Date: June 18, 2007
The BIG Namibian Baby Sealing Industry LIE - 2007
- with pic comparison
Press Release : June 18, 2007
13 days to go to the Namibian Baby Seal Slaughter.
Please See: comparitive Pics Below.
Please Cross Post
The BIG
Namibian
Baby Sealing Industry LIE - 2007
Cape
Fur Seals
Since Namibia's independence
in 1990, where its sealing industry was non-existent.
Namibia, has since relied on six falsehoods in order to
carry out its annual seal cull, 90% of which is baby seal
pup based and operated by three sealing concessionaires. A
practice condemned worldwide. For evil to flourish, all
that is needed is for good people to do nothing.
FALSEHOOD No #1 - The Seal
Population needs to be culled (reduced).
Namibia relies on the fact
that sealers almost caused the complete extinction of Cape
fur seals by 1900, and as such any growth above zero, can
and is considered an over-population (even Canada with
5-times the number of seals does not lay claim to this
falsehood). The highest the Cape fur seal population
reached was in 1993 (That was fourteen years ago). The
following year, half the population starved to death and
died. Six known subsequent mass die-off's occurred
thereafter, the last being, last year (2006). Reducing the
seal population overall by at least 50%.Where Namibia's own
researchers concluded that pups had only been growing at
10% of their normal growth rate, and none were expected to
reach post-weaning age. The primary cause of this is the
accepted disastrous overfishing policy, which has lead to
the collapse of one of the world's most productive
fisheries. Promises on its recovery as far back as 1996,
have failed to materialise.
Namibia itself acknowledged
prior to the start of the 2006 sealing season, that since
1994, twelve years later, the seal population is still some
27% below that of the population recorded in 1993. In
reality, the Seal population is some 50% below what it was
12 years later.
FALSEHOOD No #2 - Its a
Harvest and not a Cull.
The Cape fur seals have
never been harvested or hunted. It has always been a Cull
of Baby Seals. Scientifically a cull is used to "manage" a
population by reducing it. Yet, the most obvious
group to cull, the breeding cows has always been exempt,
(as no commercial market exists to fund their
slaughter). 90% of the annual sealing quota has
always been "baby" pup based. Whose removal has no
immediate or direct effect on reducing the population in
that sealing year, or for years to come or any benefit to
fisheries as all are still suckling mothers milk, and are
not fish consumers.
In fact, there is no need
for a cull of anysort. Already the seals have endured seven
mass die-off's. Add this to collapsed fish stocks since
1994, a natural mortality exceeding 30% per year, global
warming etc.
FALSEHOOD No #3 -
Sustainable Utilisation of Natural Resources is required
under the Constitution.
All wildlife is considered
Natural Resources. Namibia does not harvest other marine
mammals (whales, dolphins), nor white sharks, seabirds,
turtles (all consumers of fish). With the seal population
still 27% below its 1993 level, no "sustainable
utilisation" is possible, until a full recovery. One
sealing colony, lies within a Marine Protected Reserve
(Cape Cross) where even fishing is banned.
Scientifically a sustainable
utilisation of the seal population should only involve 30%
of the pups born (as 30% dies from natural causes within
first year). In 1993, the quota was 30 000 pups. In 2006,
with the population 27% lower, it was 85 000 pups.
FALSEHOOD No #4 - Seals
consume 1 million tons of Fish.
Worldwide seabirds consume
100 million tons of fish. Collectively Namibia's 32 species
of seabird, consume collectively more fish than seals. To
which no seabirds are culled, nor are the unknown dolphin,
whale or shark populations consumption known. In fact the
cow and the chicken, is today the largest predator of
marine fish, followed closely by the domestic cat. More
than 50% of a seal diet, consists of non-commercial fish
species.
Scientifically no study has proven
a cull of seals improves fish stocks. To the contrary,
studies by Marine Scientists in South Africa have proven
fish stocks will decline further, particularly in the hake
section (the most profitable), if seals are removed.
FALSEHOOD No #5 - Seals are
Thriving.
Although 75% of the seals now
occur on two large mainland colonies. This is not
representative of an increasing seal population. These are
seals displaced from some 30-odd natural offshore island
colonies (Ichaboe and Mercury). 99% of the Cape fur seals
former island colonies remains extinct.
FALSEHOOD No #6 - Namibia's
Sealing Industry is Legal and Accepted Internationally.
Sealing on seals in their natural habitat (islands) causes
direct extinction. A Crime Against Nature. Likewise, is any
disturbance to their breeding behaviour. Namibia's sealing
quota, which starts in July, is 90% pup based. Its method
is to invade these seal breeding nurseries (75% of the
population), separate cow from pup, and to club its
nursing young for 139 days until start of the next mating
season. It is for this reason, the US stopped and banned
all imports in 1971. Europe banned imports of baby seal
products, likewise in 1983 (Baby Cape fur seal products
were excluded because EU was not aware of this cull).
Sealing countries of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia
banned the practice in their regulations in 1987. Recently
EU has been considering a total seal product import ban.
Many countries like, Italy, Croatia, Mexico, Germany and
Netherlands have recently introduced bans already.
Namibia
South Africa
Whilst you
ban them from natural islands
- We
rescue those washed ashore and take them back
Whilst your
overfishing policies causes mass starvation
- We
purchase fish and feed them
Whilst you
let them suffer and starve to death, and bury them
in mass graves
- We
rescue them and save their life
Whilst you
brutally take their young lives
- We
love and nurture them
Whilst you
plunge knives into their baby hearts
- They
suckle our ears
Whilst you
round them up to slaughter
- They
surround us in friendship
Whilst you
use guns, knives and clubs to kill them
- We use
knives to free them from their fishing line
entanglement
Whilst you
smash in their heads
-
They fall asleep to our heart-beat
Whilst you
point silencers at their snout
- They
nuzzle their snouts to our nose
Whilst you
toss their clubbed bodies like garbage
- We
remove them from garbage bags and save them
Whilst you
tear the flesh from their innocent bodies
- They
use their living coats to give us warmth
Whilst you
believe in their extinction
- We
believe in their future
Whilst you
stand around their clubbed corpses
- we
enjoy a thriving multi-million dollar seal-viewing
industry
Whilst you
see dollars in their removal
- We see dollars in their survival
Minister of
Namibian Fisheries/Abraham Iyambo
- Seal
Alert-SA/Francois Hugo
Towards the end of
last year's sealing season, Minister Iyambo stated, "If
Culling seals is a Problem -The Solution is to Eat Them"
(urging his countrymen to develop a taste for seal-meat).
Wrong again Minister, even wildlife reject offerred
seal-meat.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
