For the past 4 years, Charles Caraguel has been an active member of the Independent Veterinary Working Group (IVWG), He join the seal hunt in the east coast of Canada to make directed observations on the practice of the hunt. This year in the Gulf, the ice conditions were unusually compact and dense and sealing vessels (regular fishing boats) were not well equipped to face these extreme conditions. ThOpening Day of the Seal Hunte picture was taken on Friday March 28^th, 2008 opening day of the hunt in the Gulf. Weather conditions were optimal, no wind and sunny skies, and sealers were fairly anxious to start regardless of the fact that the ice conditions were difficult. Sadly, later that same day, the Acadien II (smallest boat in the picture) called for rescue as its steering was crushed by the pressure of the ice. Towed by a coast guard icebreaker, Acadien II pitched a large chunk of ice on its side and capsized in the middle of the night. Out of the 6 crew members, three died and one is still missing. Already under heavy media pressure, the future of the seal hunt is obscured by this tragic loss which confronts even more the sustainability of small fishing communities in the Atlantic Provinces.