WASHINGTON – The Humane Society of the United States is proud to announce additional support for ending the Canadian seal hunt from over 1,000 RESTAURANTS, GROCERS and SEAFOOD DISTRIBUTORS NATIONWIDE. The HSUS launched the seafood boycott in March 2005 and asks consumers and restaurateurs to avoid Canadian seafood as a way of ending the annual seal hunt. Seal hunting is an off-season activity conducted by commercial fishermen from Canada 's East Coast, and by boycotting Canadian seafood The HSUS hopes to stop the seal hunt. The boycott will stop when the seal hunt is stopped. Since the start of the boycott, value of Canadian snow crab exports to the United States has dropped by $330 million CAD since the boycott began.   

"We are very pleased to see this level of support from so many prominent chefs nationwide and hope that more top restaurants and chefs will join the   “ Protect Seals” campaign to end the seal hunt for good" said Pat Ragan, Director of the Protect Seals Campaign. "Restaurant owners and chefs feel very strongly that it is wrong for Canadian fishermen to club baby seals for their fur in this day and age. By pledging to boycott seafood from Canada , restaurants and consumers are sending a strong statement to Canada that this hunt needs to end, or there will be economic consequences."

To join the boycott, restaurants, grocers and seafood distributors pledge to boycott Canadian snow crab, all seafood from Eastern Canada or all seafood from all of Canada until the hunt ends for good.

More than two-thirds of Canadian seafood is exported to the United States , producing $2.8 billion annually for the Canadian economy and making the industry a viable target for a boycott.

A list of all companies supporting the Protect Seals boycott is available at www.RestaurantsForSeals.org

For more information on the campaign to save Canadian seals and to sign the boycott pledge, please visit www. ProtectSeals.org

For additional information, please contact:

Pat Ragan, Director of the Protect Seals Campaign.   (301) 258-3141

Protect Seals Campaign Pledge

We are pleased to join The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in its campaign to end Canada's commercial seal hunt — the largest and most brutal slaughter of marine mammals on Earth.

This year, more than 300,000 seal pups will be clubbed and shot to death off Canada ’s East Coast.   As a result, and after years of diplomacy have failed, The HSUS is reluctantly calling for an American boycott of Canadian seafood products with the aim of motivating Canada's fishing industry to end its engagement in and support of the commercial seal hunt. In support of this campaign, we pledge to reduce or end our sale of Canadian seafood until Canada ends its commercial seal hunt.   We’re proud to have The Humane Society of the United States promote our company as a compassionate supporter of the Protect Seals campaign.   I represent to HSUS that I have full authority to give permission for the name of this company or other business entity to appear in this HSUS advertising campaign.

Name of Business: _______________________________________________________

Name of Chef, if applicable (please print):   ___________________________________

Street Address:   _________________________________________________________

City: __________________________ State/Zip:_____________________/___________

E-Mail Address: _______________Website:___________________________________

Phone:______________________________

Name of Representative: ______________________________________

Position: ___________________________________________________

We pledge to boycott:

q        All seafood from Canada until the commercial seal hunt ends for good.

q        All seafood from seal-hunting provinces ( Newfoundland , Price Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Quebec ) until the seal hunts ends for good.

q        Snow crabs from Canada until the commercial seal hunt ends for good.

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