Très bon article dans un journal sud Coréen

[Animal 0]

March 14, 2007


Is the mass killing of sea mammels 'sustainable' ecologically and
economically?

Spring is approaching in the northern latitudes and one annual event
which Canadians pay little attention to domestically but which gets
lots of international media coverage is about to get underway: the
yearly mass slaughter of seals.

This grotesque spectacle begins in an almost ritual fashion at the
end of March. "Hunters" club the seal pups to death, then strip there
pelts off with mundane efficiency. This is not nearly as deplorable,
however, as the near absolute absence of a national public debate
over the morality of the hunt. The silence across the land is deafening.

The issue appears too hot to address in the people's House of
Commons, and few if any politicians wish to take a public position on
it. As if swept under the ice flows for far too long, the images of
wholesale gore, splattered blood on ice banks, have evoked disgust
and outrage throughout the civilized world.

The barbaric primitiveness of the hunt-slaughter, or "cull,"
contrasts jarringly with the "Mr. nice guy" image Canada wishes to
project abroad. Not long ago I attended the D.C environmental film
festival and after a screening of a documentary at the Canadian
embassy in the U.S capital a high ranking diplomat invited me to chat
with him over coffee. Beforehand, he graciously gave me a tour of the
impressive building. I noticed the images of seals on paintings and
Inuit sculptures and carvings which adorned the walls. This near
reverence of these sea mammals and their beauty depicted so
stunningly in art form, seemed in sharp contrast and in total
contradiction to the reality of the seal slaughter taking place
around the same time off the coast of Newfoundland.

Right now the P.R machinery is working overtime to deflect and stifle
the worldwide wave of criticism against the seal hunt. Canadian
diplomats and officials in Ottawa are busy sparring the EU
parliament, which has denounced the hunt recently.

Aside from the usual verbal invective exchanges between the activists
worldwide and the minister of fisheries and oceans in Ottawa, a
massive campaign to justify the hunt is underway. Officials argue the
seal hunt is conducted in a "humane" manner and that it's crucial to
the well-being of communities whose welfare depends on the seal's hide.

Yet how can Canada continue to preach and peddle it green image
internationally and still carry out the mass slaughter of seals?
Scientists of dubious credentials are hired by the government
bureaucrats to issue studies justifying the annual butchery. Just
what impact the sudden diminishment of the seal population over
several weeks has on the overall ecosystem and its fauna is simply
unknown.

One does not need to be expert in environmental studies to see that
there is an impact and not only on the seal population but upon other
species such as their predators, the endangered Polar bears.
Furthermore, those who advocate the seal hunt have yet to produce a
comprehensive report about the impact of global warming on the seal
population as a whole in addition to that of the hunt. Perhaps Ottawa
will come up with such a study soon?

Those opposed to the seal hunt, such as David Lavigne, a scientific
adviser to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in Ottawa
says, "Prudence would say you reduce the number of animals killed to
allow these animals to have some chance in the face of global
warming, which is contributing to high levels of pup mortality." But
no, these appeals fall on deaf ears and despite the perils of warming
sea temperatures on the overall seal population the hunt goes on.

Meanwhile, a mini trade war is brewing. It looks to be more than just
a minor spat. Over a week ago, outraged by the seal hunt, the German
minister of agriculture proposed to bring a bill in front of the
Bundestag banning the importation of seal skins or any related
products from Canada. Sure enough, as the ice begins to melt under
the sun, Ottawa took immediate counter-measures.

A Canadian member of parliament from Newfoundland, the province which
benefits the most from the seal trade, now seeks to forbid the
importation of German boar and deer meat--the diplomatic tit for tat
is unlikely to stop at the seal hunt. However, the issue is
nevertheless a very hot one in Europe. Germany, as mentioned above,
is considering a ban on seal products; Belgium has already banned
them. And Britain is pushing for an EU wide interdiction of seal
product imports. In legitimate self defense Canada accused Germany of
hypocrisy, saying basically the killing or hunting of boars and deer
is inhuman.

Certainly one can argue that the annual systematic slaughter of the
seals for pelts and meat is an industry based upon an economic
imperative. The livelihoods of thousands of locals living in
Newfoundland depend on it. However, one might argue that the seal
hunt is hardly a "sustainable" practice in the long term. If the hunt
continues, the seal population may at one point be pushed to its
limits (just like the cod stocks which were over-fished and have now
virtually collapsed) and fall into a free-fall decline. Hence the
economic reasoning which underpins this outdated practice is invalid
and furthermore will eventually drive the seals and their predators
closer towards extinction.

The hunting of boars and deer on the other hand, just like the
hunting of bears, elk or moose (a common practice in Canada) is
mostly a sporting activity in Germany. It's not an industry but more
of a traditional pastime in Europe. This type of hunt is not mainly
driven by monetary gain. Therefore, the killing is not as systematic
a slaughter as the seal hunt.

Moreover, as we all know, the border between the needed revenue for
the hunters and the greed of the fur industry is a blurred one.
Secondly, seal pups are bludgeoned to death and skinned alive. How
"humane" is that? Shooting an animal or killing it with one blow
seems like a much better way to go, as every self-respecting hunter
well knows.

According to Mr. Lavigne a "sustainable" quota was set last year for
250,000 to 335,000 to be killed during last year's hunt. This year,
however, it may be more. The upcoming slaughter will do incalculable
damage to Canada's international image and the proposed EU wide ban--
even the mere hint of one--will likely deal a heavy economic blow to
this unnecessary slaughter.


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