PRESS RELEASE
SEAL ALERT-SA 16th July 2006
The Round-up, the Panic, the Innocence, the Fear - Mothers with
Nursing pups
Namibian Sealers
Demand Increased Quotas as Seal Specie Collapses
in the cruellest seal cull in the world
Fisheries Minister Must
Resign
The Sealers, the Confusion and the starving soon to be, Innocent
Nursing "to be clubbed" Victims
Seal Alert-SA asks you to closely look at what we have
uncovered
and which we believe should be brought to the attention of the
public.
Namibia's 2006 Sealing Quota of 85 000 is an 68% increase on 1993
quota - with the seal population 27% below 1993 population, still
recovering from three mass die-off's where one third to one half
starved to death in 1994, 1995 and
2000.
Since this 2nd mass die-off to hit the
seals within 6 years and a 3rd and 4th following 6 years later
again, the following unanswered questions have plagued this
industry?
◦
Why has Namibia continued with its sealing policy to cull
nursing seal pups illegally, when the species is clearly
collapsing.
◦
Has Namibia allowed sealers to exceed their sealing quotas by in
excess 100%.
◦
Namibia's current 2006 sealing quota - is a seal pup genocide. Why
is it being allowed.
The total pup population
on the sealing colonies at Wolf/Atlas Bay and Cape Cross in 1993
was 164 000. Namibian fisheries minister stated yesterday the 2006
pup production was 73% of pre-1993 population. That is 27% lower
than 13 years ago. Between 18-24th December when surveys are
conducted, that would give a pup population of 119 000. Within
weeks pups suffer a natural mortality of between 25-32%. Leaving a
possible sealing pup population of 7 month old pups, at the start
of sealing season on 1st July, of just 84 000.
Namibia's 2006 sealing quota of 85 000
- would therefore imply every pup is slaughtered.
Namibia is only entitled under its
constitution to harvest seals in a "sustainable manner" - this seal
genocide of baby seal pups is therefore illegal and the minister
should be brought before cabinet to answer, why he recommended this
increase, when the seal population is 27% lower than in 1993.
Leading South African Marine and Coastal
Management scientist and advisor to the Minister, stated - "there
is no way the sealers will reach their quota".
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA therefore
seriously questions what is going on in Namibia's sealing industry
and has many more questions and no answers from officials. Namibian
scientists refused to be interviewed for fear of losing their jobs
and being given 24-hours to leave Namibia.
The following was taken from the Sapanet
ANC newsbriefing on the 16th August 1995, (the year
following the first mass death incident). It reflects an eerie
tale of mismanagement and abuse.
@ NAMIBIA-SEALS - CAPE CROSS, Namibia Aug 16 Sapa - Namibia seals
face another year of starvation - Namibia's Cape fur seals are
facing another year of starvation because of a lack of fish, a
sealer at the coastal Cape Cross reserve said on Wednesday.Sea Lion
products manager at the reserve, Philipp Metzger, said pups culled
so far this year had 20kg to 25kg less blubber than normal. "It's
not enough for them (weened pups) to go swimming far.Fifty per cent
of the seals are in good condition. The rest are poor or very poor.
They can't survive this year as well." Last year about 500,000
seals died of starvation on the Namibian coastline. Metzger said a
researcher from the Fisheries and Marine Resources Ministry was
investigating the situation. The researcher believed the seals
would survive if there was sufficient fish. "There haven't been
fish here for three years. Where are they going to come from now?"
Seal culling at Cape Cross began on August 10 and Metzger said this
year's small quota would be stretched over the season, ending in
November.
@ NAMIBIA-PETITION - CAPE CROSS, Namibia Aug 16 Sapa - Sealers
petition Namibia government for higher quotas Namibian sealers left
without work this year because of lower culling quotas have
petitioned the government to increase the quotas, sealers said on
Wednesday. Sea Lion products manager at the Cape Cross coastal
reserve, Philipp Metzger, said less than half of the seasonal
work-force had been re-employed this year. Most were migrant
labourers from Namibia's northern areas and they depended on
sealing from August to November for their only income. Sea Lion,
which normally employed 40 workers, could take on only 14 this
year, Metzger said. Namibia's seal culling quota is a little more
than 17000 for this year, compared to more than 55000 last year.
