By Sky News correspondent Ian Woods

One fishing boat, two helicopters with cameramen on board and a coastguard helicopter hovering alongside to make sure we don't break the rules.

Over the radio headset, the pilots of half a dozen other helicopters in the area are exchanging information.

The sky above the Gulf of St Lawrence is normally among the quietest places on earth. But not today.

The hunt is on. In fact two hunts are on. The sealers are in pursuit of seals, and the media and animal welfare groups are pursuing the hunters.

The coastguard watches us all, and punishes one helicopter for getting too close to a boat. The pilot is ordered to stay above 1,000 - too distant to get the best pictures.

For several hours, spotter planes have been circling the area to identify the location of the fishing boats and give the coordinates to their helicopters. The hunters have their own helicopter to spot the seals.

No wonder the airwaves are cluttered with chatter in English and French as everyone tries to avoid colliding with each other.

I watch as two men jump off the trawler and run across the ice towards two seals. Their spiked club, a hakapik, is raised and falls several times. Moments later two more animals are being dragged back towards the boat.

Detailed images are being recorded by a special camera fixed to a helicopter operated by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Those pictures will prove invaluable in telling the story of the 2008 Canadian seal hunt because aerial images are the only ones available.

Our goal is to land our helicopter on the ice to be able to film the sealers close-up. Our best hope is to predict where a fishing boat is headed - probably to a large group of seals - get there first and wait for it to arrive.

But we are having the same problem as the hunters. There don't appear to be very many seals.

However, the ice conditions favour them and not us. If the ice is fragmented we cannot land but their boat can manoeuvre more easily.

We look for somewhere suitable. It's like looking at a giant mirror which has been dropped and shattered into a thousand pieces. We need to find a big enough sliver.

Two boats are working about a mile apart and appear to be converging. We head for the middle of them.

Carson, our pilot, tries to land a few times but the ice isn't strong enough and starts to give way under the weight of the chopper.

We hover a few feet above the ice and skim across the surface looking for alternatives. As we do so, three seals slither away in the opposite direction.

We test another piece which looks to be smaller than a tennis court. Normally we'd reject it as too small, but there's nowhere else.

So, instead of landing and shutting down the engine, Carson makes a brief touchdown to allow cameraman Martin Smith and I to unload our equipment and then takes off again to wait a couple of hundred yards away. He insists we can only stay here for 30 minutes.

The technology worked two days earlier when we were on a larger, more stable piece of ice. But this one is so small that it is bobbing up and down in the water and we cannot hit the satellite.

At one point a boat is heading straight for us, which offers the prospect of a better view of the hunters - but has one major drawback. The boat's wake could throw us off our floating ice cube.

We know there are seals between us and the boat, so the hunters are likely to keep going in our direction.

Maybe they don't see the seals or maybe they don't want a close encounter with a TV crew. Either way, they steer to starboard and give us a wide berth. I don't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

Our time is up and we pack up and signal for Carson to pick us up. As we hold on tightly to our equipment in case it's blown off the ice Martin turns and says in a matter of fact way: "It's not as cold today is it?" A surreal moment.

No-one had much luck that day. Not the four hunters who died when their boat overturned after hitting a large chunk of ice, nor the fishermen who found fewer seals to kill than they hoped, nor the journalists and campaigners who struggled to get footage.

The lucky ones were the thousands of seals who lived another day, even though they won't be aware of their good fortune. For many of them, their luck will run out in the coming weeks as the ice thaws and the hunters return in force.

Comments

[ian, whiston, merseyside 1 May 2008 07:43:32]

Are we still living in the stone age? I cannot beleive this still goes on. I know theses hunters must make a living but the world must wake up. NO FUR, NO FUR, NO FUR.

[Geordie. The Big Smoke 28 Apr 2008 12:43:38]

A sick barbaric "Pastime" !! this is not being done to benefit the animals in any part of the food chain .....except ......yes you guessed it..........HUMANS! Nature looked after itself for how many years before we got involved???? Nuff Said!

[Alan, Cork 25 Apr 2008 10:21:32]

The fact is that humanity's arrogance with regards to nature is going to come back to bite them in the coming years....how can WE decide what is a good level of population for any animal? Cull? Oh dear me! Some animal "steals" YOUR fish??? What made the fish theirs in the first place, do they have company logos tattooed up their sides? We humans are depraved and greedy and will not share nature's bounty with other animals (we are animals after all), we have to take it all, more and contantly more, all for money....It's going to kill us one of these days.

