Harpseals.org (The Official Page)

07/10/2026

A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale was just detected in Conception Bay, Newfoundland—one of fewer than 385 left on Earth.

In the U.S., a detection like this triggers emergency measures and mandatory fishing closures to protect the whale from deadly vertical buoy lines and trap gear. But Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) just told commercial fleets that this detection "DOES NOT trigger a fishing prohibition"—asking fishermen only to be "vigilant" and keep fishing.

This is exactly why Canadian seafood should be banned under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Under U.S. law (16 U.S.C. § 1371(a)(2)), foreign nations cannot export seafood to the American market unless their marine mammal protections are comparable in effectiveness to U.S. standards. A voluntary "vigilance notice" around an animal on the brink of extinction is not comparable protection.

The public comment period on NOAA's proposed import changes just closed, and we will be watching closely to see whether NOAA enforces the law or carves out excuses for Canadian fisheries. If NOAA fails marine mammals, we are prepared to take them to federal court.

02/10/2026

From the wolves' perspective, it's good to be able to find prey in multiple places, given how much humans have damaged the natural world. From the seals' perspective, it's a significant new danger. They not only need to be wary of polar bears; now they need to be wary of these wolves. It's similar to the situation in Namibia, where Cape fur seals have to watch out for jackals and lions now.

On a remote Alaskan shoreline, biologists watched a white wolf drag something enormous onto a sandbar and begin a half-hour struggle that would overturn decades of assumptions about what wolves are ca...

29/09/2026

FINAL HOURS TO END CANADA'S SEAL "HUNT" - NOAA's Federal Register proposed rule change comment period - rules which could enable the seal hunt or end it - is over tonight at 11:59 pm EDT. Having several hundred comments on this proposed rule change will force a high-level review, proves massive public opposition, and will help us if we need to go to court for the seals.

So please - copy and paste one of the comments below or a similar comment of your own that contains the legal terms we need to win for the seals.

Click this link to post your comment: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/29/2026-15294/implementation-of-fish-and-fish-product-import-provisions-of-the-marine-mammal-protection-act

Comments:

Option 1:

Re: Comments on MMPA Seafood Import Provisions (Docket No. NOAA-NMFS-2026-0826)

Under 16 U.S.C. § 1371(a)(2), NOAA Fisheries cannot grant comparability findings to foreign nations whose marine mammal conservation programs fail to match U.S. standards. Under Canada’s own Revised Atlantic Seal Management Strategy, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has admitted that the northwest Atlantic harp seal herd has fallen into the "Cautious Zone." Despite this acknowledged decline, DFO continues to permit high commercial quotas without accounting for total human-induced mortality, struck-and-lost rates, or climate-driven ice mortality. A management regime that permits commercial slaughter on a depleted, Cautious-Zone population while failing to implement mandatory reductions in seal mortality is fundamentally incompatible with the MMPA's Optimum Sustainable Population mandates. NOAA must enforce the law and deny comparability to Canadian fisheries.

Option 2:

Re: Comments on MMPA Seafood Import Provisions (Docket No. NOAA-NMFS-2026-0826)

Under 16 U.S.C. § 1371(a)(2), a foreign regulatory regime cannot be deemed comparable to the Marine Mammal Protection Act if it manipulates biological risk models to justify commercial killing. In its Revised Atlantic Seal Management Strategy (R-ASMS), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) weakened its recovery standard by abandoning its 10-year benchmark and extending the projection window to 30 years (1.5 generations) simply to keep commercial kill quotas high for a depleted herd in the Cautious Zone. Worse, this 30-year model relies on the biologically indefensible assumption that sea ice conditions will remain static, completely ignoring climate-driven ice collapse and recurring mass pup mortality. Management based on arbitrary, extended recovery timelines and unrealistic environmental assumptions violates MMPA standards. NOAA Fisheries must reject comparability findings for Canadian fisheries.

27/09/2026

FINAL CALL: Comment window closes Monday night!

Last chance to force NOAA to enforce the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and shut down the U.S. market for Canadian seafood until the seal slaughter ends.

To ensure our objections hold up in federal court, NOAA needs substantive comments citing the law, not generic requests.

Choose either Option 1 or Option 2 below, copy the text, and paste it directly onto the federal docket here:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/29/2026-15294/implementation-of-fish-and-fish-product-import-provisions-of-the-marine-mammal-protection-act
(Instructions: click the green SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT BUTTON on the top right. Paste the comment into the comment box. Add your email, click the "An individual" radio button and the check box at the bottom. Then click Submit Comment.)