Metzger said about 100 people with between two and six years'
experience had arrived for work this year. "They were crying. They
were very depressed when I told them to move." Sea Lion foreman
Eliaser Kwejo said those people would have no income this year.
"They will stay back at home and starve. They are already appealing
to the government for bigger quotas." Metzger said their petition
had been delivered to the government.
According to Namibia's head biologist Dr
Jean-Paul Roux, the sealing quota for 1995 - 17 450 and for 1996 -
20 500.
At the 20th Meeting of the CITES Animals
Review Committee meeting in Johannesburg 2004, in a report prepared
by TRAFFIC and the IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Program - it reveals
Namibia exported 37 019 skins in 1995 (117% over the quota) and in
1996 exported 42 611 skins (109% over the quota). This raises
serious and obviously unanswered questions?
Most importantly, why did sealers petition
for an increase in sealing quota, when one third to one half had
already died in 1994 and the current 1995 breeding season was
looking equally as bad with pups harvested 20-25kg under weight.
When they exported 37 019 skins on a 17 450 quota for 1995? (where
did these additional seal skins come from?)
According to the 2002 Fishing Industry
Handbook. In 1999 - Sealers could only harvest 25 161 seals
(80%) on a TAC quota of 30 000. Which earned N$ 3.5 million
(US $ 580 000) or 0.15% of fishery exports. The minister, well
aware that the seals were experiencing their largest mass die-off
to date - doubled the sealing quota to 60 000. Resulting in 2000 -
Sealers could only harvest 41 753 seals (69%) on an increased TAC
quota of 60 000. To further indicate how irresponsible this
minister is, the sealing market in 2000 dropped to N$ 600 000 (US$
100 000) or 0.02% of fishery exports.
Within one year of doubling the sealing
quota the average price dropped from N$ 139 (US$ 23) to N$ 14 (US$
3) - a decline per seal of 90% in value.
According to the 20th Meeting of the
Animals Committee of CITES in 2004 - Namibia only exported 2 124
seals skins in 1999 (and not the 25 161) and in 2000, exported 48
686 seal skins, when they declared only 41 753 had been
harvested.
Please therefore either call for an immediate end to the sealing
industry in Namibia or the resignation of Fishery Minister Abraham
Iyambo.
On-line Petition to
Namibia
http://www.harpseals.org/helpstop/protest_new/namibia_email.php
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
021-790 8874
ANIMAL FOUNDATIONS AROUND THE WORLD
PROTESTING THE ANNUAL SLAUGHTER
IN NAMIBIA, SOUTH AFRICA OF THE CAPE FUR SEALS:
Canadian
Voice for Animals.
www.canadianvoiceforanimals.org
SEAL
ALERT – SOUTH AFRICA
www.canadianvoiceforanimals.org/SASealAlert_Index.html
ACTION
AGAINST POISONING, Netherlands
www.actionagainstpoisoning.com
ARGOS
Animal Welfare Society
Thessaloniki, Greece
www.argosgr.org
CIDAG Coalition,
Greece
www.atlantisnet.gr/cidag
Marchig
Animal Welfare Trust
http://www.marchigtrust.org/index.htm
Winsome
Constance Kindness Trust
http://www.thewinsomeconstancekindnesstrust.com/
International Organization for Animal Protection OIPA,
Italy
http://www.oipa.org/
Seal Alert
SA by OIPA
English Italian
Action Against
Poisoning
Page with info from the start in
www.actionagainstpoisoning.com English
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Sea Shepherd about the cape fur seals south
Africa
Dutch
Organisation
Dutch web site
IFAW
www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=173602