Do not donate to IFAW: "Ironically, by fighting to save the seals, all these groups have inadvertently put all the Arctic animals, not to mention us humans, at higher risk." - Alethea Arnaquq-Baril

" With 50 dollars in hand, an Inuit hunter could choose to buy a tiny amount of junk food or he could buy fuel to go hunting, bringing enough seal meat to feed his entire extended family. Fresh local wild organic seal meat. That's more nutritious and healthy than any meat you can buy at the store. That's why the sealskin market is so important. It's not just about tradition for us. Hunting is still the best way to feed Inuit.

" And the cash from sealskins keeps that cycle going. When that cycle is interrupted, the pressure to look at other economic options increases. And we have very few options. For example, the Canadian government is proposing underwater seismic testing around Baffin Island - my home, to explore offshore oil and gas reserves, putting extreme stress on several of our communities. We're not talking about a tiny island here.

Baffin Island is about twice the size of the UK. Seismic testing involves underwater explosions at decibel levels that studies have shown to cause damage to the hearing of marine mammals. These explosions happen every 10 seconds for hundreds of kilometres Niore Iqalukjuak is from Clyde River, one of the biggest sealing communities that was hardest hit by the seal product bans. He is speaking out about seismic testing because his community has seen it before. "

Even in the face of poverty, Niore's community has been fighting for forty-five years to protect one of the most delicate eco-systems on the planet from one of the most destructive industries. All this time, instead of getting help from animal and environment groups, his community's main sustainable economy has been under attack.

- Alethea Arnaquq-Baril