Why were harp seal pups hunted for their white coats?

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A crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus) lies on snow-covered ice with its mouth open, surrounded by broken sea ice in East Antarctica. — seal Crabeater seal (*Lobodon carcinophagus*).

Harp seal pups were historically hunted primarily for their pure white pelage, which was highly valued for the production of fur coats.1

These pups, known as "whitecoats," possess this distinctive white fur for approximately the first two weeks of their lives before they begin to molt into their "graycoat" stage. Beyond the use of their skins for fashion, the commercial sealing industry historically harvested various parts of the seal, including blubber for oil, meat, and other byproducts.1

Due to significant public outrage regarding the ethics of harvesting these young animals, the hunting of whitecoats was eventually banned in Canadian waters in 1987. Today, regulations permit the hunting of harp seals only after they have begun to shed their white fur and have entered the graycoat stage.1