OPTION 1 (Consumer / Seafood Buyer):

Re: Comments on MMPA Seafood Import Provisions (Docket No. NOAA-NMFS-2026-0826)

As an American seafood consumer, I actively check sourcing labels to ensure my grocery and dining purchases do not fund foreign commercial fleets that slaughter, shoot, or cull seals. I urge NOAA Fisheries to take long-overdue action and enforce U.S. marine mammal protection standards. Under U.S. law (16 U.S.C. § 1371(a)(2)), foreign nations cannot export fish to the American market unless their marine mammal protections are genuinely comparable in effectiveness to U.S. conservation standards. Under 50 CFR § 216.24(h)(6)(iii)(A), exporting nations must ban the intentional killing of marine mammals. These laws disqualify imports of Canadian seafood into the U.S. It is time to end unlawful grace periods and exemptions. I strongly oppose conditional comparability rulings, categorical or de minimis exclusions, and any other regulatory mechanisms designed to flout the letter and intent of the MMPA.

OPTION 2 (Wildlife Enthusiast / Coastal Visitor):

Re: Comments on MMPA Seafood Import Provisions (Docket No. NOAA-NMFS-2026-0826)

As an American who cherishes marine mammals and visits coastal areas to see them in the wild, my aesthetic and recreational interests are directly harmed by lax NOAA Fisheries policies that enable foreign fishing fleets to slaughter seals. I urge NOAA Fisheries to immediately enforce U.S. marine mammal protection standards and ban Canadian seafood imports. Under U.S. law (16 U.S.C. § 1371(a)(2)), foreign nations cannot export fish to the American market unless their marine mammal protections are genuinely comparable in effectiveness to U.S. conservation standards. Under 50 CFR § 216.24(h)(6)(iii)(A), exporting nations must ban the intentional killing of marine mammals. These laws clearly disqualify imports of Canadian seafood into the U.S. It is time to end the exemptions. I strongly oppose conditional comparability rulings, categorical or de minimis exclusions, and any other mechanisms designed to flout the letter or intent of the MMPA.

18/09/2026

We have a new way to end the seal hunt, and we need your help. *** DEADLINE 9/28/26 *** Canadian fishermen export $4 billion in seafood to the U.S. despite violating the intent of the Marine Mammal Protection Act by slaughtering seals. Now, NOAA Fisheries is proposing changes to the way it decides which countries can export seafood to the U.S. We need thousands of people to submit comments to tell them to do this the right way and prohibit Canadian seafood from entering the U.S. This will make Canada choose between $4 billion in seafood exports and $1 or $2 million in revenues from seal fur and seal oil exports to Asia.
SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT BY SEPT. 28th.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/29/2026-15294/implementation-of-fish-and-fish-product-import-provisions-of-the-marine-mammal-protection-act
Here is a short comment you can copy and paste. You don't need to be a U.S. citizen or resident to submit a comment.

I urge NOAA to enforce strict comparability standards under Docket No. NOAA-NMFS-2026-0826. Foreign fisheries must be denied market access if their harvesters engage in commercial seal hunting or lethal pinniped control. Furthermore, NOAA must reject 'conditional comparability findings' and ban seafood imports from nations that cull or scapegoat marine predators to subsidize commercial fish landings. Hold Canada strictly accountable to U.S. law.

11/09/2026

These Chinese wildlife traffickers - Hou Xuecheng and Zhang Xianming - were acquitted because they hadn't yet checked in the luggage with the Cape fur seal ge****ls at the airport. They had their tickets to Asia, no export permits, but they were arrested a few minutes too soon. Ridiculous.

Two Chinese nationals who were arrested on charges linked to the export of seal ge****ls from Namibia valued at over N$1.1 million were acquitted in the Windhoek Regional Court...

28/08/2026

Seals are smart and should be respected. Love seals. Don't club seals.

25/08/2026

The Chinese company that is turning Cape fur seal pups into oil capsule supplements to sell in China is suing the Namibian company that was supposed to supply the baby seals, after beating them to death. We hope they don't kill any more seals, and the Chinese company leaves Namibia. If the company owner were smart, he'd use algae to make these oil capsules. Note the part about the export of bull seals' genitalia stopped in Hong Kong, too. There are much better alternatives to seal balls, too.
https://informante.web.na/?p=399929

21/08/2026

We are fighting for an end to the slaughter of Cape fur seals in Namibia that is happening now. We are alerting Namibians to what is happening in their backyards, encouraging them to push the government to stop the slaughter. We are raising awareness among travelers about the boycott of tourism to Namibia. We are also pushing the U.S. government to take action. The Trump administration, in its continual efforts to find alternative sources of minerals and fossil fuels, is turning to Namibia. We have provided information about the issues of concern in Namibia to this administration.
You can help, too. Search Facebook and other social media sites for Namibians and tourist mentioning Namibia, and educate them about the Cape fur seal slaughter. You can include this link in your messages and posts: https://impactinbox.org/ -seals

24/07/2026

In Namibia, seal clubbers separate nursing pups from their mothers early each morning, creating panic in the colonies. They herd the pups to another area and then beat and stab them to death. It's time to end this atrocity. Visit https://harpseals.org/ and https://www.furseals.org/ & send emails end to this killing. Please spread the word.