We arrived in Halifax on the afternoon of March 1st and then took a short flight on to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. On the plane we met a representative from the Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans, who tried to persuade us about the arguments for retaining the seal hunt. He told us that it was an economic necessity for the people in the area and gave us a few other 'facts'. Fortunately we had read up on the situation and we had a long discussion with him and listened fully to all his points but finally had to tell him that we felt that none of these reasons added up to the retention of the brutal seal hunt. It was good however to at least hear the other side of the story.

On arrival, Heather and I were met by representatives from Respect for Animals and the Humane Society of the United States, who had organised this trip to visit the harp seals on the ice floes. The purpose of our trip was to raise awareness about the plight of the seals, as at this time of year hunters take part in a massive cull in which many baby seals are clubbed and shot to death for their fur.

Soon after our arrival, we had a briefing session with Respect for Animals and the Humane Society, who told us that this was the largest and most brutal marine mammal hunt on the planet, and that almost one million seals had been killed in the last three years. 97% of those seals were less than three months of age, and most of them just a few weeks old, still not old enough to have taken their first swim, or eaten their first solid meal.

The next day we took helicopters out to the ice floes. It was absolutely freezing, with a wind chill of minus 30 degrees, but we were wrapped up in special thermal suits to combat the cold. We also found some thermal hand warmers, which we managed to put inside our gloves and our boots. All around us were the beautiful harp seals and their baby seal pups, which we would defy anyone to be able to see up close and condone what is happening out there. It was heartbreaking to think that in a short time many of them will be clubbed to an untimely death. The good thing was that we had got the media out there and were surrounded by photographers & cameras, all wanting to get a piece of the action.