The much-maligned seal hunt had actually been going on in that area with those methods for several hundred years. (There was a *brief* period with more advanced techniques, but those aren't the infamous pictures with clubs.) Archeological evidence indicates that before the Irish settled Newfoundland, the Innuit had carried on the hunt, and they arrived along with the climate that made the ice floes convenient for seals.

Since the hunt was stopped the seal population rather unsurprisingly shot through the roof. A few years later the Grand Banks fishery collapsed. One of the main culprits? Those cute seals were eating as much fish as the combined fisheries had been taking! Not the only cause of the disaster, but a rather significant factor.

The moral is to be sure you have your facts straight before casually insulting entire countries...

(As someone who is genuinely interested in the environment, I have often found that "hot button" environmental initiatives are simply wrong.)-: