in the hunt of young harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus). The study population consisted of young harp seals belonging to the Greenland Sea harp seal population. A sample of 171, 2–7 weeks old, weaned harp seals of both sexes were included. The study was conducted as an open, randomised parallel group designed trial during the regular hunt. The animals were allocated into four groups, A–D, according to the observed shooting angle to the head, defined as the angle between the direction of the shot and the longitudinal axis of the animal’s head: (A) directly from the front; (B) obliquely from the front; (C) directly from the side; and (D) obliquely or directly from behind. Instantaneous death rate (IDR) and time to death (TTD) were the main variables. The mean IDR differed significantly between groups and was highest in group B (96.8%) and lowest in group C (66.7%). For all groups combined it was 84.2%. The mean TTD for seals not rendered instantaneously unconscious or dead (n = 27) differed significantly between groups and was shortest in group A (16 s) and longest in group C (85 s). However, the number of animals included in the TTD analysis was limited. In conclusion, based on the significantly higher IDR, the shooting angle obliquely from the front is recommended to help achieve the best animal welfare outcomes during the hunt of young harp seals.

The Canadian harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) hunt has, for several decades, raised public concerns related to animal welfare. The field conditions under which this hunt is carried out do not lend themselves easily to detailed observations and analyses of its killing practices. This article reports observations carried out over several seasons that aimed at obtaining more specific information about the conditions under which seals are killed, in order to assess potential welfare issues and explore avenues for possible improvements in its practice. A standardised three-step process for killing seals (ie stunning, checking by palpation of the skull, and bleeding) was recently implemented to maximise the proportion of animals that are killed rapidly with minimum pain. Based on field observations, the rifle and the hakapik, when used properly, appeared to be efficient tools for stunning and/or killing young harp seals. All carcases of seals observed to be killed with a rifle, either on the ice or in the water, could be recovered. However, shooting seals in water rather than on ice carried a higher risk of poor welfare outcome because of the limited opportunities to shoot the animals again if not stunned with the first shot. Based on current practices, there is no reliable evidence that the Canadian harp seal hunt differs from other forms of exploitation of wildlife resources from the perspective of animal welfare. Although opportunistic field observations may be less amenable to generalisation than structured studies, we believe that they reflect the reality of the hunt and provide valuable information to direct the evolution of its practice.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relative effectiveness of a rapidly expanding Bonded hunting bullet and an explosively expanding Varmint bullet in young harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus). The study was conducted as an open, controlled and randomised parallel-group designed field trial. The animals were pre-randomised (1:1) into one explosively expanding (Varmint) and one expanding (Bonded) bullet type group, with 75 animals in each. The study sample consisted of young, weaned harp seals, 2-7 weeks of age, of both sexes, from the Greenland Sea harp seal population. The study was conducted during the regular hunt. Instantaneous death rate (IDR) and time to death (TTD) were the main variables. The observed IDR was 84% in both bullet groups. Correcting for Weather Condition Index, the IDR for the Varmint bullet was significantly higher compared to the Bonded. The mean TTD was shortest in the Varmint group, but the difference did not reach significance. Compared to the Bonded, a significantly higher total cranial damage score and bleeding intensity, and significantly lower frequencies of bullet exit wounds were detected in the Varmint group. The post mortem reflex movements caused by the Varmint bullet were significantly more powerful with longer duration and higher frequencies of clonic contractions. In conclusion, the results indicate a higher effectiveness of the Varmint bullet relative to the Bonded. The Varmint bullet may thus improve animal welfare in the hunt of young harp seals.

The stranding of a harp seal on the beach in the municipality of Motril (southern Spain) represents the first record of this species in the Mediterranean Sea and the southernmost known report. It was a male which reached the beach very tired and sick, dying after two hours on the sand. The specimen presented three species of epibionts. This is the second species of Arctic seal recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.

We compared the underwater vocalizations of harp seals Pagophilus groenlandicus Erxleben, 1777 recorded during the breeding season at three locations: Jan Mayen Island (north of Iceland); Gulf of St Lawrence; and the ‘Front’ ice east of Labrador. The three herds shared 17 call types. The Jan Mayen herd had one call type not found in the Gulf or Front. One of the Gulf and Front call types was not found at Jan Mayen. Based on ANOVA post hoc pairwise comparisons between locations, the three herds exhibited a similar number of within-call type differences in duration, number of elements, start pitch and end pitch. There were no differences in proportional usage of call types between the Gulf and Front herds but both differed in a similar manner from those of the Jan Mayen herd. These findings support tagging studies that indicate that the Gulf and Front herds may be interbreeding and both are reproductively isolated from the Jan Mayen herd. We found no evidence of acoustic adaptation to the site-specific ice and environmental conditions associated with the three study locations.