Perspective WebQuest on The Canadian Seal Harvest

Perspective WebQuest on The Canadian Seal Harvest

Hello Grade 11 Oceans Class - Get ready to investigate a Controversial Issue in Canada, the seal harvest. Try to have an open mind to see all sides of the story. You can work in pairs.

The Seal Herds in the Oceans around Canada have been used as a resource for over a thousand years. In the last few hundred years, with the advent of commercial fisheries, mass commercial seal hunting has taken place. When technology became available to video the actions of these massive sealing expeditions the world was appalled by the brutality by which it was performed. Since then there have been rules and regulations put in place to protect the the rights of the animals not to suffer and the EU has banned the import of commercial seal pelts. There are many perspectives to explore with regard to the Seal Hunt; notably the Commercial Sealers, Indigenous Peoples of the North - the Inuit and Innu, ocean resource researchers, the provincial and federal governments, Animal Welfare Advocates, and the prospective buyers of the pelts.

This WebQuest is for Grade 11 Oceans class will help students understand the many perspectives in the Canadian Seal Hunt Debate. Students will explore many on-line sources and answer questions on the worksheet provided.

Specific Curriculum Outcomes that will be covered:

114-1 explain how a paradigm shift in thinking can change scientific view and world view

115-6 explain how scientific knowledge of marine biological communities evolves as new evidence comes to light  

MBIO-3 identify and describe the nature of the connections between humans and the marine biome

MBIO-10 explain how a particular organism functions in its habitat 

FISH-1 explain fisheries terminology

FISH-3 explain the importance of the fishery as a resource to global and local food supply and employment

FISH-5 explain the dynamic interrelationship between the physical environment, the biological environment, and the health and distribution of a fish stock

FISH-6 identify and describe the main organizations in research and decision making in fisheries management in Canada