In 2021, Seals, Stigma and Survival principal investigator Danita Burke interviewed Jim Winter (project secondary investigator/partner), former president of the Canadian Sealers Association and retired CBC journalist. This interview was originally published on the Women in the Arctic and Antarctic website (published May 31, 2022; interview completed in December 2021).
Abstract: Seal hunting is a subject that many people think they know a fair amount about, despite many individuals not being from a culture that practices sealing or even from a culture that has active sealing practices within it. Under-represented in the discussion about sealing is the perceptive of sealers, which is often dismissed, ignored or misrepresented. This interview is with Mr. James Winter founding president of the Canadian Sealers Association. Winter first came to be involved in the seal hunt as a writer/broadcaster with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) who conducted participant observation of the seal hunt off the coast of Newfoundland in 1977 and 1978. What Winter experienced while reporting on sealing changed his life and opened his eyes to the widespread intolerance against minority sealing cultures in Canada, the growing disconnect between urban communities and rural areas and cultural roots, and the rapid expansion of the activist industry. This interview explores Winter’s personal journey trying to re-inject nuance and cultural sensitive global debate on seal hunting and sealing cultures.
If you would like to read the full interview, it is available here.
Seals, Stigma and Survival 