Call for Boycott of Costco Stores in Canada
Image Courtesy of Our Place in Canada
The Newfoundland Experiment
As has been speculated for weeks, Costco has decided to pull seal oil capsules from its shelves across Canada. When approached for comment by media outlets yesterday and today Costco officials refused to comment, however the Barry Group of Companies, a producer of the product, has confirmed the retailer’s move.
As many people know seal oil capsules are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven as an effective supplement for the prevention and control of various health problems such as heart disease, arthritis and diabetes.
According to reports Costco made their decision at the urging of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. An animal rights group, which has been linked with such extremists as Dr. Vlasik, who has publicly stated that he believed that the taking of a few human lives would be worth it to save the animals. The group is lead by an extremist leader, Paul Watson, who has himself been quoted in the past as saying that terrorist tactics were a valid approach to achieving his goals.
I personally find it difficult to believe that a company like Costco would align themselves with such a group and against many of their own customers who value this product.
By removing this supplement from their shelves Costco has decided to support a questionable individual in his effort to adversely impact the sales of a legitimate Canadian product. They have also decided to jeopardize the incomes of some of the the very same local people they expect to continue frequenting their stores.
The hunting of seals is a legitimate and highly regulated activity in Canada. It is sanctioned by the Canadian government and for Costco, as a company that has prospered from Canadian dollars, to take this action is nothing more than a slap in the face to many of their patrons.
I for one intend to boycott this company until such time as they publicly agree to return this valuable and potentially life saving product to their shelves.
I urge anyone who would like to express their concerns over this action directly to Costco can do so through their customer service department at: 1-800 463-3783, or by email at: http://www.costco.ca/en-CA/CustomerService/EmailUs.aspx
352 comments:
1 – 200 of 352 Newer› Newest»In weighing the damage Costco has decided that they would lose more money worldwide by supporting the hunt.
The huge outcry worldwide is absolutely unbelievable.
In Canada, the numbers against the seal hunt are rising dramatically.
There are just more protesters.
As I said who cares about Costco, many others said that yesterday when the lie was circulated that Costco in anyway supported this hunt.
Costco heard loud and clear and apparently decided to be intelligent.
Who shops more?
ARA's, stars, people like me.....
I guess now we know.
Trust me a boycott in Canada against Costco hurts our own people, if costco here was to close, but it is doubtful judging from the numbers, advocates v protesters and the "who shops more." There are simply more of us than them. But if it did close, who would it truly hurt?
A) The multi billion dollar company?
B) Canadian employees.
Duh! that is why these boycotts are silly, unlike the sea food one.
Even if I was a sealer, I wouldn't put my fellow Canadians out of work because the company they work for, decided not to back my job.
How silly is this anyway?
I for one intend to boycott this company until such time as they publicly agree to return this valuable and potentially life saving product to their shelves.
you can get omega 3 from at least 7 species of abundant cold blooded fish.
Why a boycott inside of Canada will not work.
Simple it puts Canadian's out of work.
Even Canadian protesters of the hunt will not submit themselve to an activist led boycott.
Simple it puts Canadians out of work.
They have found other ways to fight to end it.
Boycotting an American owned store inside of Canada to "slap" anyone in the face is absurd.
Canadians who oppose the hunt have found other solutions to the hunt for financial gain, regarding those in the hunt.
They have thus far been denied by Government. Smart solutions.
So Canadians are working hard to educate everyone about the hunt and let them judge for themselves.
They are gaining ground fast. Most Canadians either believed the hunt had ended, or the law banning the white coat babies,
meant no babies were killed. Educated Canadians on the truth, is the respectable way for all Canadians.
If you want to boycott, find an American product or products, supplied by a supplier that supports the ban on seal.
And find Canadian companies who advocate the hunt to remove it or them from the shelves. While your at it, hit Greenland, Greece,
Britian, Costa Rica, Australia, Sweden, Mexico etc.... and the list does go on.
My card is now two. I got my money back first of course.
Just wait and see folks. I've been in contact with some very powerful folks and there are repercussions for Costco already underway.
Stay tuned.
Give it up Patriot, you are on the very, very, very wrong side of this issue. Get over your obssession with Watson.
Mar 31 2006
"As concerned Canadians, we are appalled at what is happening on the east coast in respect to the seal hunt.
We are totally opposed to any slaughter of innocent creatures, but this is a new low. We demand the government put a stop to it. The international community is watching.
If the government does not immediately take steps in the direction of terminating this awful disgrace, we will commit ourselves to the organizations that are doing something about it."
Judye and Ken Johnson
Nanoose Bay http://www.pqbnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=50&cat=45&id=619714&more=
Dead seals on N.S. shores not related to seal hunt, Fisheries official says
March 31, 2006....well here is one of those natural disasters again just like last year that killed 2000
after that hunt. Do they count these numbers in the cull?
And Newfoundlanders think it is because they aren't taking them fast enough. Oh please hurry and kill so
we get the pelt! Don't want anymore to die before we get our quota. They are gonna die anyway. yadda...How do
you know how many will die in the coming weeks? Add this number to the quota so the PLAN will work to save the cod.
Ridiculous.
See, now what will Canada do when most of the babies drown and die, because of poor ice conditions.
WAKE UP! You can't kill the seal to save them. And the ecosystem is a disaster, global warming etc.
How do you know how many you can safely kill when stuff like this happens? Another species marked up
for Canada hunted or fished to extinction.
Way to go!
Vancouver, British Columbia — Newfoundland native Nadine Saunders is so disgusted by the annual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of harp seals in her native province that she wishes that she hadn’t been born there. That’s why she will be returning her birth certificate to the Newfoundland government today in protest of the seal hunt that takes place every spring on Canada’s East Coast.
"Thousands of helpless baby seals are bludgeoned to death in the province where I grew up. It makes me ashamed to be a Newfoundlander," says Nadine.
March 31, 2006
My card is destroyed and I have the photo on my blog to prove it.
You lurkers who think we can't affect change - wait and see...
My sister called tonight and informed me of the goings on with COstco because I'm a big spender there. She was letting me know that she had destroyed her card and NL'ians world wide were outraged.
Were not just 500 000 we are more like 4 000 000 world wide.
Premier Williams makes press release it's pretty obvious he doesn't want any public servants shopping there if they consider their NL customers DISPICABLE from Costcos press release.
http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/0331n07.htm
Danny says........
“I find it incredible that an international company of Costco’s reputation would make such a serious decision without giving us the courtesy of hearing our views, or those of the industry,” the Premier said. “I urge the company to reconsider this decision that has such serious implications for the sealing industry and the communities and individuals who depend on it, or at least put the decision on pause until we have an opportunity to inform them about the seal fishery. “
LoL, I hate to break it to ya Danny boy, we did see your views, Larry King remember? Remember Danny boy, we don't club baby seals most are shot. Uh that's an oxy moron. "Most" meaning you do club some. DUH. LOL And we have also read your views and theres too. IF your case is so strong why not talk to Paul Watson, the chicken has the flu? We aren't dumb Danny boy. We see how you and Canada are presenting your case loud and clear.
Danny says this too......
Seal oil capsules are an excellent source of Omega-3 that can result in health benefits. For example, preliminary research on the anti-inflammatory effect of harp seal oil supplements in patients suffering from arthritis has shown positive results. Some of the other health benefits linked to Omega-3 oil include improvements in Type II diabetes, reduced blood pressure and improvements in symptoms of migraine headaches.
Uh see Danny that is part of the problem were having. Follow me now into 2006.............omega 3 is found in at least 7 species of abundant cold blooded fish. And quite frank, omega 3 seal is darn expensive in comparison. Keep trying the same things. See Danny this year is different we see the effects of global warming, environmental changes........and the shape of Canadian mismanaged fisheries. Don't believe you have yet, but believe me you will....:) Oh and Danny cut your hair....:)
bnb........
we have already seen the way you effect change. Every year. Believe you me.
What gets me is if you would just see what's coming you could save the hunt.
It's called compromise. And you wouldn't lose a penny. Oh well. Pride Goeth Before Destruction.
Thats the problem these ARA's don't know what compromise is.
I would like to see all of the seal used also Omega 3 included but everytime we find a new use or markets these ARA's shut it down so who is being hypocritical you don't have a leg to stand on.
0.04% isn't going to have any impact of the seal herds.
why should you kill warmblooded marine animals for it when it is readily available in fish (cold blooded) and for cheap....:)
Look let us face it were not dumb, make beans off the seal, kill them so you can make billions off of their food. So since cod is in trouble the world won't eat it, since they eat lobster and crab we won't eat it either. Get it yet?
If you are going to kill the seal for their food to make money on it or OTTAWA then we won't eat the food the seals are being killed for.
0.04% isn't going to have any impact of the seal herds.
This would be way to hard for you to understand without first having an open mind, so I won't even try.
No, we (ordinary people) want the hunt ended for commercial purposes and proposed a plan to Ottawa they refused, fact is ottawa wants to pay sealers beans to get rid of the pests so they can make billions in surplus off of the fish! And while they are at it they are not taking up for you but making you look like barbarians.
The world would not let you starve! Do you even know that? Never mind.
Can I ask you a question?
Does it ever bother you that the moms cry out for their baby's like a human would?
No I'm being serious? Not cruel. Never mind forget I ask.
Do you know that there are alot of people like me that can't sleep at night from the heartache of this, but no one would let you go hungry.
A lot of little kids, you can say they just don't understand, but you know, they do more than we I think.
Anyway my summer is so ruined, it has so effected me as I watch so much terrible in the world and this is one that is senseless, look what we have done to our world, can you not see that? I guess not.
Listen to you babies, tearing up you Costco cards, putting even more Newfies out of work.
Those big, bad "ARA's". Try the overwhelming majority of Americans and the majority of Canadians (those unafraid to speak up, your culture on this is so completely disfunctional.)
0.04% isn't going to have any impact of the seal herds....George
Let us try it this way
Take Statistics for 1945 (a relatively healthy marine ecosystem) whose habitat is colder waters and add predator and prey.
First you take the number of large marine predators all together, get an equasion.
Then you add the number of smaller marine fish (you know prey for the bullies), get a seperate equasion. Easy huh?
Then take statistics for today....2003-2005
First you take the number of large marine predators all together, get an equasion.
Then you add the number of smaller marine fish (you know prey for the bullies), get a seperate equasion. Easy huh?
Remember we have to balance predator to the prey. The prey should be at least 65 times or more times that of predator, and this
does not include man for commercial reasons FYI.
The predators are losing when taking comparisons on a whole scale, because man just takes and takes and takes till it is all gone.
The prey then become sickly, rampant with disease and birth defect. Because there are just not enough marine predators to keep this in check
by deleting the weak.
You can not take just the seal and commercial fish population into this hunt. You have to take predator and prey in a whole, for a balancing
principle.
Fact 0.04% may not hurt the seal population as you said, but it may, natural disasters and global warming are working against them. As we have seen
in 2005, where 2000 or more seal washed ashore a day after the hunt and yesterday, however we believe they drowned because the ice is so broken.
Whether Canada's breaking ice for the sealing vessels to get through could have impacted this, I have no clue yet. But we do believe that it is very
coincidental that the seal drown or die in this way at the time of the hunt or directly after it. So the numbers of the cull are completely
incorrect because of the added numbers of these and of the ones we never know drowned.
This global warming is causing the demise of other marine predators and prey with cold water habitats, along with over fishing.
If the prey fish need to leave their natural habitat for survival they won't be able to because they are getting weaker. In fact the whole area is
destined to become a conservation zone.
Fact 0.04% may not hurt the seal population as you said, but it will contribute to the decline of the health and survival of all marine fish in the
area. Due to rotting and oxygen depletion caused from the carbon dioxide it forms. Also fungus on the fish that consume the rot. So the seal dead is
more harmful to the health and survival of the fish than the live seal.
The fact is a senator once said that the seal were smart and you wouldn't have to kill too many before they would just leave.
FACT: They will not leave until their food source in the area is completely deleted, they as you can see will die first, they do not know any better
it is instict.
As anon said, in a sentence we will not sit around and watch you kill the seal and greatly decrease large marine predators to extinction, so you can
fish the waters to extinction, for economic gain. (remember seal fall under a large catagory with the rest of the marine predators, again we can't
just take seal numbers alone).
The fact is the world is deciding to prevent the Canadians (which I happen to be) from gaining economically on the seafood they kill seal (large
marine predators) for. In fact using Canada's own cries of depletion of stocks and no sign of improvement (in fact devastation) through years of the
same management methods. We just will not believe Ottawa or the DFO any longer, they have done enough damage. And the world has a right to intervene
when this is the road to extinction for all wildlife involved. And a road to economic gain for Ottawa and the DFO, in commercial fishing.
The fact that the seals have washed to great distances this time, speaks for itself, and against Canada. The seal hunt will end and when
it does the sealers will be out with nothing. There were many plans proposed to Ottawa to keep these men economically reimbursed. Ottawa declined.
Ottawa knows that this will probably end the hunt and in the fight would leave the sealers without any means. So Ottawa takes the wait and see.
While gambling with the sealers ability to survive without the hunt or the fishing. Because Ottawas main objective is to remove the seal and fish
the water for Newfoundlands huge surplus. So we will not eat the products from this area, until the hunt has stopped. We will not eat cod, or buy
seal products or seafood from Canadian suppliers at all (and I am Canadian). And because the cod is dangerously low we won't kill the seal for them,
we will just remove them from shelves. And when all is said and done Ottawa shame on you, how will you help the sealers and fishermen now? Now that
the offer is expired and the fight has been won? Ottawa, it is time to put an end to your economically motivated ways that are catagorised worse
than China by the world as a whole. Remember the people you are trusting mismanaged your fisheries to the worst anyone has ever seen. And now you
are trusting them again? I wonder what will happen to you when it is all gone? Ottawa will not help you, your money making on the fisheries for
them, will be over. The activist you hate so much will be gone, because then it would be too late. And you will be left holding nothing. You see
those activist and stars you hate are the only ones making reasonable plans for a financial future for you, Ottawa is only looking at tomorrow. When
the fishing industry collapses Ottawa will just leave you to the Dogs the way they have ignored the Aboriginals and their living conditions, with
water supplies not fit for a rat.
