medium-sized, grayish earless seal possessing a black harp-shaped or saddle-shaped marking on its back. Harp seals are found on or near ice floes from the Kara Sea of Russia west to the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Saint Lawrence, Gulf of) in Canada. The harp seal is both the best-known and among the most abundant of all seal species. Worldwide, the total population of harp seals is estimated at nearly 7.5 million animals, which are separated into three distinct populations. The largest population (approximately 5 million animals in 2000) inhabits the northwestern Atlantic and breeds both near the coast of Newfoundland and within the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The second largest population occurs in the vicinity of the Barents Sea, numbers between 1.5 million and 2 million animals, and breeds on the ice-covered White Sea in northwest Russia. The smallest population (approximately 300,000 animals) inhabits the area between Norway's Jan Mayen Island (Jan Mayen) and the eastern coast of Greenland, and its mating grounds are mainly located near Jan Mayen Island. Each population is considered by some authorities to be a separate subspecies.

The colloquial names for harp seals vary by age and coloration. At birth, pups are known as “whitecoats” because of their pure white pelage. This stage lasts approximately two weeks. The subsequent growth of dark hair under their white fur produces a grayish coloration, and they are called “graycoats.” Once the white coat is completely shed, the seals become gray with dark spots and are often referred to as “beaters” because of the sound made by their tails as they learn to swim. At 13–14 months of age the seals molt again, and their spotted pelt remains. At this stage they are called “bedlamers.” The transition from bedlamer to adult coloration arrives with the onset of sexual maturity, which usually occurs at four or five years of age.

Harp seals have been hunted commercially for over two centuries. The commercial sealing industry began with the harvest of adult harp seals in Newfoundland and Labrador during the middle of the 18th century. Recoverable seal parts include meat (for Asian pet food and meat markets), skins (for waterproof coats and boots), fur (for coats), genitals (for aphrodisiacs), and blubber (which is used to produce seal oil). In the 1960s, public indignation at the harvest of whitecoats brought strict regulations and tight governmental controls over harvesting activities, particularly with respect to humane killing and the enforcement of annual quotas. The Canadian (Canada) hunt, occurring in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland, was at the centre of this controversy, though the Norwegian and Russian hunts also received scrutiny. Since 1987 the harvesting of whitecoats has been illegal in Canadian waters; however, once the animals begin to shed their white fur when 12–14 days old, entering the graycoat stage, they may be hunted. The primary method of dispatch involves the use of a hakapik—a heavy wooden club with a small metal hook on one end—to crush the skull of the animal. This method is more common than hunting with firearms (which is also legal under current rules), because hunters are required to make sure each harp seal is dead before harvesting another. Most Canadian seal hunters are commercial fishermen who seek to supplement their incomes during the fishing off-season.