What do Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Have Against Canada Anyway, Eh?

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Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, WinCo, and Houston’s restaurants are just a few of the 5,000 establishments pledging to boycott Canadian seafood.

Why, eh? We thought you’d ask. The ban is a part of the Humane Society’s ProtectSeals campaign to curb commercial seal hunting in the Great White North—the world’s largest massacre of marine mammals.

Says Whole Foods: “(We’re) suspending any purchase of seafood from the areas where the brutal killing of baby seals is taking place until the fishermen commit to stopping this practice.”

According to HSUS’s countdown clock, 2009’s hunt is due to commence in a mere two months. Last year, seal hunters promised a more humane approach—but as Mother Jones’ Julia Whitty noted, it was far from humane.

If you too care about protecting the seals, you can sign a pledge not to buy Canadian seafood, urge your local grocer to join the boycott, or purchase products like this adorable T-shirt:

save-seals.jpg

—Nikki Gloudeman

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