"Crime Against Nature" Policy,
Alienates Itself Internationally
From: Seal Alert-SA
Date: May 31, 2007
Whilst
Namibia was forced to "conceal" and confirm the Mass Starvation of
its Seals in 2006,
Its Largest Commercial Cull on Record -
Continued
With less than 30-days to
go, to the start of Namibia's 2007 annual baby seal cull (due to
start on July 1), the second largest Seal Slaughter in the world
(by three sealing concessionaires) - Seal Alert-SA
raises some serious questions that need answering by the Namibian
Fisheries Ministry.
Unlike the
commercial Seal Hunt in Canada, the Cape fur seal
population has instead always been culled and not hunted.
Equally, there is no fair chase, instead baby seals are rounded up
on Namibia's beaches with their nursing cows and clubbed to death.
It is a term conservation managers use to "control" a wild
population. Scientifically therefore it should have no basis for a
commercial sealing industry. Furthermore numbering less
than 1/5th of the Canadian seal population, the Cape fur seal
population can hardly be considered large (where not even Canadian
Fisheries uses that excuse in their hunt).
Considering that the cow
and domestic cat has become the largest predator of marine fish.
Would any civil minded country allow their feral cat population to
be rounded up and clubbed to death, daily - on their beaches or in
public streets?
Although the Cape fur
seals, the only species of seal found breeding on the whole African
continent, was classified by the United Nations - Convention In
Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) as an endangered species
(unlike the Harp seals), under its Appendix II listing since
1977. The southern African countries of South Africa and Namibia
(the distribution range of this species) have instituted an annual
50% population commercial reduction or cull of its new-born pups
and adult bulls via the inhumane and internationally illegal
practice of clubbing baby seals in their nursery habitats.
Unlike the Canadian sealers,
Cape fur seals were almost extinct in 1900 through sealers
harvesting on them in their natural habitat - islands. Current
sealing methods, would not be possible, hence why seals in the
majority are banned to Namibia's mainland beaches, to await their
annual slaughter.
As far back as 1971, the US
banned imports of Seal Products from South Africa and Namibia, as
under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act regulations, it is a
crime to club or kill seal pups still nursing or suckling in their
breeding habitats. Europe likewise, banned baby seal imports in
1983. As did, the remaining sealing countries (Canada, Greenland,
Russia and Norway) who wrote into their sealing regulations the
banning of clubbing "baby seals in nurseries". Likewise,
during a Commission on Sealing enquiry held in 1990 in South
Africa, where 11 top marine scientists recommended that the Cape
fur seals be managed by both countries (Namibia and South Africa)
as one population under one management policy, which lead to South
Africa ending its commercial seal culling policy in 1990. Already
99% of seals former habitats (offshore island colonies) remains
extinct.
The world had hoped this practice of
clubbing nursing baby seals had ended worldwide. Through a
loop-hole in European legislation, imports of baby Cape fur seal
products had been omitted (replacing banned Harp and Hooded
seal products), primarily due to the fact, that most European
legislators had never heard of Cape fur seals or culling policies
in southern Africa. Indeed, Namibian fisheries official (Dr BJ Van
Zyl), have stated that since Namibia's independence in 1990, "When
the current concessionaires became involved in sealing in 1990, the
Industry was non-existent. No market existed for any of the raw
product, other than male genitals".
The question therefore, is Namibia's
sealing policy based on a quirk in the European legislation that
banned baby seal imports?
Last year, group CEO Stephen Lussier
of De Beers Diamonds (the largest contributor to Namibia's GDP)
wrote to Seal Alert-SA stating, "De Beers does not support any seal
culling activities and like you, I cannot help but be moved by the
images you have seen". Shortly thereafter, Germany became the
third country to ban imports of specifically Cape fur seal
products, of the four largest international tourism countries to
Namibia.
In response, Namibia's Fishery
Minister Abraham Iyambo replied, "If Culling seals is a problem,
the solution is to eat them".
Seal Alert-SA has
just received confirmation that the 4th largest, tourism country to
Namibia, the Netherlands will be implementing a Cape fur Seal
product import ban via its Environmental Minister Verburg within
the coming weeks
see this link .
International Tourists Visiting Cape
Cross Seal Colony
Namibia now has the dubious
distinction of on the one hand, charging its international tourists
a fee to see the wild seals, but not before the commercial sealers
have gone into the seals breeding and nursing habitat, rounded up a
1000 baby seals each morning between 5am and 10am for the next 165
days on an 85 000 pup quota, clubbing them all death and covering
up the blood soaked sand, before opening the gate to paying
tourists. Which the majority of civil-minded international tourists
to Namibia would find it a travesty, considering the recent banning
by their countries of seal imports.
In a further quirk, these same
tourists are restricted from entering the Diamond restricted area,
as well as their camera's and cellphone, but sealers can go in
daily with knives, wooden clubs and guns where some 50% of the seal
quota is slaughtered.
Last year the Minister, although
claiming the Namibian seal culling program, was scientific and in
accordance with the constitution (when many South African
scientists disagree). Sealers were forced to bury up to 900 seal
carcasses a day and reported being unable to fill the quota set by
government (the largest to date of 85 000 pups). Government moved
quickly to bulldoze the seal carcasses into mass beach graves.
Undertaking to scientifically investigate the causes of this the
7th mass die-off from starvation since 1988. Shortly thereafter the
Minister announced that Namibian fishery researchers had concluded
that the seals died of starvation, and that pups were only growing
at 10% of their normal rate, and it was doubted that any of this
year's cohort of pups would survive to weaning age. Likewise
Namibian scientists are prevented from raising opposition to the
cull.
In addition, the same fisheries Minister
announced that the pelagic fish stocks had not recovered, from what
was once one of the most productive fishing grounds in the world,
and which used to account for a major portion of the seal's natural
foraging diet.
In context therefore, considering that between
one half and one third of the Cape fur seal population is already
dying/starving, the continued collapse of fisheries and the threats
posed by global warming on the seas. Is it intelligent and in
accordance with sound management for Namibia to continue with a
population reduction cull of its seal population? Should it not
protect seals, like any other marine mammal it protects (whales,
dolphins even the White shark) including numerous species of
seabirds - who all consume fish stocks?
Should a single Fisheries Minister be allowed to
cause the extinction of the only species of seal found breeding on
the African continent?
A far simpler and intelligent solution, (if the
stench of rotting seal carcasses on these forced mainland
colonies is the motive behind Namibian mass-cull) would be for
the fisheries Minister to allow seals to return to their former
banned island colonies, and allow these seals, which have so
effectively done so in the past, to control, their own
population and numbers. With the added benefit Seal Island
eco-tourism boat-trips, and the sustainable revenue it would
bring.
Will the Namibian Fisheries Ministry come in-line
with international consensus, and announce an end to its Seal Cull
policy, or simply award an even larger clubbing quota for 2007,
starting on July 1.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA