Atlantic Canadian Musings

“I’ll have the seal meat in a special port sauce,” the MP intoned as he handed his menu back to the waiter, unsuccessfully stifling a belch with the back of his hand.  The waiter’s expression was pained as he replied apologetically, “I’m sorry sir, but seal is not on the menu this evening.”  “Whyever not?” demanded the disappointed MP, “Have you run out?”  “No sir,” replied the waiter.  “There is no media here this evening, sir.  The seal in port sauce is reserved only for photo-ops.”

Okay, it didn’t actually go down like that, but that’s the story released today — seal flesh isn’t actually going to be on the menu of the parliamentary restaurant, as was claimed last month.  Seal flesh will be served only on special occasions (read: political photo-ops).

Senator Celine likes her seals dead and thinks vegetarians are terrorists

In February, Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette (who I’ve been told prefers to be called simply ‘Senator Céline’ so be sure to address her as such in future correspondence to her.  And send her LOADS of correspondence – she loves hearing from the “vegetarian lobbies.”) bragged that seal flesh would be a fixture on the menu of the swanky Parliament Hill restaurant in Ottawa.  Last year an all-party advisory council managing the affairs of Parliament Hill gave its approval to the addition as a show of support for the inherently cruel commercial seal hunt and as a two-finger gesture to the European Commission just after it banned trade in seal products in the EU. 

Last month Senator Céline gushed to reporters “I am happy to announce the first time that seal meat will be served in the parliamentary restaurant will be on the menu Wednesday March 10, 2010!”

Not quite.

News today is that the unsavoury dish won’t actually be on the regular menu.  It appears it will be offered only during special occasions like Senator Céline’s seal flesh soirées, Michaëlle Jean’s seal suishi parties, and other media events.

Two harp seal pups, clubbed and left to choke to death on their own blood. Photo HSUS/B. Skerry

“Seal meat is not readily accessible; it’s something that has to be planned for,” said Heather Bradley, spokeswoman for House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken (times are tough when a girl has to be spokesperson for both the House Speaker AND the kitchen staff).  She also pointed out that it’s not always in season.  Senator Céline explained the change in plan as it being “difficult to get a regular supplier.” 

True, commercial sealers only have a small window of opportunity each spring to brutally bludgeon to death hundreds of thousands of baby seals, but hey — that’s what deep-freezes are for – bung all the dead seals in the Parliamentary Freezers.  They’ll keep forever to feed the endless stream of starving parliamentarians who will be lining up from January to December with their tongues hanging out “to try the seal.”  Or better yet, order it from the Inuit, who conduct a subsistence hunt during other times of the year.  Senator Céline has made a point of telling us how much she loves and respects the Inuit and supports their way of life and will defend to the death their right to hunt seals.  So why are sealers from the Magdalen Islands the Official Dead Seal Flesh Supplier to Parliament?

Canadian politicians think seal pups choking to death on their own blood is funny.

Of course, Heather Bradley and Senator Céline are loathe to state the obvious — seal flesh will not be on the regular menu because there isn’t enough demand to keep it there.  It was a gesture – an obscene gesture in every sense of the word – to support the sealers and send a “F**k you!” message to the European Commission for having the neck to actually listen to the wishes of its citizens and do the decent thing – ban the grisly products of an outrageously cruel slaughter.

I think perhaps the most humorous passage of the news article was Senator Céline comparing seal meat to turtle.  “It’s as if we were serving turtles. This is a very exotic, sophisticated meat and it is limited in quantity.”  That’s shilling at its best (worst?). Bacteria-laden seal flesh ripped from the carcass of a 12-day old pup.  Exotic.  Sophisticated.  For a limited time only.  Don’t Wait!  Buy Now!

Apparently Senator Céline is thinking about issuing an invitation for one of her seal flesh soirées to officials in the European Union.  She told media, “I guess I will have a special invitation for them.”  Poor Céline.  Has nobody told her?  Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tried that.  Nobody came.

The video banned from YouTube thanks to pro-sealing false-flaggers

I received an admonition from YouTube the other day, advising me that one of my videos had been disabled due to a complaint that it was “shocking and disturbing.”  That’s funny, I thought it was educational - you know, people might actually want to know the Nova Scotia government  under premier Darrell Dexter allows fishermen to bludgeon to death defenceless baby seals in nature reserves.

The video in question, created by me last year, is comprised of a collection of images set to music.  The photos were taken by Humane Society International in 2008 when Rebecca Aldworth of HSI and I documented the slaughter of 1,261 baby grey seals on Hay Island, part of the Scaterie Island Protected Wilderness Area.    On Hay Island, fishermen herded seals together into a large group – including nursing whitecoats and their frantic mothers – and bludgeoned to death the moulted pups with wooden bats and sliced them open with box cutters mere inches from each other.  It was a bloodbath in every sense of the word, with terrified whitecoats slithering through the blood of the butchered pups, and traumatized pups trying to cuddle into dead seals for comfort.  The fishermen were laughing and joking as they bludgeoned the screaming pups to death and discussed where they would go for their supper that night.  The video was meant to be educational in nature and served as a memorial to the baby seals who met a terrifying and excruciatingly painful death that day.

I wrote to YouTube pointing out the purpose of the video was to educate.  As for the “shocking” allegation, I pointed out at the beginning of the video there was an explanation of what the viewer was about to see.  That – together with the title of the video – made it obvious the images would be disturbing, so the viewer should not be surprised or shocked by what they saw.  As for the “disgusting” allegation – yes, grown men bludgeoning screaming baby seals to death with baseball bats is decidedly disgusting – it’s a disgusting practice we aim to stop and the video is one of the tools we are using to stop it.  It’s a no-brainer, as they say.

I mentioned this on my Facebook page and through a series of conversations found out this is not an uncommon occurrence.  Apparently there are sealing supporters who spend their time trawling YouTube, looking for effective anti-sealing videos.  They then “false-flag” them for YouTube to remove as “shocking” or “disgusting” or whatever reason they choose.  YouTube dutifully disables the offending video and its effects are neutralized as far as the pro-sealing camp is concerned.  Apparently this has been going on for over a year, with YouTube staff doing the pro-sealing movement’s dirty work for them.

My question is: who are these people who trawl YouTube, false-flagging videos containing anti-sealing messages?  Are they just lonely saddos who have no life, or are they paid by the government? That may sound like a wacky conspiracy theory but as we’ve seen, the government will resort to just about anything to silence critics of the commercial seal slaughter.

The offending video in question will make a re-appearance on YouTube, make no mistake.  The video is obviously considered a real threat, particularly at this time when fishermen are poised to bludgeon to death over 2,000 defenceless baby seals on Hay Island for the third year in a row.  And that’s why I plan to plaster it online wherever I can put it.

Mom and whitecoat pup (Photo: Mark Glover/HSI)

Today I was fortunate enough to experience for the second time in my life what many Nova Scotians never get to experience – I was lucky enough to spend a few quiet hours with the grey seals on Hay Island.

We set off shortly after 9:00 a.m., under the watchful eye of a sealer and a DFO official standing together watching us as we departed in our zodiac.

As we skimmed along the ocean, the waves swelling around us and beautiful long-tailed and eiderdown ducks flying past, my emotions were chaotic – my excitement to see the seals again was tempered with sadness, for I knew many of the pups I would spend time with today are marked for a horrific death.

I’m here in Sydney with Humane Society International to document the upcoming slaughter of these beautiful pups. Within the next few days, a group of Nova Scotia fishermen wielding wooden bats will descend on Hay Island, herd all of these seals together – including nursing moms and whitecoats - and bludgeon to death every single moulted pup they find.  It’s the third year the massacre of greys on Hay Island - part of the protected Scaterie Island Wilderness Area – is to take place with the blessing of the Nova Scotia Environment Minister.  I was present on Hay Island to document the slaughter in 2008 and the Horror I witnessed is forever imprinted on my brain and my heart.

This defenceless grey seal pup shortly will die a horrific death at the hands of Cape Breton sealers (Photo: Bridget Curran/ACASC)

But today was all about life; not death.  Today we were visiting the seals to photograph and to spend time with them.  Today we were there to document their life.  Sadly, the next time we are there on the island we must document their death.

We arrived on the island just as the clouds rolled away and the sun made its appearance.  Pups who had shed - or were still shedding – their fluffy white coats were scattered around the island, some in groups, others more solitary.  The pups were just hanging out, some lying on their backs, eyes closed, a look of bliss on their face as they basked in the sun.  Others lazily scratched their sides with their flippers and called out to each other across the island.  Large adult females nursed their whitecoat young while keeping a close eye on my movements. Massive bulls hoping to mate with the females once the pups were weaned were never far in the distance, patiently waiting.

What sort of person is capable of bludgeoning these pups with a baseball bat? Dingwall sealers Robert Courtney and Pat Briand do it every year. (Photo: Bridget Curran/ACASC)

It would be so simple and inexpensive to establish seal-watching tours in Cape Breton. Hay Island is not far from the mainland – at most, a 45-minute boat ride. People would pay money to do what I did today. So why isn’t it happening? Because a handful of fishermen who enjoy killing seals continue to lobby our government for access to all grey seals in this province, even on protected land, such as Hay Island and Sable Island. Because our federal and provincial governments are rotten to the core and eager to sacrifice seals to secure the votes of fishing and sealing industries. And because not enough Nova Scotians challenge the lies their government tells them about seals.

Bridget Curran with baby grey seals (Photo: Rebecca Aldworth/HSI)

And it is all lies.  Government and industry claim the seals are eating all the fish, despite there being no science to support that claim.  Government claims there are markets for seal products, when in truth world markets are closing and every day more people around the world shun the products of this inherently cruel industry.  There is absolutely no reason this massacre must continue.

Anyone with an ounce of compassion in their heart and logic in their head who could stand on Hay Island and see what I saw today would agree — seals on “protected” land should be protected, not sacrificed to blood-thirsty commercial industry lobbyists armed with baseball bats and box cutters.  Make seal-watching the activity on Hay Island; not seal-killing.  It’s a no-brainer.  Well, it should be, anyway.  But then, we’re dealing with a government that assigned both Environment and Fisheries portfolios to one Minister – clearly a conflict of interest - so brains obviously  aren’t part of the equation here.

Shame on Nova Scotia’s MLAs who voted to open Hay Island to commercial sealers.  Shame on NDP Environment/Fisheries Minister Sterling Belliveau for refusing to listen to reason and condemning these pups to a painful and terrifying death. Shame on my government for handing OUR land over to seal killers and using OUR tax dollars to fund the slaughter.

The opening day of the Hay Island grey seal slaughter was Monday, February 8th. For some reason the sealers have stayed on shore, and the grey seals have been left in peace to live for one more week.  But the sealers will not stay away forever.  In a few days, they will go to the island with their crude wooden bats.  But we’ll be there with our cameras to document the cruelty.  We will document the horrific death of these defenceless seal pups and we’ll use the footage to shut down all markets and in turn shut down this horrendous industry forever.

TAKE ACTION TODAY TO STOP THE MASSACRE OF BABY GREY SEALS ON PROTECTED LAND.

Other ways to help seals:

• Atlantic Canadian Anti-Sealing Coalition
• Humane Society International

Grey seal mom and pup - Hay Island, 2009

I read with sadness the report in Truro Daily News that grey seals are congregating on the eastern shore of Pictou Island and other secluded areas in the Northumberland Strait to give birth to their young. I read this news with sadness because I know all too well the grisly fate that awaits those pups.

In just a few short weeks Nova Scotia fishermen wielding wooden bats will converge on those nursery grounds and will bludgeon to death every moulting pup they find and drive adults into the water, causing nursing young to be abandoned and to starve to death.

NS fishermen bludgeoning pups 2008 Photo: HSI/Canada

This scene will be replayed throughout the province. Thousands of grey seal pups are killed each year on islands and shorelines of this province, subsidized by the Canadian government using our tax dollars. No pups are safe – even pups on provincially-held Hay Island, part of the protected Scaterie Island Wilderness Area, have been slaughtered for the past two years, with the blessing of the Nova Scotia government. Now sealers and DFO plan to butcher large numbers of grey seals on federally-held Sable Island.

In fact, legislation was recently rushed through with obscene haste (including a sham “public consultation” marred by Committee members’ obvious disinterest in the public’s input and MLAs’ jokes about having to pretend to listen to the public to make it look democratic) by the NDP government to amend the Wilderness Areas Protection Act to allow killing of grey seals on Hay Island. Nova Scotia’s Minister of Fisheries/Environment (can you say CONFLICT OF INTEREST?) Sterling Belliveau (a former fisherman) put forth Bill 50 but could not explain why he felt changes to the Act were necessary.

Dead grey seal pup, Hay Island 2008 Photo: HSI/Canada

Pups are not the only target of Nova Scotia fishermen. Each year the Nova Scotia government issues “nuisance licences” to fishermen who wish to kill seals they claim interfere with their fishing gear. Unknown numbers of grey seals are shot or bludgeoned by fishermen and their rotting carcasses are left to be discovered by unfortunate tourists.

It is unclear why exactly the Nova Scotia government issues nuisance licenses, as it is the opinion of Mike Hammill, Section Head of Marine Mammal Research for DFO that “it is quite evident that there is not a nuisance seal problem in Nova Scotia.” Hammill is also concerned at the sheer volume of nuisance licenses issued, stating in internal DFO correspondence that Nova Scotia “is issuing licences as if it is a wild cowboy shoot.”

There is absolutely no justification for killing grey seals here in Nova Scotia. Government claims that seals are preventing fish stocks from rebounding have no basis in science. DFO scientists admit there is no evidence killing seals will bring fish stocks back. The government simply scapegoats seals to cover up its own mismanagement of our oceans. Nobody wants seal products – in recent years markets have been closing, Russia has ended its own cruel seal slaughter, and China is unlikely to become the saviour of the dying sealing industry. Let’s face it – the seal hunt is far more trouble than it’s worth. It’s a financial drain on taxpayers and has marred our image abroad. It’s time the government admitted defeat and started talking about a license buyback program which would benefit everyone.

Grey seal nurseries in this province should be protected, not opened to sealers wielding wooden bats and box cutters. Seal-watching tours would be far more profitable than seal-killing.

Chinese beating dog Photo: Sirius Global Animal Organization

The Canadian government’s recent seal product shilling trip to China makes it clear it intends to continue wasting our tax dollars on a small industry that is economically unimportant and unpopular with the vast majority of Canadians.

The Canadian government has stated China is the perfect market, alluding to that country’s appalling lack of animal welfare standards, including the routine skinning alive of cats and dogs for their fur. The Canadian government recently refused to ban trade in Chinese cat and dog fur, despite requests to do so by many Canadian citizens. Clearly, the Canadian government hopes to trade fur derived from inhumanely slaughtered Chinese cats and dogs for fur derived from inhumanely slaughtered Canadian seal pups.

Canadians beating seal pups Photo: HSI/Canada

World markets to seal products are closing, and China will not prove the flourishing market government claims. The Canadian government should stop its political posturing and address issues of concern to ALL Canadians, rather than continuing to use our tax dollars to buy votes of Atlantic fishermen. It is time for government to implement a license buyback program to relegate the cruel commercial seal slaughter to the history books and to create a brighter future for those involved in that outdated and unwanted industry.