So we protect the seal and the marine ecology and the seal hunt ends, a long with it commercial cod fishing. Will Ottawa protect you then and make
up for your money loses? Or will you walk away with nothing, while Ottawa finds a new means to make billions? I think deep down you know the truth.
In the end you and Ottawa will have to live with the decisions Ottawa makes, isn't that scary? Or you can stick up for yourselves because Ottawa
isn't, they refuse to talk about it, they refuse to explain, instead they let the world blame and hate you.
According to a recent news release (March 31, 2006 /World Wire/) by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Costco's senior management team has decided to remove seal oil capsules from their shelves.
As a society we should be outraged that two organizations, Costco, with a reported annual revenues of $51.9 billion and the SSC Society, with an annual carry over worth of $3 million would seek to ban the sale of a product which contributes to the annual income of Canadian fisherpersons who averages only $30,000 and a product (as well as other seal products) which contributes of over $16 million to a provincial economy which has a burdensome debt of $11.9 billion dollars.
So why should we care? Concessions like these to fanatical Animal Rights Organizations (ARO’s) are a step towards their professed goal of an animal free society. They seek the end to meat consumption, animals in medical research, zoological institutions and even the keeping of dogs and cats as pets.
Every time a company, such as Costco, refuses to carry a Canadian product which employs Canadians our economy slows.
As Newfoundland and Labrador’s Premier’s office stated recently: "The premier encourages shoppers to seriously consider whether they will support a company that does not support Newfoundland and Labrador"
Companies such as Costco concur to the whims of ARO’s because they fear the public embarrassment and lost revenues an ARO’s campaign could result in.
It is time to show these companies they have more to fear from the Canadian public then an ARO headquartered in Washington State.
Here’s was you can do:
1. Contact your local/regional/national Costco locations and express your disgust for their actions.
Remember correspondence need not be cordial to be effective. Contact information for your local Costco can be found here:
http://www.costco.com/Warehouse/locator.aspx?cm_re=1-_-Top_Right_Nav1-_-Top_locations
To reach the actual “senior management” who made the decision he can be contacted through:
James D. Sinegal (President, CEO, and Director Costco Wholesale Corporation)
999 Lake Dr., Issaquah, WA 98027.
Phone: 425-313-8100; Fax: 425-313-8103.
It might be timly to explain to a man who earned over $3.6 million USD in 2003 what it is like to do a provide for a family with only $30,000 CDN.
To e-mail Costco: https://www.costco.com/CustomerService/EmailUs.aspx?secure=1
Here is a toll free number to express your opinion at their expense:
General Member Service: Tel: 800-774-2678
2. Visit your local Costco location and demand a refund on your membership.
Costco has a general policy of refunding the fees for disenchanted members. If they refuse destroy your card and email us with the details. We will be compiling a list of stores which do not refund your membership fees for media release. If you destroy your card or close out your account prior to requesting a refund the membership fee will not be refunded.
3. Bring in all merchandise you have purchased at a Costco location and demand a refund.
Costco like any store has refund policies. These are not important as the protest action is more important then the actual refund. Bring in any product you remember purchasing at Costco. The products may be old, opened or even used. If a refund is refused leave the item at the location and contact us with the details.
4. Forward this entire message to as many people as you know.
Costco will only realize who has more power, the Canadian people or an American ARO, if everyone expresses their opinion on the issue.
Remember just because we shop at US stores does not mean they are not accountable to US--- Canadian consumers!
NEWFOUNDLANDER DENOUNCES CITIZENSHIP:
Vancouver, British Columbia — Newfoundland native Nadine Saunders is so disgusted by the annual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of harp seals in her native province that she wishes that she hadn’t been born there. That’s why she will be returning her birth certificate to the Newfoundland government today in protest of the seal hunt that takes place every spring on Canada’s East Coast.
"Thousands of helpless baby seals are bludgeoned to death in the province where I grew up. It makes me ashamed to be a Newfoundlander," says Nadine.
This is her e-mail address:
nadinemsaunders@gmail
Let her know if you aggree with her ;)
so anon....As a society we should be outraged that two organizations, Costco, with a reported annual revenues of $51.9 billion and the SSC Society, with an annual carry over worth of $3 million would seek to ban the sale of a product which contributes to the annual income of Canadian fisherpersons who averages only $30,000 and a product (as well as other seal products) which contributes of over $16 million to a provincial economy which has a burdensome debt of $11.9 billion dollars.
If killing hundreds of thousands of dogs contributes to the chinese economy we should listen and say oh ok?
Give it up, costco has already estimated damage control.
In weighing the damage Costco has decided that they would lose more money worldwide by supporting the hunt.
The huge outcry worldwide is absolutely unbelievable.
In Canada, the numbers against the seal hunt are rising dramatically.
There are just more protesters.
As I said who cares about Costco, many others said that yesterday when the lie was circulated that Costco in anyway supported this hunt.
Costco heard loud and clear and apparently decided to be intelligent.
Who shops more?
ARA's, stars, people like me.....
I guess now we know.
Trust me a boycott in Canada against Costco hurts our own people, if costco here was to close, but it is doubtful judging from the numbers, advocates v protesters and the "who shops more." There are simply more of us than them. But if it did close, who would it truly hurt?
A) The multi billion dollar company?
B) Canadian employees.
Duh! that is why these boycotts are silly, unlike the sea food one.
Why a boycott inside of Canada will not work.
Simple it puts Canadian's out of work.
Even Canadian protesters of the hunt will not submit themselve to an activist led boycott.
Simple it puts Canadians out of work.
They have found other ways to fight to end it.
Boycotting an American owned store inside of Canada to "slap" anyone in the face is absurd.
Canadians who oppose the hunt have found other solutions to the hunt for financial gain, regarding those in the hunt.
They have thus far been denied by Government. Smart solutions.
So Canadians are working hard to educate everyone about the hunt and let them judge for themselves.
They are gaining ground fast. Most Canadians either believed the hunt had ended, or the law banning the white coat babies,
meant no babies were killed. Educated Canadians on the truth, is the respectable way for all Canadians.
The facts: the economical motivation here is not the seals, it is the cod and other fisheries. The seals are just in the way. They use the fact that there are 6 million of them as an argument, but when you put them in the category with all large marine predators v/s prey, the prey are winning, instead of being about 65 to 100 or more times that of the large predators, there are something like 1000 times more prey or more. And this causes weakness and illnesses because they are not naturally culled. The DFO and Ottawa are only taking the seal and cod numbers. They are not taking the need for large marine predators as a whole. And using the high seal number as an excuse to kill them so that they can make billions off of the fishery surplus. So we don't eat cod, or seafood, We say let the seals have it, We can eat something else.