But these 'culls' (the word makes me feel sick) are just a way of justifing the elimination of the competition, these selfish animals who get fish for free and don't pay for it, fish which they should ask humans before eating, afterall it belongs to humans by devine right!

[Mib, Norn Iron 14 Apr 2008 20:30:25]

Woohoooo go Martin! (and everyone else obviously)
This is one report of Martin's I found very hard to watch, the issue of seal hunting is one I did not know of untill this year, when I was watching the news one night and saw the senseless slaughter of these innocent creatures (who, incidentally, are MAMMALS and not FISH as some Canadians are using as an excuse to keep murdering them). Thank you to the team, who as Claire said give so much to bring this and other stories to the world.
Cheers guys!

[Claire, Minneapolis MN USA 14 Apr 2008 15:52:15]

Well I think the lengths journalists will go to get a story, good or bad is to be admired! Could you imagine watching the helicopter leave as you stand on a bobbing chunk of ice with a boat heading directly towards you? An unbelievable act of selflessness to report what is going on in the world. Thank you to all of you who give so much of yourselves for us.

[Maria 11 Apr 2008 00:45:06]

Apr 11, 2008 12:39 AMSky News Frontline Blog - from journalists around the worldfrom Maria's space
I cannot believe the things people do to animals. It makes me sick and people who say "its only an animal, seal, dog, etc" Why do humans automatically assume rights over animals just because they cannot "speak" and communicate like we do some people seem to think this gives them no rights. I fully believe that all mammals have a soul. Look into a dogs, dolphins, chimp, bear, seals, gorillas eyes and you will see feeling. Most of these animals have lifelong mates. Feel emotional and physical hurt. I know of a dog, that got super strength to save his owner/friend and died as a result of doing it. So don't write them off as just being dumb animals. These people who butcher the seals and any other animal that causes suffering to them and their family who may be watching. Should be imprisoned. Maria

[Ray, London 3 Apr 2008 15:51:22]

Would the world care if they were hunting a rat like creature rather than an adorable seal? I doubt it.

[emily molan ireland 1 Apr 2008 10:17:27]

I taught I had heard it all but I should of known better that yet again humans would steep even lower, how many animals and mammals have to go extinct till some one actually stops these barbaric actions taking place all over the world. I am sick of turning on the TV and looking at cruelty to animals and mammals everyday sharks and dolphins and the great apes and the fishes are killed horrifically slaughtered inhumane ways and the governments of these countries think this is alright!!!"oh its the culture oh well there over populated anyway and its money and the animal doesn’t have feelings and is wrecking the crops"blah blah...there is no excuse. Why the hell do they think we have MOTHER NATURE for every living thing has a place on this earth, the only reason why its un balanced is because we” humans" are killing off animals and wrecking the environment!!!actually trying to justify killing these baby seals by clubbing them to death HOW is this CULTURE???people that say this is the same as showing baby lambs or calf’s on the news to get attention this is defiantly not the same FARMERS DO NOT CLUB THERE CALFS OR LAMBS OR PIGLETTS ETC..TO DEATH!!!its killing me inside that while im writing this there has already been a massacre in Canada and will continue through the whole WEEK!!!how someone can hold a bat and bang it so hard off something that is so helpless that is innocent in everyway only 3weeks old and while they think theirs nothing wrong and are just enjoying life these cruel people come along and CLUB THE BABY TO DEATH!!!!its just sick and nothing on this planet deserves such a horrific death.

[freda coldicott, Great Yarmouth 31 Mar 2008 21:27:05]

For your information Michael, Sandra is right and you are wrong trying to accuse her of 'sexism'........ there are, thank goodness, no women taking part in that brutal skinning of seals alive - ONLY MEN! Devoid of any human emotion "men". Men fancying being 'big and strong' clubbing a defenceless baby seal.
Now that is seriously sick!
Freda Great Yarmouth

[G Stanley 31 Mar 2008 17:17:00]

Any taking of life to further our prospects of human evolution is WRONG. Food is not Seals, SHARKS, OR WHALEs, in fact ive missed about 2000 species out there, look it up!.

Everyday we as a species dominate and destroy the very fabric of life on this planet on a daily basis. Its time these idiots got a proper job, hunting and killing our wildlife will never be our way to survive. The sooner these neanderthols get a grip and find a proper job that doesnt distrupt our worlds wildlife the better. WE ARE NOT THE ONLY LIFE ON THIS PLANET. And without the human race,im sure the planet would have managed fine without us.

[Jack, London 31 Mar 2008 16:21:19]

Maurice Brennock and Very angry reader, I could not agree with you more. To the person who wrote 'I have nothing against hunting if its done humanely', this is what's wrong with the world today, who the hell do you think you are making such statement, the word HUMANE and HUNTING do not go together!! You and no-one else on this planet has the right to hunt down anything for your own enjoyment and to eat!! Yeah were carnivals and yes we were made to eat meat, if that's the case then why have I lived my entire life without eating anything containing meat and has caused any pain to anything. I do not think everyone should be vegetarian if they chose not too, and I am aware this blog is not about eating meat but please do not make such bold statements as you have done. You might not mind hunting but the animals that are killed do!!! When are we going to learn that we are not the most important thing on the planet, i'll tell you what we will learn soon though and that's that we as humans will ruin the world we live in and pretty much hunt down and kill every living animal on it.

[Sandra 31 Mar 2008 15:58:13]

People seem to forget that people are more important than animals - maybe they should concentrate more on trying to combat suffering of human beings than animals.

[Abiola Famuyiwa - Lagos, Nigeria 31 Mar 2008 15:13:58]

If this is coming from a 3rd World Country, we would have been called names and America plus her allies would have been sending their soldiers. What will America and her allies do to Canada now? This is barbaric and should be stopped immediately. Watching how the helpless seals were killed made me sick with hatred for the Canadian Government! It's dissaponting and a shameful act in this present time. If you have to cull do it in less painful way.

[John, UK 31 Mar 2008 15:11:41]

Seals eat the fish. Fishermen kill seals to maintain fish stocks & make a bit of money in the hard, cold off-season. At least I believe that is how it works. Not pleasant but if you drink milk or eat cheese or chicken, far worse is committed in your name behind closed doors. To the fisherman it is not unlike killing mice infesting your home, or rats in your shed/chicken house: not pleasant but necessary. I would be surprised if no women were involved in the cull. I would be even more surprised if no women or children benefited from it. If you want to save the world, limit human population growth.

[Cat 31 Mar 2008 14:49:30]

If anyone killed their dog the way they kill these seals, then they would be thrown into jail for animal cruelity.

No wonder the Canadian government doesn't want anyone to see this - some of these seals are still aware after being clubbed and then they are skinned alive.

An total EU ban can't come soon enough.

These animals can't go anywhere else - the hunters can and should find other employment elsewhere. Canada is one of the wealthiest and largest countries in the world. You cannot use the excuse as "being rural" to kill a species of animal in this inhumane way.

I used to live in Canada but not anymore.

[Jack, London 31 Mar 2008 14:30:47]

mick williams - How on earth do you know what people think!! I would disagree with this barbaric act upon any living being or creature no matter what it looked like!! Big deal we run out of fish to eat, eat something else instead!!!!

[Very angry reader 31 Mar 2008 14:27:03]

I hope that one day the animal population evolve and start hunting them, quite honestly you couldn’t blame them. Hopefully when this has been stopped we the (British) can dissolve Canada from the Crown.

[Cliff IRELAND 31 Mar 2008 14:25:53]

The Canadian Government and Canadian people in general should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for condoning these babaric acts against such beautiful defenseless animals.

I agree that the Euorpean Union should make a stance against Canada to force them to prohibit these acts of cruelty - and I for one will never set foot on Canadian soil until such acts are completely made illegal.

Make the culling of all types of seals part of your Bloody Past!

[maurice brennock, croydon, surrey 31 Mar 2008 14:18:52]

mick williams, you need to educate yourself on the subject before you comment. canada destroyed the cod stocks by over fishing and mis-management in the seventies. the seal slaughter (its not a hunt, or a cull) is a govt sponsored welfare for work scheme. the sealers are paid a fixed price per seal killed, hence the rush to skin them alive. the govt then sells the seal 'products', pelts, oil etc to world markets including europe. it is nothing to do with seals eating fish. the fish stocks in that region have long since disappeared, again due to human greed. the way to stop this barbarity is to close the market. write to your MEP and boycott all canadian products.

