From: sasealion@wam.co.za
Date: January 31, 2007
Press Release : January 31, 2007
Seal Alert-SA
Cape Fur Seals Flee
North into Extinction
Namibian Mainland Seals Fleeing Daily From Namibian
Sealers
As
the only species of seal breeding on the African continent,
Cape fur seals when first sighted by the earliest European
explorers, were described as a "sight honourable to behold"
and their island habitats as, "in mine opinion, there
is not an island in the world more frequented by seabirds
and seals".
Named
originally as the Cape fur seal, sealing ensured the
complete extermination of these seals on islands off the
Cape. By 1900, they were near extinction, with 99% of their
former islands, remaining extinct to this day. No mainland
colonies existed. This violation by sealers, forced the
government of the day to place seals under the protection
of the Cape Fish Act of 1893.
Annual permitted
population reduction culls continued on islands. By 1940s,
11% of the remaining seal population had fled to Namibia.
By the 1970s, Seals had fled and established mainland
colonies in Namibia, where 50% of the seal population had
now settled. By the 1990s it had risen to 75% of the
population, and with it came officially the name change,
from Cape fur seals to South African fur seals, no doubt to
explain the loss of seals in the Cape.
Whilst less than 11%
of today's seal population remains in the Cape with 99% of
its former habitat (islands) still extinct. Namibia
continues its annual population reduction cull on 90% of
the babies born annually.
Left in the hands of
politicians, scientists, conservationists and driven by
sealers in Namibia, Cape fur seals will soon flee
increasing to its third African country, Angola. As it does
so, and is unnaturally forced, its food source the further
north towards the equator these fur seals are forced to
flee, diminishes, as too, does its chances of surviving in
a hotter climate on the mainland.
Angolan Press Agency,
reported yesterday that Angolan National Institute of
Fishing will continue research on seals developing colonies
on its mainland http://allafrica.com/stories/200701300483.html.
A diamond-rich country recently out of a civil-war,
there are already ominous signs, that not only are
scientists from Namibia, South Africa and Angola in
disagreement as to why seals are fleeing north, but that
seal culling words, like "keeping the balance in the
ecosystem" and Angolan Law on Biological and Aquatic
Resources states, "the government must adopt the
necessary measures to preserve this species", whilst
being enlightened but its South African and Namibian
sealing counter-parts that, "ANGOP has learnt that for
seals to keep alive and in normal activity they need to
eat at least four kilograms of fish daily".
Science speak for population
reduction cull policies. It is unknown what the state of
the fisheries in Angola is, after Russian factory ships and
EU purchased 36 million in a cash payment fishing access,
but it is almost certainly worse than the 447 000 tons of
Pelagic removed by South Africa in 2000, or the 25 000 tons
by Namibia.
Climate and fisheries wise, it makes no
natural sense for seals to move north into warmer less
abundant waters, unless the fear and disturbance caused by
the Namibian sealing operations, becomes the unnatural
over-riding factor.
Although scientifically it is believed
that more than 50% of the Cape fur seals diet consists of
non-commercial fish species, at four kilograms per seal per
day, and the fear that after South Africa, and then Namibia
has succeeded in driven the over one million seals, from
their waters, Angolan's fisheries will be forced to cope
with a sudden influx of 1.4 million tons of consumption by
fish eating seals.
As a one-man organization supported by
seal supporters from over seventy countries, Seal Alert-SA,
already struggling to cope with the seal rescues in just
South Africa, has its work cut out for it protecting seals
now in three African countries.
It only real hope for the Cape fur seals
now, is to have them unbanned from their historic islands
in the Cape, and facilitate their re-introduction.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
