The commercial seal hunt is scheduled to resume Thursday (08.04.10) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off northeastern Newfoundland in an area known as the Front.

However, few sealers are expected to head out.

Frank Pinhorn of the Canadian Sealers Association says that’s because there isn’t much of a market for pelts.

He says he knows of only one company that’s buying this year.

Pinhorn says some of the major buyers still have inventory from past years and he doesn’t expect the situation to improve for another year or so.

Fisheries Minister Gail Shea says that while the Canadian sealing industry is not overly profitable right now, the federal government continues to seek new opportunities.