From: sasealion@wam.co.za
Subject: Why South Africa Bans Seals From Islands.
Press Release, November 15, 2006
Seal Alert-SA
Dassen Island - March 2005
Dassen Island, the
second largest island in southern Africa (between Port
Elizabeth on the east coast and Angola on the west coast -
3000 km). At 273 ha it sits between Robben Island and
Saldanha Bay (a 200 km stretch of coast). Within this area
is the islands of Robben (506ha), Dassen (273ha), Jutten
(46 ha), Marcus (11 ha), Malgas (8ha) and Vondeling (21
ha). These 6 islands were all former major seal breeding
islands where intensive sealing operations were conducted
in the past. These islands are extinct to seals. These
island total 865 ha. Between South Africa and Namibia, a
total of 36 islands/rocks equally 1000 ha have been
protected for Seabirds and Seals under the Seabirds and
Seals Protection Act of 1973. These 6 islands therefore
present over 85% of the total offshore island land in
southern Africa.
Within this 6 island group along a 200 km
stretch of west coast. Dassen would account for 30% of the
surface area of the 6 islands in this area. Seals are
banned from this island. The question is why?
Looking carefully at the picture of Dassen above,
if seals were allowed to re-colonise Dassen, would
they completely swamp the island? Within this area, there
are currently pups being born on Robbesteen (0,3
ha) (between Robben and Dassen), Jacob's Rock (0,3ha)
and Paternoster Rocks (2ha), both north of Dassen. Total
pups born 4005 in 1997. Based on average pup densities on
islands, at 0,5 pups sqm. These 4000 pups, (and using the 4
times the pups to arrive at total population), were all to
re-colonise Dassen overnight. The total seal population
would occupy less than 1 ha or 0,3% of the island.
So large
is this single island, that if all the seals and pups in
South Africa, were to recolonise Dassen, a total of 123 000
pups (1997) or 500 000 seals, they would occupy 24 ha or
just 9% of this island. Look again at the picture of Dassen
(can you visualise 9% of the island being occupied by a
seal colony).
Why then
are seals banned from Dassen? (Take a closer look)
Do you see that
square rock near the waters edge at the point of land at
the middle/left of this picture. Now look even closer.
Approximately 11 seals are
huddled on this single rock on the edge of this massive
island of 273 ha. Notice how they are too afraid to venture
onto the island itself.
Why because they get shoot
and chased away. Why, because mainstream conservationists
want all these islands to be unnaturally exclusive seabird
islands. Changing the natural order of things?
To truly understand how
cruel and wrong this all is. Understand this. For this
massive island, protected for Seals and Seabirds, to be
completely void of seals (except the terrified 11), in
otherwords extinct to seals, it is as unnatural as the
seals with a distribution range of 3000 km, to ignore 35
islands, and all together breed on only one island in a
3000 km range. Something is terribly wrong in the
management of a protected seals, when such clear evidence
of species "apartheidness" exists so evidently in clear
picture.
Why is it so cruel? By banning
seals from islands like these, we cause them to pup on
inappropriate awash rocks. In so doing, we force up to 40
000 new-born baby seals to wash into the cold sea and drown
- annually.
By opening up these islands like
Dassen or Robben (seal island named after them). Seals
would leave the mainland sealing colonies in Namibia and
sealing would end.
We must campaign to have seals be
allowed to return to these historic and endemic breeding
habitats.
On the 15th November, Namibia has
ended its 2006, 85000 baby seal culling season. Now
starting on November 15, until end of December, when all
baby seal pups are born on offshore rocks in South Africa -
the "natural cull" of 40 000 baby seals will be swept away,
and either drown or wash ashore to starve to death on some
lonely beach somewhere.
The drowned mortalities of baby seal pups from one seal
colony, where over 60% drowned within 4 weeks (an annual
event)
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