[Kevin, Cornwall, UK 31 Mar 2008 14:17:38]

I don't think Canadian-bashing is the right approach. Its just those that choose to hunt in such a barbaric manner that should be vilified. I have nothing against hunting if its done humanely. Rather than beat the defenseless seals to death why can't they just shoot them with a high-powered rifle?

[Sarah, Dublin 31 Mar 2008 14:07:11]

I don't know how the world can standby let this happen, its despicable, unnecessary and cruel. The Canadians should be ashamed and rightly so. A county that can allow this barbaric behaviour should be boycotted.

[Jill, Dublin 31 Mar 2008 13:48:22]

Michael I think you might be missing the point slightly! This isn't a battle of the sexes! The culling of seals is disgusting and cruel and has to be stopped. If it is proved to be necessary for ecological reasons then there may be a case for it but the cruel and harsh blood bath way in which it is done is totally uncalled for. How could any decent human being admit to murdering defenceless seals in this manner for a living? Sickening.

[Charlotte in Cornwall 31 Mar 2008 13:31:33]

i think the comment from mick williams, trowbridge is awful! More fish for us to eat!! What sort of excuse is that! What about people like me who don't eat fish? I haven't heard that the world is running out of fish? Whether they are cute or not is not the issue here. The issue is the barbaric cull of these animals and any animals for that matter, if they have to control the amount of seals then there are other ways of doing so, the same goes for dolphins. The way it is done still in this day and age totally disgusts me and doesn't give me much faith in the human race! This should have been changed a long time ago.

[Kate Leinster, Birmingham 31 Mar 2008 13:25:47]

I would like to thank Sky News for their continuing coverage of the hunt. It may be upsetting to watch, but it documents the grim reality of what is happening in Canada, and will hopefully spur individuals to take action to stop this needless cull.

[Michael 31 Mar 2008 12:50:03]

Although I agree with your point Sandra, I think you are taking a somewhat sexist approach. "they think they are big and cleaver men" - I would suggest that the trade of seal pup fur is driven by the female population. The people supporting the trade are as much to blame as the people that physically kill the seals.

[mick williams, trowbridge 31 Mar 2008 12:45:19]

Fewer seals and dolphins in the oceans eating fish will mean more fish stocks for everyone else.
People only care about annimals that look cute, if these seals were ugly then hunters could kill as many as they wanted.

[Farrah, Dublin 31 Mar 2008 12:34:22]

It is a barbaric and horrendous act and absolutely has to stop, I am now boycotting canada and everything Canadian. How these nasty people can sleep at night, I have no idea!!!

[Khalid 31 Mar 2008 12:30:32]

Sir
The ghastly images viewed with disgust prove the fact that this malpractice is for none other than the fur. If the shamed Canadian government is addament that this act is humane I challenge the entire Canadian cabinet to swap roles with the seals or otherwise the EU MUST [Stop] this barbaric act [Jamelia]. Fantastic report from Sky per usual. Keep warm!

[shell uk 31 Mar 2008 12:25:14]

I think it's terrible. If the seal population is really that bad then maybe they do have to cull a few. I don't agree with this personally but what I can't understand is the way in which these seals are killed. I mean, a stick with spikes in it. Come on, this is cave man technique!
It is very barbaric and I have no idea how anyone could kill these beautiful animals.

[Jon, England 31 Mar 2008 12:23:53]

Like China I've added Canada to the list of countries that will never see holiday money.

[tony,ireland 31 Mar 2008 11:47:43]

i was so mad when i seen some of the picture were the seal just lay on the snow for these so call people well it make me sick to see peoples can hit these Animals that cannot fight back i think i hope the hunters get what coming to them you Candian make me sick

[Sandra 31 Mar 2008 10:22:15]

Why do we kill these little Seals is it just to make fashion they do not eat there meat I think the Candian Goverment is cruel.I love animals and they can-not answer back but I suppos they think they are big and cleaver men I think it is cruel and barbarick.But this is our world today .

[Lejane 31 Mar 2008 06:39:05]

When will this cruelty end? There are other wys of making money off the seals without having to kill them.

How can this be allowed to continue? How can any civilised person stand up and say that this incredible horror is ok? And as for those who believe it is humane, are you blind?

[Ricardo,Southamerica 31 Mar 2008 06:19:34]

why UK is the only country that`s no sucribe the agree for sanctions that fantasticly want to agree the European Union about the seal killing? it`s dissapointing and is a european shame.