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