The McCartneys are the latest in a string of celebrities to campaign against the hunt, including Bardot, the Dalai Lama, singer Charles Aznavour, Kim Bassinger, Juliette Binoche and Richard Dean Anderson.
Canadian officials said their visit would have no impact on the hunt, but its start this year is in doubt because of dangerously thin ice.
Canada banned the killing of seals less than 12 days old and breeding adults in 1987 amid criticisms and threats of European boycotts that pushed the industry to the brink of collapse.
After that protests eased, but Canada sparked the wrath of activists in 2003 by approving a three-year cull of some 975,000 seals after estimating their population had ballooned to 5.9 million — nearly triple the number in the 1970s.
This coincided with the opening of new markets in China and Russia.
Name: Harp Seal (
Phoca groenlandica)
Primary Classification: Phocidae (Earless Seals)
Location: Northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans
Habitat: Arctic waters and ice floes
Diet: Cod, capelin, herring, halibut, and small crabs
Size: Averages 4.6 to 6.6 ft in length and 220 to 320 lbs in weight.
Description: Silver-white fur; black head; dark markings on the back that resemble harps; wide face; close-set eyes
Cool Facts: It migrates over 5,000 miles between its feeding and breeding grounds. It can remain below water for up to 30 minutes at a time.
Conservation Status: Common
What Can I Do?: If you oppose the Canadian seal hunt, please visit the
Humane Society of the United States' Protect Seals site for information on how you can help.
