Kill 'Them' All - Namibia Orders Sealers,
As Environmental Conditions Worsen
From: SEALALERT
SA
Date: July 8, 2007
VIDEO
NAMIBIASEALCULL2007 no 2
VIDEO
NAMIBIASEALCULL2007 no 1
Kill 'Them' All - Namibia Orders Sealers,
As Environmental Conditions Worsen
Seal Alert-SA, Press
Release, July 8, 2007.
As Namibian Ministry digs in its
heels to kill endangered baby seals and protect the jobs of
120 unskilled, unemployed, poor and destitute part-time seal
clubbers - Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA, digs in further
and releases Seal Clubbing Clip Number 2 :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOzp_uh-3ls
and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=onkt6VuAhnw,
in an effort to end the hunt now, and protect 80 000 starving seal
pups, 6000 bulls and the entire endangered seal species of Cape fur
seals from being slaughtered.
One week into Namibia's seal annual
cull. Citizen Newspapers lists Seal Alert-SA as Quote of the Week,
"Throughout the world it is accepted that the fishing industry is
over subscribed. It is ludicrous to contend that seals can compete
with commercial fishing" - Francois Hugo, Seal Alert-SA.
Top stories on CNN
www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/namibia.seals.ap/index.html and
FOXNews
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288402,00.html.
Kill 'Them' All -
Namibia Orders Sealers,
As
Environmental Conditions Worsen
2006 Namibian Fisheries states seal pup population 185 000. Dr JP
Le Roux, Head of Marine Mammal Section Namibian Ministry of
Fisheries and two other scientists found that natural pup mortality
has increased during the past decade in January it is 30%, and
between February - July (start of seal culling season) a further
32% mortality. Subtracting this natural mortality of 62% (January -
July) from 185 000 pups born in December (mortality up by 100% from
previous decades). Would leave the sealers on July 1, 70 000 pups
to club. Namibian Ministry awarded an 85 000 pup quota for 2006. 80
000 for 2007.
In addition, Namibian
scientists report another major mass die-off from starvation year
in 2006 (mortality as high as 95% of the pups and half the
adults). With environmental conditions worsening, a further mass
die-off is expected in 2007. Namibian sealers reported "no more
seal pups to kill - all dead". 2007, Namibian Ministry reduces
seal pup quota 6%, and orders sealers to kill them all, setting the
quota at 80 000 pups and 6000 bulls.
Seal Alert-SA receives US NOAA
request. I am a Special Agent with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration in the United States. Several
years ago, my office intercepted a shipment of Cape fur seal pelts
being transshipped through the USA. This was a violation of the
Marine Mammal Protection Act (USA law). I see that the seal
hunt is currently underway. I am interested in tracking
any shipments of whole or parts of seal harvested during this hunt,
to ensure they are not brought into the USA in violation of
the Marine Mammal Protection Act. I wonder if your
organization, or some other organization, maintains a list of
company names involved in the; harvest, processing,
transporting, buying or selling whole or parts of seals
harvested during this hunting period.
Please Read. Dummies Guide (make it
easier to understand) Why Namibia Must End Its Seal Cull, at the
end of this release.
Building
'Berlin' walls around former seal island colonies. Banning entire
seal colonies from small remote islands. Forced relocation on
unlimited breeding desert mainlands. The mass death and clubbing of
entire generations - Is this the Namibian answer, to
endangered seal conservation?
The four pictures above illustrate Seal Alert-SA sole
responsibility for ending the Namibian seal cull. Throughout this
campaign Seal Alert-SA has never appealed for public funding or
donations. Invitations to the Ministry to meet go unanswered.
Namibian Permanent Secretary Nangula
Mbako of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources told the
media, "There is nothing new, neither interesting ... the issues
raised are unfortunately outdated and have become repetitive".
Yet, GlobeandMail, Washington Post, Namibian Economist,
Namibian Government owned New Era, Herald Tribune, News24, CNN,
FOXNews, Mail&Guardian, German BILD, Ireland News, Houston
Chronicle, The Guardian UK, Sunday Independent, The Namibian,
Weekend Argus, Citizen, Mercury and the Cape Times, just to name a
few, all ran stories.
The largest cull of endangered marine
mammals is NEWS, clearly the media and international public think
so.
Seal cull up 470 per cent since Namibian
independence.
1977 South Africa listed Cape fur
seals as an Endangered CITES Appendix II species. 1989
the seal cull quota was 16000 (the seal population was larger then)
of which only 6 285 pups were harvested. 2007 it is 80
000 (2006 it was 85 000)pups and 6000 bulls.
Announcing the 2007 sealing quota,
stated that 80 per cent of the seal population has now re-colonised
the unlimited desert mainland and only 20 per cent is left on their
original breeding habitat offshore islands. This should make one
stop and think?
Sealing originally took place only on
the islands, involving 13 seal colonies. Since population surveys
started in 1971, one original seal colony has increased in
population size. 7 colonies have decreased. 5 original colonies are
extinct, including the largest one. This is what Namibia does not
want anyone to know.
Dummies Guide To Overwhelming Evidence
Why The Namibian Seal Cull Must End NOW!
Fisheries. Since independence Namibia has
doubled fishery catch, landings and quotas, from 300 000 tons to
600 000 tons per annum. When it should have reduced it by 50 per
cent in 1990. Bank of Namibia annual report, the fishing industry's
contribution to the country's GDP was 5 per cent in 2005. Sealing
accounts for 0,01 per cent of fishery exports.
Policies. 1990 South Africa stops its
sealing policy on same species. Scientists state their is no
biological distinction between Namibian and South African Cape fur
seals - the seals are one population. Sealing Commission chaired by
WWF recommends a single species management. South Africa stops,
Namibia starts sealing.
Number of pups alive on July 1. Excluding
a mass die-off, less than 70 000 or lower. Sealing pup quota 80
000.
Natural Pup Mortality/Environmental Cull.
Double the fishery catch doubles the natural seal pup mortality. Up
from 25% to now 62%. Excluding, recorded mass die-off years from
starvation 1994, 2000 and 2006 (95% of pups died and half the adult
seal population). Nature already kills 62% of the seal pups before
sealers start their annual 139 day seal cull.
Environmental. Global warming, loss of
former habitat, reduced fisheries, massive culls, all will lead to
this species extinction.
Unnatural Pup Mortality. Double the
fishery capacity, doubles the entanglement, interactions, illegal
shootings and drownings of foraging seals at sea. Up from 30
000 to 60 000 seal mortalities for one sector of thirteen sector
Namibian fishing industry. Its trawler fleets.
Seal Quota. Decade ago (1996) Seal quota
was 20 500. 2006 it was 91 000. 2007 it is 86 000. Not a single
marine predator species (fish, seabirds, sharks, whales or
dolphins) has increased, neither has seals. Pup Sealing quota
increased 300 per cent over last decade.
Cull. Is a term scientific
conservationists use to reduce a wild population of animals in an
enclosed area (game park). It should have no basis for an annual
commercial sealing industry. It should be breeding female based.
Namibia exempts all breeding female and cow seals.
Tourism. Four of the largest international
incoming tourist country's to Namibia. United States, South Africa,
Germany and Netherlands have all specifically banned Cape fur seal
product imports.
Largest Contributor to GDP. De Beers
Diamonds (the world's largest producer of gem diamonds) has
publicly voiced horror at the methods used to cull baby seals and
is opposed to the cull of seals within diamond restricted area of
Namibia.
Harvest. Constitutionally it must sustain
the population and not reduce it. Namibia does neither.
Seal Population. Lower in 2006 and 2007
than in 1993. Never recovered from 1994 mass die-off from
starvation.
Namibian Sealing Policy. Annual. 90 per
cent baby seal pup based and 3000 - 6000 bull seal genital/penis
harvest.
Percentage of Population Harvested. 80% of
the Seal Population for 139 days (July to November) each
year.
Media Banned From Cull. Previously
photo-journalists arrested. Diamond Area, restricted. Cape Cross
Nature Reserve patrolled by armed-guards. Staged Media day in 2000.
Mnet Television production Carte Blanche produces evidence of
random clubbing of all age groups of seals, secretly filmed.
Morality Aspect. 1971 United States of
America banned the harvesting or importing of products from nursing
baby seals. European Union in 1983. World remaining sealing
countries (Canada, Greenland, Russia and Norway) in 1987.
Interferes in the natural behaviour and breeding cycle. Threat to
the survival of the species. Considered a Crime Against Nature,
even by sealers.
Protection of Fish Stocks. Latest
scientific research (June 2006) reveals quantative consumption of
commercial fisheries cannot be determined effectively, nor confirm
whether competition exists. Up to 50 per cent of Cape fur seals
diet is non-commercial fish species based. Namibia's seal cull,
exempts all fish-eating seals, including breeding cows. Cull is 90
per cent based on nursing baby seals suckling mothers milk
(non-fish eaters).
Cruelty Aspect. Chasing and rounding up 80
per cent of the seal population for 139 days each year, to separate
pup from nursing seal cow, is traumatic and cruel. Sealing
regulations state seal pup must be clubbed with a 1-metre wooden
stick (pick axe-handle) on the head and stabbed in the chest to
facilitate death. Filmed images of the slaughter, show pups must be
clubbed repeatedly, before and after being stabbed in the heart.
Pups found breathing after being clubbed and stabbed. Pups vomit up
freshly drunk white mothers milk in shock, before, during and after
being clubbed and stabbed. Pups chest being cut open whilst still
alive. Bulls shot for their genitals.
Sealer Clubber Qualification. None.
"Sealing Industry sustain jobs for the unemployed, poor and
destitute" - (quote) Namibian Permanent Secretary Mbako (July 4,
2007). Unskilled part-time employment.
Value Seal Product Exports. No figure
available for recent years. 2000 a total of 41 753 harvested
seals (pelts, oil and meat) earned (officially) Namibian $ 600 000.
N$14 or USD $2 per seal. Although Sealers claim industry earns N$5
million.
Sealing Industry. Three-man held
concession. Two of which Rights to Seal end 2007. Namibian has
imposed a 5-year moratorium on new fishing rights,.
Seals Killed Per Day. 600 pups are
clubbed and stabbed each day, for 139 days until quota is
filled or season ends. 200 bulls seals per day are shot with rifles
to reach the 6000 bull seal quota.
Protection Status. Listed as an Endangered
seal species in 1977 by the United Nations Convention In Trade of
Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II. Whose survival is dependent
upon sound conservation measures.
Distribution. Only species of seal
breeding on African Continent.
Range. South Africa, Namibia and Angola.
Found nowhere else on earth.
Original Habitat. Former breeding Islands
98 per cent extinct. Less than 20 per cent of the seal population
still bred in their natural original habitat - islands.
Sealing Colonies. Now all mainland based.
80 per cent of population. 2 mainland seal colonies. Wolf/Atlas Bay
within the De Beers/Namibian Government Diamond Restricted Area.
Operated by Namibian Venison & Marine Products with a 38 050
seal harvest quota. Cape Cross, a nature reserve on the mainland,
operated by two sealing concessionaires, Seal Products 32 950 seals
and Cape Cross Seals 20 000 seal harvest quota.
What Can You Do. Boycott Everything
Namibia. Cancel Tourism Plans to Namibia. Pressure South African
Minister to get involved. Spread the word. Support Seal
Alert-SA.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
+27-21-790 8774