A French chef who serves seal meat at his Montreal restaurant says he's been bombarded by death threats ever since Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean made global headlines by dining on the marine mammal.

Benoit Lenglet says European animal-rights activists have inundated his inbox with emails saying he is "going to die" and "going to burn in hell."

Lenglet has been serving the rare dishes, which include seal tartar, seal pepperoni and seal smoked meat, at the small French restaurant for two years.

But he says seal-appetizer sales almost immediately doubled after Jean famously sunk her teeth last month into a slice of raw heart taken from the blubbery creature.

The Governor General's meal at an Inuit festival in Nunavut stirred massive debate around the world over seal hunting in Canada.

Lenglet says he started receiving threats a few weeks before Jean's snack, after a news item on his bistro's unique fare was published in Europe.

He says the hateful emails have continued to pour in since she made international headlines.

The Canadian spokeswoman for Humane Society International says people might be confused by Jean's actions into thinking that restaurant seal meat comes from Inuit communities.

Rebecca Aldworth says the seal is likely a product of the East Coast commercial hunt, which primarily targets young seals for their pelts.

Aldworth also says she doubts Lenglet has received death threats over his menu.