Commercial seal hunts cause significant welfare concerns around non-stunned killing; market collapse driven by import bans has reduced but not eliminated the industry.
Commercial seal hunting welfare depends entirely on execution quality. The approved method - skull crushing with a hakapik - can render seals insensible immediately when properly applied. Independent observer studies have found that a significant proportion of seals are skinned while still conscious during commercial hunts, representing severe welfare failure. The market collapse driven by import bans in the EU and US has significantly reduced the scale of commercial sealing, demonstrating that consumer and regulatory action can achieve welfare improvements at population scale.