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Press Release
Seal Alert-SA, 21 October 2006
No rescue. Namibia concealing its widespread seal starvation,
whilst claiming over-population on a declining endangered seal
species.
Whilst Namibia's
annual nursing baby seal cull draws to a close on November 15, (in
a practice banned since 1972 by the United States, the European
Union in 1983, the sealing countries of South Africa,
Canada, Greenland, Russia and Norway, and banned from import
into Mexico, Croatia, Italy, Belgium, United Kingdom, Netherlands
and now Germany) sealers report that the seal pup harvesting season
has ended, (one month prior) as "there simply are not any more pups
(to club and kill)".
Whilst Canada kills four
times more seals (350 000), it does not kill 'nursing baby seals'
and sets its quota at 30% of the pups in its 5/6 million seal
population, whereas Namibia awards quotas that kill every pup
(100%) that even with lengthened sealing seasons still cannot be
filled on a seal population declining and suffering from repeated
mass die-off's from starvation. Whilst CITES permits the
detrimental international trade of this species, that the European
Union continues imports.
Germany who once
controlled the territory of Namibia and upon whom Namibia relies
upon for its tourism, would do well to send a clear message to
Namibia to end its sealing policy, as it takes over presidency in
early 2007.
The 6000 bull shooting
quota in 2006 for gentialia exports, will continue although
sealers again describe the "bull seals are so weak they just lie on
the beach, they are too weak to get up" (get shot where they
lie).
What civilised country
partakes in a so-called 'commercial sustainable harvest' of
endangered and protected wildlife in nature reserves that
involves rounding-up and clubbing to death baby seals already dying
from starvation and too weak to move, and then charges tourist to
view this wildlife splendour of the natural world, after the
sealers have finished their morning killing spree?
This is an international
crime against marine wildlife (there is no fair chase or
sustainable harvest, and is barbaric, sadistic and cruel) that
should not go unpunished by the international community. Francois
Hugo of Seal Alert-SA appeals to other countries and its citizens
to boycott Namibia's tourism, diamonds and fisheries, until Namibia
ceases its sadistic and barbaric illegal sealing policy.
Aware that the Cape fur
seal population had still not recovered from the 1994 mass die-off
from starvation where one half of the seals starved to death (500
000 seals), and had since endure further mass die-off's in 1995,
1996, 2000 and 2001. Which had reduced the seal population by at
least 50% in the last decade, and whose population in 2006, is
at levels last seen in 1982.
Aware that prior to the
start of the 2006 seal cull season that pups were already
skinny. That Namibian researchers had revealed that long-term
average growth of 30 grams/day, had declined to 2 grams/day, and
that the majority of seal pups will not survive beyond post weaning
age.
Acting Permanent
Secretary Mr Amutse, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries and
Marine Resources Abraham Iyambo on the 10th July, stated in an
official press release, that "Namibia must utilise all natural
resources as long as it is done in a responsible and sustainable
manner", and that, "the Seal stock in Namibia is currently in a
healthy condition, according to the latest biological information",
adding, "total number of pups at around 185 000 (1982 population
level)".
Responding to public protests that
Namibian seals are not healthy, nor is sealing sustainable, held
outside the Namibian High Commission in South Africa and United
Kingdom, Minister Iyambo "assured (Seal Alert-SA founder Francois
Hugo) that Namibia will use the best scientific advice to
sustainably and humanely harvest seals".
Proceeded to lengthened nursing baby
seal pup season of 85 000 pups started on July 1 (previously August
1), in order to facilitate sealers reaching their full
(scientifically set) quotas. Something that has not occurred yet
since Namibia's independence in 1990, with sealers averaging 60% of
their quotas. Although Seal Alert-SA advised the Ministry that this
quota of 85 000 (20 000 more pups than in 2005), would see a total
pup genocidal cull of all pups still alive by July 1, the Minister
continued with the cull. A violation of the CITES convention as
Cape fur seals are listed as endangered under Appendix II..
Whilst Stephen Lussier, the Executive
Director of External and Corporate Affairs for De Beers, hopes to
conclude its billions of dollars 50/50 partnership with Namibia in
its Diamond Contract, the single largest contributor to Namibia's
GDP by year end. Stephen Lussier also wrote to Francois Hugo of
Seal Alert-SA in July, in which he stated, "I cannot help but be
moved by the images you have seen", and "De Beers has a real
commitment as a company both to the environment and to
conservation" and "De Beers does not support any seal culling
activities,and to be completely clear De Beers has no involvement
whatsoever in the current cull in Namibia".
Reacting to media reports of seals
crawling ashore and dying like flies all along the coast (the
majority in the diamond restricted area), Permanent Secretary Ms
Mbako in an official media release states, (aware that Mr Cilliers
of Seal Products at Cape Cross had to stop his harvest to
bury 900 seal pups that died in three days, in which no sooner
were they buried, that another 900 seal pups died) that "total
pups at Wolf and Atlas Bay are below a threshold of post weaning
survival mass of 11 kg, the majority of the pups in the south will
not survive (The De Beers diamond restricted area, where it was
reported that Namibian Venison & Marine Products had a sealing
quota of 38 000 pups)". Although this diamond restricted area bans
access to the public, cellphones and cameras - sealers can go in
and out, with clubs and knives daily.
In her attempt to explain away (on the 10th
October) Namibia's 7th mass seal die-off from starvation, Ms Mbako
completely fabricates pup population levels stated by her Minister
of 185 000 (in July), by now declaring, "Recent scientific research
has shown an increase of the seal population by more than 73% in
the Namibian waters as compared to the 1993 estimates", falsely
claiming seal pups now number 380 000 and are over populated.
Stating, "This implies that the population numbers of these mammals
have reached a stage where their current food source has become
insufficient to sustain their livelihood".
Never in the history of official seal population
surveys, has the Cape fur seals for both Namibia and South Africa
ever exceeded 324 000 pups. The peak in the seal population in
1993, is less than 10% of pristine population levels, from which
seals have still not recovered from near extinction from sealing in
1900.
Fabricating the seal pup population by an
additional 200 000 pups or an additional 800 000 seals, as an
excuse for Namibia's collapsed overfishing policies.
Whilst Deputy Director of Fisheries and Marine
Resources, Kilus Nguvauva secretly closes all fish processing
plants and orders October a no fishing month. Its intended purpose
to allow fish stocks to recover (in one month). At first, the
Ministry, "wanted two months, of October and November, but later we
came to an agreement with the industry that there would be no
fishing only in October".
Mr Nguvauva, then goes on to state, "Government
blames the high seal colonies in some coastal regions for the
dwindling fish stocks" and as a result, "has introduced a
controlled seal-culling process".
Overfishing or culls have ensured that the
last seal pup born in 2006, has either died of starvation or been
clubbed to death, whilst suckling its mother in nursing and
birthing breeding grounds (whose milking characteristics pose no
threat to Namibia's fish stocks).
Sealers has "sustainably" killed every last seal
pup, and still their quotas are some 40% short.
An international crime that should not go
unpunished or ever be allowed to occur again. Namibia must
immediately announce an end to its sealing industry or face serious
international economic consequences.
South Africa stopped commercially killing the
same species of seal (Cape fur seals) 16-years ago in 1990, Namibia
must now do the same.
Adult females, staving crawling ashore
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA