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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
