SEAL ALERT-SA
Date: August 16, 2007
Letter to Prime Minister Calling For an Immediate Moratorium on Seal Harvesting and Trophy Hunting of Seals
Tel :
(021) 790 8774
Fax: (021) 790 8774
E-Mail :
sasealion@wam.co.za
Website : www.SealAlert.org
Ref: Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
August
15, 2007
Dear Right Honourable Nanhas Angula Prime Minister of
Namibia,
CC : Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources/Dr Moses
Maurihungirire.
Media.
Re : Press
Release Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources August 14,
2007
EXTINCTION
OF THE LARGEST SEAL COLONY IN NAMIBIA DUE TO UN-SUSTAINABLE SET TAC
SEALING QUOTAS BY THE NAMIBIAN MINISTRY OF FISHERIES & MARINE
RESOURCES
Namibia
is now in violation of every conservation principle of sustainable
utilization imaginable.
In violation of;
1.
Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries of the United Nations
Food and Argricultural Organization.
2. Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution of sustainable
utilization of resources.
3. IUCN sustainable utilization of seals from bountiful
populations.
4. The Convention In Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix
II criteria.
5. World ban on harvesting nursing baby seals and their
imports.
6. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which promotes the
non-consumptive use of Cape fur seals, the promotion of their
conservation and protection.
At the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources meeting on the
9th,
Chaired by Dr Moses Maurihungirire. Three Namibian scientists gave
presentations JP Roux, BJ Van Zyl and C Kirchner.
Ministry lists Cape Cross Seal colony as the largest seal colony in
southern Africa and reportedly claims the pup production on this
colony surpasses all other 25 colonies in Namibia and whose 2006
pup production of 65 073 exceeded all previous record high levels.
Namibian travel websites claims that there are between 200 000 and
340 000 seals present on this colony.
In 2000 during a 2nd
Symposium
Journal of Sustainable Use, BJ Van Zyl was quoted, “These data are
used in a model which predicts the ideal harvest levels for
maintaining sustainable yields. Recommended pup harvests may
be as
high as
30% of the pups born”.
Ministry gives the pup production in 2006 for Cape Cross seal
colony as 65073. 30% of this would give a TAC of 19521 pups.
Ministry awards two rights holders a TAC for Cape Cross of
46950.
27429
pups more than what is the sustainable yield for this
colony.
On June 8, 2006, JP Roux publishes a scientific paper with two
other scientists S Mecenero and SP Kirkman. Its research covers the
three sealing colonies of Wolf and Atlas Bay and Cape Cross for the
period 1994 to 2002. Their research establishes that pup mortality
prior to the start of sealing season on July 1 is on average
62%.
Ministry gives the pup production in 2006 for Cape Cross seal
colony as 65073. Less 62% natural pup mortality prior to the start
of sealing season on July 1. Leaving a possible 24727 pups still
alive to harvest.
Ministry awards a pup TAC of 46950.
22223
pups more than what is alive on July 1.
Chairman of the meeting Dr Moses Maurihungirire on October 9, 2006.
After setting an increased pup TAC of 30% from 65 000 to 85 000
pups, acknowledges that seals on the sealing colonies are suffering
another major mass die-off.
Ministry then recommends to cabinet a 6% reduction in TAC pup quota
and awards a TAC of 80 000 pups and 6000 bulls rolling for three
years, for the start of the 2007 sealing season.
Supporting this conclusion evidence to prove beyond reasonable
doubt that Namibia’s Sealing Policy is non-sustainable. Seal
Alert-SA presents two photographs of Cape Cross Seal Colony.
Photograph
taken on August 20, 2005 at 10.35
Photograph
taken (2 years later) on August 10, 2007 at 10.40.
The
wall in the fore-ground in the first photograph is clearly visible
in the aerial photograph in the second photograph. (high resolution
close-up’s are available). The entire seal colony claimed to be
largest in southern Africa is no more. It is therefore
EXTINCT.
Caused directly by un-sustainable TAC sealing quotas issued by the
Ministry and harvested by the sealing rights holders.
Less than
30 days in the 139 day 2007 sealing season, Namibia’s largest
mainland seal colony is deserted and for all intense purposes
EXTINCT.
As reported in the Namibian Newspaper (August 15, 2007). Namibia
cannot equally have two Ministry’s awarding permits to harvest bull
seals. With the Fisheries Minister setting a TAC of 6000 bull seals
to be shot by three sealing rights holders and the Minister of
Environment and Tourism awarding permits to Trophy Hunters to shoot
an unknown number of bulls between September and November.
As pointed out in our previous meeting, Namibia cannot pursue a
policy of harvesting seals and eco-tourism. As visitor numbers to
Cape Cross show, visitors of between 53 113 and 70 427 who generate
of $2 million Namibian dollars are in fact now being defrauded due
to the absence of any seals at Cape Cross.
Seal Alert-SA is therefore duty bound and mandated to insist that
we can no longer enter into discussions on a way forward, until
Namibia announces;
•
An
immediate moratorium on its seal harvesting and trophy hunting seal
policy, both for pups and bull seals.
Seal
Alert-SA therefore urges the Prime Minister of Namibia to act
swiftly and announce a change in policy from a consumptive seal
policy to one of a non-consumptive seal policy.
Failure to respond with immediate effect would nullify our
agreement reached in the meeting on the 9th
of
August 2007.
Please be advised a copy of this letter is being sent to the media,
as well as our worldwide network of over 12 million seal supporters
in over 80 countries. The European Commission, Secretariat of
CITES, United Nations Environmental Protection Agency, to list a
few.
For the Seals, and respectfully yours,
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
