From:
Seal Alert-Sa
Subject:
Why Is
Namibia Culling A Declining Seal Population
Date:
June 28, 2007 9:49:43 AM
Dear
All Cape fur seal supporters,
Below is a letter I have emailed and
faxed to the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries. Could you in
an effort to stop the cull of these baby Cape fur seals,
print-out a copy and either email it, or better still fax
to it the Namibian Ministry, Attention Permanent Secretary
Nongula Mbako on + 264 61 233 286 or + 264 61 224 566 or
use the emails below.
Or, use these links for local
embassies, http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/namibia1.html and
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=Namibia+Embassies&btnG=Search&meta
Please, Thank you.
For the Seals, Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
-----
Original Message -----
From:
Sealalert
To:
secretary@namibia.org.za ;
namibia@un.int ;
lmupetami@mweb.com.na ;
aiyambo@mfmr.gov.na ;
ambanga@mfmr.gov.na
Sent:
Thursday,
June 28, 2007 7:46 AM
Subject:
Why Is
Namibia Culling A Declining Seal Population
Seal Alert-SA Press Release, 28th June 2007
Dear Minister Abraham Iyambo
or the Permanent Secretary Nangula Mbako, could you please
answer the below questions?
2 Days to Go
to the Start of Namibia's Annual Pup
Cull,
Why Is
Namibia Culling A Declining Seal
Population
In 1977, the 173 member countries of the United Nations
Convention In Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) listed
Cape fur seals as an Appendix II endangered species.
The Namibian Ministry
of Fisheries and Marine Resources claims to harvest its
Seal Population (90% pup based), based on a provision in
the Constitution which allows for the sustainable use of
natural resources.
The Oxford English
Dictionary states. Sustainable - "able to be sustained -
avoiding depletion of natural resources".
Since independence in
1990, Namibia's pup population (upon which the whole
population is based) has declined
from 196 689 pups
(1989) to 163 141 pups (2004).
Population surveys
supplied by - [1989 pup population supplied by the
Commission on Sealing pg.52 and 2004 pup population
supplied by Dr C Augustyn, Chief Director: Research,
Antarctica and Islands at Marine and Coastal Management
(MCM) - "Independent studies by a UCT researcher who has
prepared a model on the current population estimates
derived from aerial surveys over 33 years from 1972 to
2004"]
Clearly Namibia's
annual cull of its pups and bull seals is
not
sustainable.
Since South Africa
stopping its commercial seal culling operations in 1990.
The total South African seal population has
remained
stable,
with 105 101 pups (1989) to 105 345 pups (2004). Clearly
proving that after fourteen (14) years of not culling
seals, that no cull is
needed.
A cull is a scientific
term used in terrestrial wildlife conservation to control
(reduce) a wild population of animals in a restricted or
fenced-in area. Its purpose should be once-off, humane and
have no basis for an annual commercial harvesting industry.
Last year, on 9 October 2006
(during the Namibian seal culling season), the Namibian
Ministry of Fisheries released the following Media Release,
headed, "Current Seal Mortalities Along the Namibian Coast"
(see attached). Acknowledging very clearly by its own
researchers that the seals in large numbers were dying from
starvation. Described by one seal rights holder, Mr. Gys
Cilliers of Seal Products, "confirmed that seal mortality
matched that of the 1994 disaster year" (where one half of
the seal population in Namibia starved to death).
Why then did the Minister Abraham
Iyambo recommend to the Namibia Cabinet to increase the
2006 pup cull >from 60 000 (2005) to 85 000 pups (2006)?
Why if the whole Namibian pup
population surveyed in 2004, was 163 141 pups, of which 122
355 (75% of the population) pups occurs on the two mainland
seal culling colonies at Wolf/Atlas Bay and Cape
Cross, of which (scientifically), these pups would
experience a natural mortality of 30% within first year.
Leaving at most 85 649 pups alive at the start of the 2006
sealing season on July 1, would the Namibian Ministry of
Fisheries award an increased pup quota of 85 000 (that
would harvest all the pups, 100%), excluding the mass
mortality factors from starvation that occurred as well in
2006, under a sustainable use policy? This needs to be
seriously answered?
With the Namibian seal population
(scientifically) in decline since 1990, why is Namibia
continuing its annual pup cull?
Seal Alert-SA requests the
Namibian Ministry to satisfactorily answer this question,
before announcing its seal culling quota for 2007.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
Tel/Fax 27-21-790 8774
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tel : (021) 790
8774
Fax: (021) 790 8774
E-Mail :
sasealion@wam.co.za
Website : WWW.SealAlert.co.za
Ref: Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
26th
June 2007
His
Excellency
Wibard Hellao
High Commission of the Republic of Namibia
702 Church Street
Pretoria
South Africa
Your Excellency
PUBLIC CALL FOR NAMIBIA TO ANNOUNCE A MORATORIUM ON SEAL
CULLING POLICY
I refer to your letter dated 14 September 2006 (ref 1/3/8)
in response to the public protests and deposition by Seal
Alert-SA against the culling of seals at the coast of
Namibia.
