History of seal skin sporrans

[rab _]

Thanks for the replies, and the welcome.
As I mentioned, I was hoping to avoid anything controversial!
My question is based on the fact that the vast majority of dress sporrans on sale in Scotland (in my experience) these days are seal skin, and these are sold as being the traditional choice for formal wear. After browsing the vintage photos on here it seems there are plenty examples from the 50's onwards and perhaps some from earlier.
I am interested to know when seal skin became the common choice for dress wear sporrans, or if there was ever such a thing!

[Dr Mac]

from Bryan/College Station
Find myself agreeing with NorCalPiper...

[pdcorlis]

I see no reason not to discuss a traditional piece of kilted "kit" and how it fits into a general timeline if we can avoid the obvious trip wires. If we can take this as a history lesson there's little danger.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Thanks for the replies, and the welcome.
As I mentioned, I was hoping to avoid anything controversial!
My question is based on the fact that the vast majority of dress sporrans on sale in Scotland (in my experience) these days are seal skin, and these are sold as being the traditional choice for formal wear. After browsing the vintage photos on here it seems there are plenty examples from the 50's onwards and perhaps some from earlier.
I am interested to know when seal skin became the common choice for dress wear sporrans, or if there was ever such a thing!

Seal skin sporrans have been popular for evening wear for virtually all of the 20th century.

[Fit2BKilted]

I believe seal fur is only marketable from the pups in their first few days of life so the supply was bound to be extremely small from small, widely separated areas.

I'm afraid I must pipe in and inform all that this is a popular fiction (politically charged). Seal hides, and indeed the entire seal, is a valuable commodity, especially in the High North of Canada. Most traditional Inuit cold-weather clothing was made from the skins of adult grey seals. Harvesting seal pups (the 'cute' white ones) has been illegal in Canada since the early 1970's---although that has not deterred a vocal minority from using ancient footage to further their agenda in the 21st century. AFAIK, seal pups would normally only have been harvested, by Inuit, when they had already taken said pup's parent... mercifully sustainable IMHO. It was the White guys who got into sealing for commercial reasons only that gave the whole industry a bad name (back in the '60's).

Given that this is principally factual information, I pray that it will not ignite a political firestorm in this thread.

[Fit2BKilted]

I think that continuation of this topic is inviting controversy no matter what its intention.

I think you're right. A lot of people have been duped by both factions over the years.

[Midsmed]

from Sweden

[The Guy in the Kilt at UC]

Why exactly is seal skin illegal?

[Phil]

I certainly don't wish to invite controversy and my post was simply questioning that there was ever any indigenous Scottish sealing industry.
The Scottish sealing industry that I am aware of was mainly centred on Dundee and operated around Newfoundland in conjunction with the whalers from that city but I believe it became unprofitable for them by the late 1800's although whaling continued until fairly recent times.
The ban on killing seals in their first few days of life is no doubt the reason why seal fur for fly-tying became unobtainable after the early 1970's.
I assume, therefore, that any sporrans made with seal fur are from older animals and that this source too is shortly to be rendered illegal in Europe as it is already in the United States. Does anyone know the position in Canada?
Fit2BKilted mentions that adult sealskins are a valuable commodity and that the Innuit people use them for clothing which I was aware of. The question that wasn't answered, however, is are there any other significant uses for sealskin beyond Innuit clothing and sporans?

[Woodsheal]

Leaving aside indigenous hunting and usage by native peoples, according to Wikipedia the main market for seal hides during the height of commercial sealing (early 1800s) was China. (It's not stated why the demand was so high in China, or what they used the skin for. Clothing items, I suspect.)
Anyways, with the vast majority of sealskins being exported to the Far East market, perhaps they were fairly scarce in Scotland. Would sealskin then be considered a "luxury item," and a sealskin sporran a status symbol?