Canada’s Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Fisheries Minister Gail Shea are at it again – resorting to schoolyard bully tactics, threatening the EU with WTO reprisals should it follow-through with an EU-wide seal product ban.

“Should the EU choose to adopt a seal products trade ban that does not contain an acceptable derogation for humanely harvested seal products, Canada will defend its rights and interests under the relevant World Trade Organization agreements,” the Ministers declared in a statement released today.

As both Ministers Day and Shea are fully aware, Canada’s seal slaughter is neither “humane” nor “sustainable.” There is ample present-day evidence of the extreme and revolting cruelty inherent in the commercial seal kill. Therefore, Canadian seal products would never be eligible for the derogration for “humanely harvested” products they are demanding. The Ministers are fooling no one with their political posturing.

Ministers Day and Shea while speaking of “Canada” and “its rights and interests” need to be reminded that the majority of Canadians oppose the commercial seal kill and object to their tax dollars being used to subsidize the annual atrocity and to defend it both at home and abroad. Further, Canadians recognize the right of other nations to ban trade in products they find objectionable and support the EU-wide seal product ban.

Canadians are fed up with their tax dollars being used to prop up an inherently cruel and unprofitable industry. It is past time the Canadian government respect the wishes of Canadians. Rather than spending yet MORE of our hard-earned tax dollars on further bullyboy tactics, the Canadian government must abolish the commercial seal kill and implement a license buyback program.

I urge everyone to write to Trade Minister Stockwell Day (DayS@parl.gc.ca) and Fisheries Minister Gail Shea (min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca), with a copy to Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca). You might also want to send a copy to your MP. You can find the email address of your MP HERE.

In February of 2008 the Nova Scotia government colluded with the Canadian government to allow Nova Scotia fishermen to slaughter up to 2,500 grey seals on Hay Island, a Protected Wilderness Area. At the end of three short days, 1,261 defenceless pups had been brutally slaughtered. I made this video last year in their memory, and we’ve played this at candlelight vigils.

~WATCH VIDEO~

This morning I received the sickening news that seal clubbers had begun bludgeoning baby seals to death in Namibia.   The slaughter had begun.

Earlier this month word had reached me about a possible deal to buyout the sealing industry being made between Francois Hugo of Seal Alert SA and Hatem Yavuz, the sole remaining buyer of Cape Fur skins. The idea was that Seal Alert SA would buy out the license and assets of Hatem Yavuz and his partners, the two concession-holders and would in effect shut down commercial sealing in Namibia. This deal was contingent on no seals being killed while the money was being raised and the consent and agreement of the Namibian government. With the killing beginning, I can only surmise that the deal has fallen through. Not surprising, considering the corruption running rampant in the Namibian government and the conniving mentality of Hatem Yavuz and his ilk. I remain unconvinced that this deal would have successfully shut down the annual killing of Cape Fur seals in Namibia. But that’s another story for another time. The entire scenario is unfortunate, as Francois has been publicly condemning those anti-sealing groups who did not sign up for the deal, accusing them of not wanting the seal slaughter to end and only being interested in lining their own pockets with donation dollars. While I can understand the frustration Francois must be feeling, I believe that by continuing with these wild accusations, he is alienating supporters, which ultimately will not help the seals. But as I said, that’s another story for another time.

I received the following release a little while ago by email. Although shocking, it is not surprising. Seal killers claim there is nothing wrong with what they do, yet they will go to great lengths to do it in secret, threatening and assaulting those who attempt to document their actions. We’ve seen it in Canada in past years – seal killers physically assault observers and when police step in, the assaulted are arrested – not the assaulters. Observers are arrested and detained and incriminating footage of the killing is confiscated.

Commercial seal killing is coming to an end throughout the world. The Namibian seal hunt which has been given little public attention in past years has come to the forefront this year and opposition is rapidly growing against the cruel slaughter that threatens the very survival of the Cape Fur seal. This is why government and seal clubbers have taken such brutal action against the two journalists attempting to document the killing.

Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 16 July 2009

Namibian Sealers turn Clubs on undercover Film-makers

Details are sketchy. In Namibia near or around Cape Cross Seal Colony today at 7am, Namibian seal pup clubbers, were filmed killing seal pups. For which they have no permit to harvest. Namibian seal clubbers then assaulted the film-crew. A South African well known film-maker Bart Smithers and a Jim Wickens of Eco-storm, a British citizen. They were beaten up by the sealers, and then arrested and put in police custody in a vehicle. It has been further reported sealers then club into the Police vehicle and further beat up the film-makers. Both are now being held at the Police Station in Henties Bay.

The British High Commission in Namibia has been contacted. The release of the men has been called for.

A British investigative journalist and his South African fixer have today been violently assaulted by seal hunters and arrested by police whilst documenting the controversial Namibian seal cull.

Jim Wickens, a reporter with the Brighton-based Ecostorm agency, and Bart Smithers, a freelance cameraman and fixer,  were this morning attacked by a group of seal hunters armed with clubs before having their video camera equipment stolen in the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Western Namibia.

The team, working with Dutch NGO Bontvoordieren, are understood to have been filming the killing of seals for some twenty minutes before a group of hunters approached and assaulted them – reportedly punching them to the ground and hitting them with clubs.  

Their cameras and video footage were also seized in the incident, which happened about 7am this morning.

Police subsequently arrived before arresting the pair on suspicion of trespass and obstruction.

According to Jim Wickens, a seal hunter again attacked them whilst they were being held in a police vehicle.

They pair are currently being held at a local police station.

Andrew Wasley, co-director of Ecostorm, said: “We are at present working with the British High Commission in Namibia to establish the full picture and secure the release of our team. Clearly this was a violent and unwarranted attack on two journalists doing their job – gathering information and pictures of the highly secretive Namibian seal hunt.”

He continued: “As well as calling for the immediate release of Jim Wickens and Bart Smithers we want the Namibian authorities to investigate the assaults and theft of equipment” 

Bontvoordieren – and a growing number of international campaigners – are calling for the immediate release of the pair from police custody.  

http://www.bontvoordieren.nl/

 
PLEASE CONTACT :
Andrew Wasley (Ecostorm)  +44 (0)7977 239406 info@eco-storm.com
Claudia Linssen (Bontvoordieren)  +31 206766600 info@bontvoordieren.nl

ENDS
 
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774

Cape fur seals read and approve agreement. Photo courtesy Seal Alert-SA

Very good news awaited me as I did my usual morning Google news search while sipping my morning coffee. The slaughter of Namibian Cape fur seals, slated to begin on July 1st, has been potentially put on hold for two weeks while talks continue with a view to selling the sealing industry to a South African seal rescue organization.

The Namibian seal slaughter is now the largest commercial seal hunt in the world. It is a horrendously cruel slaughter, targeting babies still nursing their mothers’ milk. The nursing young are the primary target, as their fur is usually the most valuable. Older bulls are the secondary target, as seal penis is still popular in Asia as an aphrodiasiac. The pups are bludgeoned with clubs and then stabbed through the chest or heart and left to die a slow and agonizing death. The larger bulls are shot.

The news story states that Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA was approached this week by Hatem Yavuz Group, the sole remaining buyer of Namibia’s seal skins, with the suggestion that he and the remaining sealers be bought out. Talks are underway between the parties, and Francois Hugo is interested in bringing on board the Dutch government, which had been instrumental in securing the EU ban; De Beers, which had expressed its displeasure with the culling of seals; and potential financiers.  According to Francois Hugo, however, the two-week delay is not as straightforward as it seems.  He must have firm proof he can raise the $14 million US needed by Wednesday, July 1st.  If he accomplishes this, and the sealers agree, they will put the slaughter on hold for two weeks while he raises the money.  If he cannot offer proof of $14 million US in pledges, the sealers say they will begin butchering Cape fur seals on July 1st, claiming that China has indicated interest in purchasing a large number of skins.

Francois Hugo with rescued seal. Photo courtesy Seal Alert-SA

This is slightly confusing.  If China is interested in purchasing a large quantity of Cape fur skins, as sealers claim, then why are sealers and the current remaining buyer in Australia saying it is no longer financially feasible for them to continue with the slaughter and they are interested in a buyout from the rescue organization?

Regardless, this could be very good news for Cape fur seals in Namibia and action must be taken by seal-lovers worldwide to help make this happen. The last remaining buyer of Namibia seal skins has admitted it could not sell any of the seal products from last year’s slaughter, and the two concessionaires has indicated it is no longer viable for them to continue in the crumbling industry.

The tides are turning for seals worldwide. Russia recently banned the killing of seals under one year of age. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin denounced it as a “bloody industry” which should have been banned a long time ago. Russia’s Natural Resources Minister, Yury Trutnyev, called seal hunting “one of the most inhumane types of hunting in the world, which is banned in the vast majority of developed states.” In May the European Parliament voted to ban trade in seal products within the 27 member states. The Canadian commercial seal kill which ended this week resulted in landings well below the 2009 quota due to lack of buyers and non-existent markets. Now the sole remaining buyer of Namibian Cape fur seal skins is admitting it could not sell any products last year and the two companies holding sealing licenses have indicated they want out of the failing industry.

But this deal won’t be reached without financial assistance. It is reportedly going to take $14 million US to buyout the Namibian sealing industry and Francois is asking for donations on his website.  Apparently he needs to receive this much in pledges by Wednesday, July 1st or sealers will begin killing Namibian seal pups.  Please visit his organization’s website for more info on how you can pledge your financial support to save the lives of thousands of Cape fur seals in Namibia.

Francois Hugo appeared on the radio show ‘Seals of Namibia’ on  last night on WFLF Endangered Stream Live.  The show is being re-broadcast today at 12:00 pm PST.  Please tune in at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wflfendangeredstreamlive

Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announced DFO’s Fisheries Management Decisions 2009 to very little fanfare this week.  Well, no fanfare really, which is odd considering the bombshells contained therein.

1.     Closure of Southern Gulf Cod Fishery

Firstly, DFO is re-closing the directed commercial cod fishery in the southern Gulf.  Cod stocks are in such dire straits in the southern Gulf that all commercial fishing must cease.  Despite grave concerns, however, the recreational cod fishery (also known as the fun fishery) will be re-opened for four weeks. 

There are arguments that neither the northern nor the southern Gulf should have been re-opened for fishing in the first place.  DFO has consistently ignored advice and warnings from its scientists and have made decisions based on political expediency rather than conservation concerns.  Here’s a bit of a timeline of DFO’s mismanagement of groundfish stocks in the northern and southern Gulf of St. Lawrence: 

Originally, commercial cod fishing in the northern Gulf was closed in 1992 and the southern Gulf was closed in 1993.  After a moratorium of a few years, in response to reports of slight improvements in some cod stocks in 1999, a directed commercial fishery was re-opened with a take of 30,000 tonnes.   The following year the take was lowered to 20,000 tonnes.  In 2001 the take was lowered again to 15,000 tonnes.  Not surprisingly, a 2002 report to DFO revealed groundfish stocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence had failed to show real signs of improvement.  A further report in March 2003 indicated that the slight improvement of groundfish stocks which had been reported in the late 1990s had reversed.   In April 2003 the Minister of Fisheries announced the closure of the cod fisheries.

In May 2004 then Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan announced his intention to re-open the northern Gulf with maximum takings of 3,500 tonnes, and the southern Gulf with maximum takings of 3,000 tonnes.

In 2005 Regan increased both TACS for the 2006-2007 season, setting a TAC of 5,000 in the northern Gulf and 4,000 in the southern Gulf.  Regan explained, “These TACS are cautious while these stocks continue to recover.”

In 2006 then Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn announced a TAC of 6,000 tonnes for the northern Gulf and 4,000 tonnes for the southern Gulf.  He also announced the re-opening of the recreational fishery for five  weeks, with daily individual limits of five cod per day and 15 cod per boat.  The recreational fishery had been closed since 2001.  Said Hearn, “I’m confident this is the right path forward.  Apparently not.

In 2007 the northern Gulf TAC was increased to 7,000 tonnes.  DFO announced that in response to scientific assessments indicating that cod populations in the southern Gulf had fallen to a record-low level, the TAC was being significantly reduced to 2,000 tonnes.  Despite concerns, the recreational fishery was opened again for a period of five weeks as was the stewardship cod fishery with an individual quota of 2,500 lbs.  Faced with reports of gross over-fishing during the 2006 recreational fishery, Hearn responded that he was not concerned.

In 2008 Hearn announced that in response to a “slight upward trend in abundance and improved survival for the Northern cod stock”, individual quotas for the Northern cod stewardship fishery was increased by 750 lbs to 3,250 lbs per license holder.  This represented a whopping 30% increase in quota from 2007.  The recreational cod fishery in the southern Gulf was once again opened for 2008 despite conservation concerns.

Given the above, how can the government point the finger of blame for declining fish stocks at grey seals? 

2.    Large-scale cull of grey seals

Claiming “the department’s most recent peer-reviewed scientific assessment indicated that grey seal predation appears to be a significant component of the very high mortality rates of cod in the southern Gulf,” Fisheries Minister Gail Shea has directed the Department to ensure the targeted removal of grey seals preying on southern Gulf cod.  This past March, DFO had raised the grey seal TAC to 50,000.

The Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat in its 2008 Report ‘Science Advice on Harvesting of Northwest Atlantic Grey Seals in 2009’ published in April 2009 stated evidence of the impact of grey seal predation on depleted stocks is inconclusive.  Further, the report of the recent DFO National Workshop on the Impacts of Seals on Fish Populations in Eastern Canada stated there is no analysis to suggest fewer seals would have a positive effect on fish stock recovery.

Why, then, is the Minister determined to direct a large-scale cull of grey seals?  Simply put, she is buying the votes of Atlantic fishers in preparation for an upcoming federal election.

Once again, DFO is using seals as scapegoats to hide its own incompetence.  DFO re-opened the southern Gulf commercial cod fishery against warnings from its own scientists. Now, to avert attention from its mismanagement and to placate fishers who are once again prevented from fishing in that area, it is declaring grey seals guilty of necessitating the re-closure.

Grey seals in three areas will be targeted – Gulf of St. Lawrence, Eastern shore and Sable Island.  Sable Island seals had in the past been protected by the federal government, but fishing interests have been lobbying the government for several years, aided by provincial Fisheries Minister Ron Chisholm, for access to the herd which is the largest breeding colony in the world.  The bulk of grey seals killed will be on Sable Island.

How quickly things change.  Just a short four months ago DFO mouthpiece Gus van Helvoort assured media that DFO was not considering a grey seal hunt on Sable Island despite repeated calls from sealers and Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Ron Chisholm.  At the same time, Ron Chisholm was assuring media that Sable Island grey seals would not be culled.  Yeah, like we believed that one…

The fishing industry is actually calling for a 50% reduction in grey seal populations in five years.  Such a reduction rate, if approved, would likely catapult grey seals onto the IUCN Red List as endangered! 

In Canada, important decisions affecting the health of our oceans are made based on political expediency rather than sound science.  As we have seen in the past, fishermen generally get what they want, using their votes as leverage.  As a top predator in our oceans, seals play a vital role.  To remove large numbers of grey seals is incredibly irresponsible and will further ravage an already frail eco-system severely damaged by human over-exploitation.

I’ll have more to say about this planned large-scale slaughter of grey seals in coming days.