Statements made by the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries in
your official press release dated 10 July 2006 (referred to
in your letter) have proven to be incorrect when the
Minister awarded the largest cull on record of 85 000 seal
pups for the 2006 sealing season. The Namibian Ministry of
Fisheries official press release dated 9 October 2006,
headed, “Current Seal Mortalities Along The Namibian
Coast”, clearly refute statements made in the 10 July
release.
Clearly the seals suffered their 7th
mass mortality
from starvation, matching that of the 1994 disaster year.
As reported publicly by one of your own seal rights holder,
Mr. Gys Cilliers of Seal Products. Stating, “When we
started the harvesting season in July, the seals were
already skinny. Conceded that Seal Products could not meet
their pup quota. Harvesting season had to be suspended, for
beaches to be cleaned and for dead seals to be buried. The
season for pup culling ended early, there simply are not
any more pups. Mr. Cilliers confirmed that seal mortality
matched that of the 1994 disaster year”.
Clearly the Namibian Seal stock is
not healthy, as
incorrectly stated by the Ministry. Nor too, is the Cape
fur seal population
not endangered. The
173-member countries of the UN/Cites (Convention in Trade
of Endangered Species) listing of Cape fur seals under
Appendix II on their endangered species list, would clearly
disagree.
Namibian Fisheries Minister
Abraham Iyambo in his Annual Address to the Fishing
Industry on February 20, 2006 stated very clearly the
following. 2006 should be a year we focus on, "Restricting
the level of fishing effort" and "Continue with responsible
management and conservation of our fisheries resources".
Although stating
clearly in a letter to Seal Alert-SA that Namibia's
"harvesting operations of seals is governed by the
regulations of Marine Resources Act of 2001". He then
increased the sealing pup quota from 60 000 to 85 000 and
then, half-way through sealing season issuing another
letter on 9 October 2006, "Current seal mortalities along
the Namibian Coast". Where sealers themselves were unable
to meet this quota, stopped harvesting operations to bury
dead seal corpses (half the seal population died) and could
find no more pups to kill, hardly sounds like, "restricting
fishing effort, responsible management or conservation of
this endangered fisheries resource", now does it?
In his Annual Address,
Minister Iyambo further stated, New Fishing
Rights - "Biological
data indicate no need for
new rights" and "There is
a general need to decrease effort on all
established commercial fisheries". Announcing,
"Moratorium
on new rights for at least next 5
years". He said, "A
total of 33 rights of exploitation due expire end 2007,
these rights include
2 sealing rights".
Minister Iyambo set last year's
2006 sealing quota, at 6000 seal bulls and 85 000 seal
pups, shared as follows between three sealing rights
holders. Namibian Venison & Marine Products a quota to
harvest of 38 050, Seal Products 32 950 and Cape Cross
Seals 20 000.
As Cape Cross Seals is a
relatively new entrant into seal harvesting, clearly
therefore the two established sealing rights
holders, Namibian Venison & Marine Products
and Seal Products,
rights expire in 2007.
Holding Minister Iyambo to his National
Address, these two sealing rights holders cannot be
renewed, as there is a
moratorium on new rights for at least the next 5
years.
This would effectively end Namibia's
sealing industry, and the Minister should announce an end
publicly, before the start of the 2007 baby seal culling
season, which normally starts on July 1.
In light of the fact, that as Namibia’s sealing quota is
ninety percent (90%) pup based, that the US has banned
imports of baby Cape fur seal products since 1971, as well
as Mexico, and more recently Croatia, Belgium and Italy. As
well as the fact that since 1983, the European Union has
banned baby seal product imports, as well as the sealing
countries themselves (Canada, Russia, Norway and Greenland)
writing into their sealing regulations the banning on
taking nursing baby seals in a harvest since 1987.
The Namibian Ministry should urgently consider ending its
pup culling policy. As they are the only country in the
world to currently cull endangered nursing baby seals.
As the four largest and most importance incoming tourist
countries to Namibia, (US, Italy, Germany and Netherlands)
have all recently introduced specific legislation banning
Cape fur seal product imports. Their condemnation via their
legislation should be noted.
As too, should South Africa’s decision in 1990, to stop
culling, which since has seen no further increase in the
seal population or a need to cull the seal population.
Seal Alert-SA trusts the Minister will honour his
statements made in his Annual Address (20 February 2006),
and maintain the moratorium on new fishing rights, thereby
ending the sealing rights of two of the three sealing
rights holders. To which effectively, Namibia should then
end its Seal Culling policy.
We ask that the Namibian Cabinet is made immediately aware
of these incorrect remarks by the Minister, the changes
that have since occurred, as too, the recent banning by
Germany and the Netherlands, and to then receive an
official reply on your seal culling policy.
Confirmation that these two sealing rights, will not be
renewed.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
