Seal
Alert-SA's Review of the Scientific
Presentation
by
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine
Resources
Blood
soaked sand
is all that remains of the Cape Cross Seal Colony
Seal Alert-SA refers to the
Ministry of Fisheries Press Release dated 14 August 2007.
Seal Alert-SA has now reviewed the scientific presentation.
Seal Alert-SA totally disputes the
statement that we were unable to provide any alternative to
seal harvesting. Two 30-minute presentations to both your
Prime Minister and to the 34 participants present in the
meeting on 9 August, will confirm Seal Alert-SA's
presentations were full of alternatives to seal harvesting
(A copy of which has been forwarded to the media). As we
believe that your current method of sealing is cruel and in
fact unlawful, we did not attempt to illustrate a further
an alternative method, in an already unlawful activity. We
did however illustrate why sealing should stop. How sealers
have directly caused a population imbalance, how sealing is
not sustainable and how sealing has cost the fishing
industry thousands of jobs and billions in lost profits.
We put forward the concept of
non-consumptive use of the seal resource as an alternative,
and the undertaking to assist with eco-tourism development.
The extermination by Sealers of
Namibia's largest mainland colony as confirmed by aerial
photographs taken before and after the meeting on the 9
August 2007, confirm. By your scientists own admittance,
awarding two sealers the right to harvest 46 950 pups at
Cape Cross. When your scientists acknowledge that prior to
the start of sealing season on July 1. The Cape Cross
colony of pups 65 073 (recorded in December 2005) would
experience a natural mortality of 44% to 62%. Which would
leave 36 440 or 24 727 pups alive by July 1. Clearly for
the Ministry to then set a TAC of 46 950 pups, would be
un-sustainable. As it exceeds the number of pups alive by
some, 10 510 - 22 223 pups. Even more so, to then award a
three year rolling TAC.
Not a single issue raised in the
Seal Alert-SA presentations were meaningfully addressed by
either of the Namibian scientists. In fact, not a single
shred of proof was submitted by the scientists to dispute
the evidence submitted by Seal Alert-SA.
It is therefore incorrect for the
Permanent Secretary Frans Tsheehama to allege that the
scientists provided enough evidence to prove beyond doubt
that the allegations made by Seal Alert-SA had no basis.
This was clearly a cheap shot by your Ministry in an
attempt to regain somesort of credibility in the eyes of
the media.
The issues presented to the Prime
Minister and at the meeting on 9 August 2007, remain
unaddressed. The issues in the interests of the
conservation of the Cape fur seals and the Namibian people,
require serious further deliberation.
Seal Alert-SA is ready and able to
attend the next round of meetings. In light of the
extermination by sealers of the Cape Cross seal colony, we
trust the Ministry will act quickly and set a date soonest,
so that Seal Alert-SA can make the necessary arrangements.
We request that the meeting is chaired
by someone who is unbiased and objective to the proceedings
and therefore propose that perhaps an official from the
Public Protectors Office in South Africa, (who has an
intimate knowledge of the Seal issues) be invited to chair
the next meeting or alternatively the meeting is chaired by
the Prime Minister, once again.
We look forward to your official
invitation.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