Funny that this argument was presented by one John Efford, in saving the cod a few years back...
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to see the 6 million seals, or whatever number is out there, killed and sold, or destroyed and burned. I do not care what happens to them… the more they kill the better I will love it.”
John Efford, Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
Seals implicated in ‘killing fields’ of Newfoundland cod
As Efford put it, “if we continue to remain silent on the harp seal issue and by our silence let Ottawa decide on the best course of action, we might as well roll over and die. Ottawa played a role in the decline of our ground fish fishery. Are we going to remain silent and let Ottawa deciding on the ways and means of its complete destruction?”
Response....
Dr. Jeff Hutchings
PROFESSOR
BSc (Toronto), MSc (Memorial)
PhD (Memorial)
As Dr. Jeff Hutchings, a fish biologist at Dalhousie University and an expert on cod states, “[Efford] has documentation of an episode in which seals have apparently consumed parts of cod and we see the bodies of cods lying on the bottom.” But Hutchings says the video is of more political significance than scientific importance. “It’s not a particularly unusual thing to see,” remarks Hutchings.
Unbelievable.
www.boycott-canada.com/news/geneva.htm It is not for the boycott
Read this for the Geneva court findings.
Also a man in power from here once said, Seals are smart you won't have to kill too many of them before they will just all leave. Looks like he meant will have to kill TOO MANY.
The fact is he is a moron, they will not leave until their food supply is deleted, it is instinct.
We say, Mr. out fish the seals then, beat them to it, then we say oh yeah that's right seals are smart so we just kill em for it, huh?
That is the truth about this whole thing. There are so many ugly things about this, lies and deceit and a lot of innocent marine warm blooded, blood.
A long with global warming they break the ice to allow hunters access. This year they have already started washing up, they call it a natural event, last year 2000 or more washed ashore the day after the hunt. Coincidence? We think not, they are drowning because of the small ice pans from warming and help from the DFO when breaking the ice, this only happens around this time in these numbers every year. And they don't add these numbers to their hunt.
There are so many facts I could write forever. In response to the shortage of cod and compliments (I believe) of Paul McCartney, Britain has removed all cod from the shelves.
Kill the fisheries, if Ottawa and the DFO want to kill the seal to fish the waters to extinction for billions, the world won't eat the fish, seafood etc. Costco has removed omega 3 oil, which is abundant in at least 7 species of abundant cold water fish and doesn't have to come from seal. In fact it is very expensive from seal. And cheap in fish.
The truth behind this is a lot of Canadians (not us) and sealers trust Ottawa and the DFO, the same ones who mismanaged the fisheries to collapse. When their only motivation is to fish the waters, again the seal are in the way.
In the end we guess we can thank those behind this for a few more extinct species. Where they have already contributed enough. Remember these are not Inuit’s, they are English, Scott, Irish, French etc... The Inuit’s only hunt for food survival and never kill for commercial reasons, there kill quota is 10,000, Quebec’s, 91,000 and Newfoundlanders 235,000, which will start in April, and where the fishing industry for Ottawa makes billions.
Kill the seal and allow the corpses to rot, causing carbon dioxide in already oxygen depleted waters. The rot causing the fish that eats from it to get fungal infections. Dead seals are worse for the environment than live ones. But the live ones are worse for the pocket book. The world does have a clue.
Killing 335,000 warm blooded marine animals leaving their corpses to rot causing carbon dioxide in already oxygen depleted waters, allowing the fish to eat from the rot causing fungus in those that eat from it.
We have to say this is as deplorable as China and the cats and dogs for fur, for economic gain. Worse actually because this has very adverse effect on the worlds environment and affects us all, in our ability to survive. It doesn't just tug at the heart and stomach.....but also the very essence of our life as we know it.
In fact the sealers are just the assassin’s for the Government, for access to economic gain.
They attack the ARA's and say they just want money, it's an annual fund raiser, they have been trying for longer than we have seen in view to stop this, but the question is, how much would you pay, if you were wealthy, to Paul Watson, if he was an attorney, to protect someone or something you love from the death penalty, as an innocent person or thing? Fact they have been audited and passed with flying colors.
The senator that claimed he had the goods on the Sea Shepherd Conservative Society because they had an account in Switzerland. (In fact they did have an account in Switzerland, with limited funds, but it was for the Sea Shepherd Conservative Society Switzerland. Where else would the account be? ) He was later fired for misappropriating funds, or stepped down we can't remember. See how they get people to believe their bull while they profit from blood? I say it takes a true dummy to believe their crap.
They say they care about culture and saving it, once again these are not Inuit’s. When the whole time they are saying this, they are Ignoring the Canadian aboriginals deplorable water supplies that are not fit for a rat to drink, and many, mostly children are sick from it.
The premier from Newfoundland states he is upset Costco made this decision without hearing their views.
What he is not remembering is, we have heard his views, on CNN, Larry King. The, we don't club baby seals anymore, most are shot, this is an oxy moron most meaning you do still club some? In the mean time pictures are showing seals being clubbed.
Also we have seen the pictures of seal pelts and penis's an exact match in numbers, what happened to the 50% female pelts, Danny? Were they white....maybe, but the fact is you can not sex these seals until they are dead, So you kill many and only take the pelts and penis's from the males and females with perfect pelt. You do not eat it, fins for fin pie, but not 300,000 plus seal fin pies. Fact only 8% of restaurants sell it, there is no market for it, you blame the ARA's again, no Danny there has never been a market for it outside Northern Canada. And never 300,000 seals worth of it, not even close. Low income families can not consume that much seal, a million in three years? Again you kill the seal to fish the waters. You don't like the seal because they eat your precious money.
Ok Danny, if you want the world to hear your views, talk about it, don't hide, why did you cancel the meeting with Paul Watson? Why does our "Christian" Prime Minister ignore everyone and give no explanation? Why does the only other party with a leader right now, sit quiet? The man who hides has something to hide. The truth is Ottawa, you let the world hate the sealers when you motivate them and use them as a front...DISGUSTING!
And Danny step into the year 2006, your argument that the omega 3 oils are healthy are the only factual ones we have heard, however they are found in at least 7 species of abundant cold blooded fish, at rock bottom prices.
The fact is you all hide, because you are scared, not for your safety, but for your pocketbooks, you have no sound argument, it is all based on lies and blood, for profit. There are some of us Danny who do have a brain, that your government has not brain washed into hate the world sentiments, love Canada. Always posting what's wrong with the world and never looking at Canada, keeping the media under control, communism plain and simple.
If the world has to kill us economically, to stop this, they will this time, this year is different we see the effects of over hunting, global warming and environment effects, it doesn't take scientist. If they make us stop we will never live it down, we have to choose to stop before the world will see Canada for who she really is.
http://www.nemsplace.co.uk/?p=394 these aren't those white babies, but I don't mind telling you, I am even more ticked now!
I hope you scumbags go broke you ignorant newfies, Karma is a bitch and you pricks deserve every bit of suffering you get.
Not so clever, now, Myles, is it...
Monday, October 17, 2005
Anti-Sealing Activists Help Support Web Talk NL
Well folks, I have to say it’s been an interesting weekend here at Web Talk. It looks like we have been the focus of a concerted effort by anti-sealing interests attempting to ensure that our most recent poll reflects their view of the world.
If you look at the poll results on the right you will notice that it shows 92% in favor of stopping the hunt. This is in direct opposition to the way the results looked prior to the weekend when the result stood at 98% against closing it.
Before our regular readers start shaking their heads in wonder at this result we need to break down how it was arrived at. When you consider our recent visitor stats for the site it becomes quite clear that we have another case where people outside Newfoundland and Labrador, in fact outside Canada itself, think they know better than we how things should be done.
The latest stats from the site show an increase in traffic over the weekend of about 400%.
Normally our visitors are split at about 50% new and 50% returning visitors. The current stats show new visitors at 94%.
92% of our visitors in the past few days are from outside NL. That number is usually at 69%. In fact, the stats show that it isn’t primarily other Canadians visiting either. Normally only 34% of our traffic is from outside the country. Our current numbers are running at 86% non-Canadian.
Of course anyone is more than welcome to visit us anytime and make their points known. I just find it odd that people so far removed from the seal hunt would think they know so much about it.
All I have to say to these people is
1) visit us anytime you like, if even 1 or 2% of you read an article on the site you may learn something about us other than the propaganda you usually hear; and
2) Thanks for increasing my traffic numbers so quickly. Every hit puts a few pennies in the bank and helps ensure the site remains in operation going forward. We appreciate your financial support in helping get the word out.
posted by Patriot @ 10:54 AM
We never said we didn't want to help Newfoundland, in fact we do, just not help you to destroy seal and the ecosystem to fish the waters bare, for billions. We just don't want to help Ottawa keep using you as the barbarians for their cause. (making billions on the fishery).Hiding in secret and avoid taking up for you, letting the world decide how we feel from the lies of the past, and the pictures we see. Not caring at all how the world perceives you, their barbarians for profit. The boat owners, the politicians, the ones that make the real profit. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, so Ottawa you better learn to squeak a little louder, we can't hear you yet. Why hasn't Ottawa taken up for you?
Good if we can get a few thousand more visitors will it help to support the sealers, so they can change employment to a humane one?
The truth is us anti-seal hunter types are a bit worried about your future either way this goes, the fisheries are collapsing and even if you get to keep the seal hunt which is very very doubtful, you can't survive. And when the world breaks the fisheries to pocket change, ending the hunt, it will take a long time for the world to deal with Newfoundlanders again, and Ottawa having it's say after motivating you, will just walk away. But see that's where Ottawa don't care, they want the bucks for tomorrow, to heck with the future. We see that with their mismanagment of everything. When you stop making them money, resources gone, they will just leave you out there to live half lives in swallow as they have with the aboriginals.
Yes we have seen it....
Our side of the seal hunt........no propaganda, no vote motivation.......yeah we know Harper have to keep those conservative seats. But what you don't seem to know is you DO NOT have a majority government, and a slim minority, and you have lost any chance of getting this seat again....you know the one that was so important, that you only won by 24 votes...;) In fact you government is slim, very slim.
The economical motivation here is not the seals, it is the cod and other fisheries. The seals are just in the way. They use the fact that there are 6 million of them as an argument, but when you put them in the category with all large marine predators v/s prey, the prey are becoming over populated, (and cod is not the only prey we should count, other small fish that seal eat but we do not) In fact a seals diet, which is huge, eats about 3% cod. Instead of being about 65 to 100 or more times that of the large predators, there are something like 1000 times more prey or more. And this causes weakness and illnesses because they are not naturally culled. The DFO and Ottawa are only taking the seal and cod numbers. They are not taking the need for large marine predators as a whole. And using the high seal number as an excuse to kill them so that they can make billions off of the fishery surplus. So we don't eat cod, or seafood, We say let the seals have it, We can eat something else.
Funny that this argument was presented by one John Efford, in saving the cod a few years back...
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to see the 6 million seals, or whatever number is out there, killed and sold, or destroyed and burned. I do not care what happens to them… the more they kill the better I will love it.”
John Efford, Canadian Minister of Natural Resources
Seals implicated in ‘killing fields’ of Newfoundland cod
As Efford put it, “if we continue to remain silent on the harp seal issue and by our silence let Ottawa decide on the best course of action, we might as well roll over and die. Ottawa played a role in the decline of our ground fish fishery. Are we going to remain silent and let Ottawa deciding on the ways and means of its complete destruction?”
Response....
Dr. Jeff Hutchings
PROFESSOR
BSc (Toronto), MSc (Memorial)
PhD (Memorial)
As Dr. Jeff Hutchings, a fish biologist at Dalhousie University and an expert on cod states, “[Efford] has documentation of an episode in which seals have apparently consumed parts of cod and we see the bodies of cods lying on the bottom.” But Hutchings says the video is of more political significance than scientific importance. “It’s not a particularly unusual thing to see,” remarks Hutchings.
Unbelievable.
www.boycott-canada.com/news/geneva.htm It is not for the boycott
Read this for the Geneva court findings.
Also a man in power from here once said, Seals are smart you won't have to kill too many of them before they will just all leave. Looks like he meant will have to kill TOO MANY.
The fact is he is a moron, they will not leave until their food supply is deleted, it is instinct.
We say, Mr. out fish the seals then, beat them to it, then we say oh yeah that's right seals are smart so we just kill em for it, huh?
That is the truth about this whole thing. There are so many ugly things about this, lies and deceit and a lot of innocent marine warm blooded, blood.
A long with global warming they break the ice to allow hunters access. This year they have already started washing up, they call it a natural event, last year 2000 or more washed ashore the day after the hunt. Coincidence? We think not, they are drowning because of the small ice pans from warming and help from the DFO when breaking the ice, this only happens around this time in these numbers every year. And they don't add these numbers to their hunt.
There are so many facts I could write forever. In response to the shortage of cod and compliments (I believe) of Paul McCartney, Britain has removed all cod from the shelves.
Kill the fisheries, if Ottawa and the DFO want to kill the seal to fish the waters to extinction for billions, the world won't eat the fish, seafood etc. Costco has removed omega 3 oil, which is abundant in at least 7 species of abundant cold water fish and doesn't have to come from seal. In fact it is very expensive from seal. And cheap in fish.
The truth behind this is a lot of Canadians (not us) and sealers trust Ottawa and the DFO, the same ones who mismanaged the fisheries to collapse. When their only motivation is to fish the waters, again the seal are in the way.
In the end we guess we can thank those behind this for a few more extinct species. Where they have already contributed enough. Remember these are not Inuit’s, they are English, Scott, Irish, French etc... The Inuit’s only hunt for food survival and never kill for commercial reasons, there kill quota is 10,000, Quebec’s, 91,000 and Newfoundlanders 235,000, which will start in April, and where the fishing industry for Ottawa makes billions.
Kill the seal and allow the corpses to rot, causing carbon dioxide in already oxygen depleted waters. The rot causing the fish that eats from it to get fungal infections. Dead seals are worse for the environment than live ones. But the live ones are worse for the pocket book. The world does have a clue.
Killing 335,000 warm blooded marine animals leaving their corpses to rot causing carbon dioxide in already oxygen depleted waters, allowing the fish to eat from the rot causing fungus in those that eat from it.
We have to say this is as deplorable as China and the cats and dogs for fur, for economic gain. Worse actually because this has very adverse effect on the worlds environment and affects us all, in our ability to survive. It doesn't just tug at the heart and stomach.....but also the very essence of our life as we know it.
In fact the sealers are just the assassin’s for the Government, for access to economic gain.
They attack the ARA's and say they just want money, it's an annual fund raiser, they have been trying for longer than we have seen in view to stop this, but the question is, how much would you pay, if you were wealthy, to Paul Watson, if he was an attorney, to protect someone or something you love from the death penalty, as an innocent person or thing? Fact they have been audited and passed with flying colors.
The Canadian politician that claimed he had the goods on the Sea Shepherd Conservative Society because they had an account in Switzerland. (In fact they did have an account in Switzerland, with limited funds, but it was for the Sea Shepherd Conservative Society Switzerland. Where else would the account be? ) He was later fired for misappropriating funds, or stepped down we can't remember. See how they get people to believe their bull while they profit from blood? I say it takes a true dummy to believe their crap.
They say they care about culture and saving it, once again these are not Inuit’s. When the whole time they are saying this, they are Ignoring the Canadian aboriginals deplorable water supplies that are not fit for a rat to drink, and many, mostly children are sick from it.
The premier from Newfoundland states he is upset Costco made this decision without hearing their views.
What he is not remembering is, we have heard his views, on CNN, Larry King. The, we don't club baby seals anymore, most are shot, this is an oxy moron most meaning you do still club some? In the mean time pictures are showing seals being clubbed.
Also we have seen the pictures of seal pelts and penis's an exact match in numbers, what happened to the 50% female pelts, Danny? Were they white....maybe, but the fact is you can not sex these seals until they are dead, So you kill many and only take the pelts and penis's from the males and females with perfect pelt. You do not eat it, fins for fin pie, but not 300,000 plus seal fin pies. Fact only 8% of restaurants in Northern Canada sell it, there is no market for it, you blame the ARA's again, no Danny there has never been a market for it outside Northern Canada. And never 300,000 seals worth of it, not even close. Low income families can not consume that much seal, a million in three years? Again you kill the seal to fish the waters. You don't like the seal because they eat your precious money.
Ok Danny, if you want the world to hear your views, talk about it, don't hide, why did you cancel the meeting with Paul Watson? Why does our "Christian" Prime Minister ignore everyone and give no explanation? Why does the only other party with a leader right now, sit quiet? The man who hides has something to hide. The truth is Ottawa, you let the world hate the sealers when you motivate them and use them as a front...DISGUSTING!
And Danny step into the year 2006, your argument that the omega 3 oils are healthy are the only factual ones we have heard, however they are found in at least 7 species of abundant cold blooded fish, at rock bottom prices.
The fact is you all hide, because you are scared, not for your safety, but for your pocketbooks, you have no sound argument, it is all based on lies and blood, for profit. There are some of us Danny who do have a brain, that your government has not brain washed into hate the world sentiments, love Canada. Always posting what's wrong with the world and never looking at Canada, keeping the media under control, communism plain and simple.
If the world has to kill us economically, to stop this, they will this time, this year is different we see the effects of over hunting, global warming and environment effects, it doesn't take scientist. If they make us stop we will never live it down, we have to choose to stop before the world will see Canada for who she really is suppose to be.
http://www.nemsplace.co.uk/?p=394
These are graphic. They are not those white babies, but I don't mind saying I am still ticked. Baby seals are still killed at about 12 days old they molt their baby fur and are "supposed" fair game. Most have never had a solid meal or have never swam, they have no place to run. This is a hunt like it would be to hunt a dog without legs. Baby seals will eat until ready for the 5000 mile round trip swim where they will return next year to have their pups. There will be about 10,000 pregnant females. Which is extremely low.
http://canadianveterinarians.net/Documents/Resources/Files/130_Seal%20Hunt%20Report.pdf
veterinarians that were hired by the World Wildlife Fund Canada (imagine that WWF canada) said the [hunt] is conducted in a humane way." WWF and any veterinarians it may have hired can speak for themselves. But the report they produced does not call the hunt humane. It actually puts forward no fewer than 11 recommendations to make the hunt humane (see http://www.ivwg.org, page 5). IFAW’s supporters and others around the world would nonetheless welcome your response to these recommendations. Stretching the truth is a lie Danny boy. And this is also slander.
I am utterly at a loss as to how to respond to your suggestions that the seal hunt is actually an intervention to save seals from starvation, or that products from this commercial slaughter are used for shelter and fuel, except to say that I would welcome any evidence you have to back up these ludicrous assertions.
Finally, you sought, on this internationally broadcast CNN program to link IFAW to FBI terrorist watch lists. Like most of your statements that evening, this one is utterly at odds with the facts. It is also slanderous, and millions of people heard you say it. IFAW is not without its critics, but no one has ever put forward such an allegation.
I could go on down your list. Truth is, after this statement was made Danny boy you have went into hiding until costco. Then you knew it was your purse. A little nervous now?
Other scientist and veternarians from around the world disagree with anything you might say danny boy.
"The increase comes despite evidence that the quota of 275,000 seals was unsustainable," says Dr. Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist with The HSUS, "and it quietly condones the fact that sealers exceeded this quota last year, an act that most natural resource managers would condemn."
There hasn't been ONE canadian or other wise resource minister to come forward and disclaim her statements.
Get someone outside of Canada in any other country besides Canada to say it is humane. You can't because they have already spoken and condemned it.
It is so funny how Danny is always making allegations, but when he is called down, he runs. And never comes back with a proven fact....oh except omega 3 is good for you...YAY Danny.
WWF the conservation organization. World Wildlife Fund Canada's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. ...
Does this look like Harmony......http://www.nemsplace.co.uk/?p=394 what a joke.
On their home page Costco is advertising "Alexander Leather Collection" Where do leather come from? The Seal hunt is not pretty. Is the killing of any animal pretty? Bycot Costco until they remove all animal products or get acurate information.
Yep these are the words of people who care about Nfewfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Barbarians, scourge of Canada, Neandrathals, Jerks.
Please gie us a break with your propaganda to try and divide our people and in doing so further your own cause of fund raising through cheap publicity.
If you really cared about NL'ians you wouldn't be boycotting seal products other than pelts it is just so hypocritical to on one hand say you support using seals for food usage and on the other hand boycott the products. I'm sorry but actions speak louder than words.
If you really cared about NL'ians you would be proposing sustainable quotas and killing practices even promoting other uses for the seal meat and products in the numbers you consider sustainable not an all out ban what hypocracy.
Threats, interference and and propaganda don't carry much weight with people who know the truth.
Domesticated cows and chickens are first purchased and raised in captivity where they are fed to adults. With the exception of veal, and it is at a record low. However picture this I let them all lose and we slaughter them for all to see? In fact while were at it why not let the pigs go too, 1 million over three years. The truth about this is they would be eaten. Bones picked clean from birds, back to the dust. But imagine the picture of 345,000 dead animal corpses skinned and left to rot, in a place the size of Georgia. But truely in a smaller area. This is what the world is seeing, but what you are doing is worse because you are killing warm blooded marine animals to fish the waters to extinction where you and your ancestors are responsible for many extinctions so far. Your argument is never valid and I am not an activist. I don’t like 325,000 seal laying in water that belongs to the world rotting and causing carbon dioxide making fish sick in already oxygen depleted waters. You fished the cod near extinct and now…you have no legitimate excuse. Yes the world ate it, but for years the DFO lied about the condition of the stocks and fished it to collapse. Oh what a lame argument, let me see, we kill the cow, we eat all the meat and we use the hide. And before we do this we have them all vet checked and everything around is decontaminated. How does this support your argument for the mass slaughter of wild warmblooded marine babies for their pelt? 345,000 (more if you would be honest)
Ok Harriet....we are suppose to tell China it is ok to kill dogs and cats for their fur because it makes money?
Only a ban on commercial hunting.
Get a job and quit killing what doesn't belong to you in mass numbers for profit. The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause, works when the majority has these views then it is considered truth by reflection of calculation. After all we do live in a democratic society that desires to meet the needs of a future, not a world of nothingness that you will eventually create, a long with your ancestors in deleting species after species for your own bloody economic means if the world lets you.
Please gie us a break with your propaganda to try and divide our people and in doing so further your own cause of fund raising through cheap publicity.
It never fails you can not see doing anything without getting payed for it. Get used to it, it's coming with an attitude like this.
If you really cared about NL'ians you wouldn't be boycotting seal products other than pelts it is just so hypocritical to on one hand say you support using seals for food usage and on the other hand boycott the products. I'm sorry but actions speak louder than words.
Rediculous, did you re-read this? No one has boycotted the meat. There has never been a market for seal meat outside Northern Canada.
The meat of the seal is wasted, only few restaraunts in Northern Canada even serve it. And it is seal fin pie. There are not enough low income families to consume 335,000 seal fin pies. In all the Inuits who do eat it, they only have a kill quota of 10,000.
Seal oil is expensive, omega 3 can be found in at least 7 species of abundant COLD BLOODED fish at rock bottom cost. Fact: scientist only claimed omega 3 to be "the natural wonder remedy" to promote the slaughter, other scientist world wide are questioning the necessity, but the fact still remains, it is in abundant cold water fish at rock bottom prices.
The fact that you have been trying to find ways of selling products from seal for years and years, speaks for itself, let us find a way to kill the seal for profit. The fact is no one wants the meat, the omega 3 is expensive in seal, cheap in fish (cold blooded fish). And while you are doing it, fish the oceans clean for billions. Time to stop you people from driving another species to extinction while Ottawa motivates you for profit.
As for the pelt, we are working on that, and is banned in most countries. Soon it will be completely illegal, these things take time but it has been three years. Why? Because the meat is not wanted, the oil is abundant in cold-blooded life, that your fisheries already sell and make money on, when selling the fish.
You can not continue to mass kill wild warm blooded animals for economic motivation of any kind plain and simple. Can you people not understand that killing wild animals for profit effects the world environment and still belongs to everyone. The fish you catch are bought and eaten, (probably not that much, not anymore) the cows, the chickens, the pigs...etc....every other warm blooded animal killed in mass number is kept in captivity, fed, vet checked to insure survival of the species and does not pose a threat to the environment or the species or species as a whole. Might I add and is eaten. The area is decontaminated.
Wild warm blooded animals are not yours to mass kill for their pelt and penis, at your whim because you need to make money. Get a clue, we are not in a world where resources are unlimited, we have realised through the past and the damage we have done, we have to change and protect what is left. And that is what the world sees.
Harriet said...
just so hypocritical to on one hand say you support using seals for food usage and on the other hand boycott the products
The boycotts are on the oil and the pelt.
You blame the ARAs for there being no market. When in fact there never was one. We do not kill wild warm blooded animals to "CREATE" a non existing commercial market. Not the rest of the world anyway, oh I forgot except Norway, and they are very pale in comparison and China who also pale in comparison at least the dogs and cats are not wild animals belonging to the world and destroys it for us. What else can you expect from China anyway?
You know there has never been a large enough market except for the pelt, however you mass kill them anyway. Wasting them and leaving them to rot.
The fact is you hate them (they are pests) and would kill them even if there were no market for the pelt. That is what your ancestors from this day backwards have done, kill to extinction every wild animal you can. And try your best to make money off of the killing of warm blooded animals that are not yours to kill, while you are at it. And as far as our Government goes, they just want the profits from the fisheries, that is why you joined Canada in the first place, financial motivation in Canada, they saw a way to make money on the fishing. And as we see it, their stance has been silence, they have yet to defend you in any substantial fact carrying way. The only thing they have succeeded in doing is in making the world take a real hard look at you. While they hide and make billions.
In fact there have been many different plans presented by people to help you to survive, where you would lose no money, Ottawa has declined. When this comes to an end and the offers are gone, then where will you be? The way I see it, is all those people you hate are the only ones presenting plans for a future for you. In the end you will need one anyway. Look around you it's been culled and fished away. What will Ottawa do then? Honestly have you asked them? Better start looking at your future and what it holds when this is all over and the offers for solution are gone. If it were me I would.
I am a Rogers HI-speed Internet subscriber. On the Rogers/Yahoo portal, Rogers is permitting the IFAW to post VERY anti-seal advertising (it was a multi panel skyscraper ad). Pretty graphic and complete BS. Perhaps all Newfoundland/Labradorians, as well as other Canadians, shoudl CALL OR BOYCOTT ALL ROGERS PRODUCTS UNTIL THEY REMOVE THE FALSE ANTI-SEALING ADVERTISING FROM THEIR PORTAL.
http://www.dansargis.org/column_files/2004_columns/sarg042204.htm
Oh that means you'd have to go to dial up.
oh or bell and I do believe they have made allowances against the seal hunt also...pay for a pro kill seal ad, and post your pictures, it would be a better defense tactic.
Right, I keep waiting for that humane footage to be released! Or maybe time to have Mike Duffy interview Senator Baker again.
To: Web site owners
Guys, you should require identification before posting . This subject is really drawing out some wingnuts and some of the comments are scary especially the strong , albeit juvenile ,insults. Also, could you post Costco's press release where they refute the statements made by the Sea Shepherd Society. This Society has been caught again in a massive lie which should be displayed although a few of your " new readers " will certainly not let a few facts get in the way of a good obsession.
Give us the facts then....link please? Because honestly the sea shepherd didn't say this....Costco said it.
Politics played no part in seal-oil removal: Costco
Last Updated Sun, 02 Apr 2006 08:05:03 EDT
CBC News
Costco says its decision to remove seal-oil capsules from shelves had nothing to do with controversy over the East Coast seal hunt or with an anti-hunt group that claimed credit for the move.
The big-box retailer's decision to pull the capsules, which were produced by a Newfoundland-based company, spurred criticism from scores of customers and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams.
Costco was accused of bowing to pressure from animal-rights groups but said in a statement issued late Friday that it removed the seal oil capsules for business and not political reasons.
(funny Costco jumps on, almost the minute after Sea shepherd and protesters started the boycott. coincidence??? well)
Seal oil capsules are by no means the only source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Natural food and drug stores have been stocking many forms of Omega-3 for years, including flaxseed oil. Those of us who use natural food products or alternative therapies have a responsibility as conscientious consumers not to use products that threaten the welfare of wild species, particularly when other options are so readily available.
So if you have it, I would like to see it, and then hey........but it still doesn't make the hunt ok with me. But show the goods where sea shepherd lied please. Cause up top it clearly says Costco says.
Should they get your ID first too?
Fact the more we all come the more the site makes, I have not cussed or used any other type of profanity. Blogs are for opinions and facts. People disagree...lo??? hear me??? lo???
So you are suggesting patriot should take back his welcome post. Ah now that's not playing fair...:(
So even if Costco changed it's mind....doubtful, but if they did sea shepherd isn't lying because it clearly says COSTCO said. So Costco and sea shpherd both said it, now sea shepherd is lying. Give me a big break please.
The pro-sealer types draw the majority of the wing nuts, as you put it.
Earlier anon is right, you folks are in deep denial and need to be planning for your future.
Don't forget to watch the Junos!
FACT: even though Costco may not know it, Sea Shepherd Conservative Society and all it's backers had something to do with it.
Sea Shepherd Conservative society and others start boycotts, people listen, people hate the hunt, people call businesses, people win. Thank Sea Shepherd Conservative Society. It is not a coincidence Costco is removing omega 3 days after Sea Shepherd and other groups started their campaign to close the little remaining market. Oh come on folks they start a BOYCOTT banner and Costco removes products, this boycott is also normal people consumers, putting pressure on any company that sells seal products. Believe it or not, it is like one huge chain. Looks like........ you go boys you are making your money the right way! And the humane way!
So Sea Shepherd is not, was not lying. NOT FACT:
I heard from a friend large groups were booking tables at red lobster and when they ask about the sea food, then find out it is Canadian (which they already knew, just trying to be seen) they tell the manager what they think and leave.
Remember this is the first year people decided to put serious pressure on those who keep up the hunt, we have an animal rights court to back our opinions. An international one where majority countries condemn this behaviour, So legalised sanctions, or boycotts. It doesn't end till the hunt does.
I would like to ask all of you who believe the society is lying to explain this????
More than 16 hours before Costco made it's announcement, Sea Shepherd Conservative Society had
in fact already announced it. Saying Costco plans to remove omega 3 from the shelves in reponse to the boycott.
Yeah???
Consumers who purchase from Costco, whom oppose the hunt.
Costco states they removed the product because of consumers desires.
Sounds like it has Seal Hunt Boycott written all over it.
Now try to explain the lie to me?
And please don't be like the rest of the pro-sealers, politicians etc...
and hide when asked to explain what they said or why they said it. I truly want to know
I need en-lightening. As someone here said we needed to be en-lightened.
I just like facts, not only what is being said, but to look at what's behind what is being said.
You can get Omega-3 from hundreds of things, not just seal oil.
But why is this even a big deal? Costco isn't joining the seafood boycott. they sell millions of dollars worth all over North America. I can't really imagine they make that much selling seal oil in NFLD.
So why all the tsurris?
Costco was accused of bowing to pressure from animal-rights groups, but said in a statement issued late Friday that it removed the seal oil capsules for business and not political reasons.
The only politicians involved are the pro-sealers.
So I guess it wasn't politically motivated.
Great wording speaker for Costco!!!!
This doesn't sound like Sea Shepherd Conservative Society (who are not politicians)are liars to me.
It sounds like, we removed the product from the shelves because people are against purchasing seal products. (business not politics)
Wow, you can fool some of the people all of the time and most of the people....none of the time....
Costco says its decision to remove seal-oil capsules from shelves had nothing to do with controversy over the East Coast seal hunt or with an anti-hunt group that claimed credit for the move.
Again great wording "it doesn't have anything to do with the controversy over the east coast seal hunt or with an anti hunt group that claimed credit for the move"
controversy- arguing
anti-hunt group- no name mentioned.
it doesn't have anything to do with the arguing or the anti-hunt group
it does however have something to do with customers of Costco who back the anti-hunt group and oppose the hunt.
It's all in the wording. Try not to be mislead by any of this, or anyone now.
But why is this even a big deal? Costco isn't joining the seafood boycott. they sell millions of dollars worth all over North America. I can't really imagine they make that much selling seal oil in NFLD.
So why all the tsurris?
It is about breaking an economically motivated killing.
And you are right there has never been a market for seal meat, the oil is cheap in all sorts of stuff, don't have to kill wild warm blooded marine animals for it. The pelt...well that's said but it is illigal in most countries, so why kill them you can make synthetic cloth?
It is about people finding ways to kill for profit. And kill to get rid of the seal so they can make billions on fishing, so the seal won't eat heir commercial fish (that is not theirs) it is warm blooded wildlife killed in mass numbers 1 million in 3 years.
Finding ways they can back killing seal to get them out of the way. They are like rats to them. These are not Inuits and they are responsible for many extinctions in the past and fishing the waters to near extinct and collapse for cash.
If we make sure there is no market for seal, they will have to stop killing them. They have never had a market for the meat, they let it rot, de-oxygenating the waters causing mass damage, again for profit.
The only thing there has ever been an ok market for...is pelt and penis in China, an aphrodesiac, in a country with aids and overpopulation, that's real responsible.
KIll an economically motivated killing.....economically.
As requested , here are the facts:
1. The Sea Shephard press release reads as follows: "After discussions with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Costco has decided to remove seal oil capsules from the shelves of all of their Canadian stores.... In an e-mail message which was printed and mailed to Captain Paul Watson (Founder and President of Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society), Richard F. Duffy, the Vice President of Costco Eastern U.S. and Canadian division
wrote, “Costco has made a decision today, March 1st, at the highest levels of Costco management, that it will no longer carry any seal oil capsules in St. John’s, Newfoundland or any other Costco location in Canada.” Sea Shepherd is very pleased with this decision "
2. Costco issued a press release to deny the Sea Shephard claim. It reads as follows: " Costco says its decision to remove seal-oil capsules from shelves had nothing to do with controversy over the East Coast seal hunt or with an anti-hunt group that claimed credit for the move.The company insisted it "has no affiliation to, nor is it a supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society or the methods it employs in promoting its causes."
The links are as follows:
http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_060330_1.html
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/02/costco060402.html
Thank you for the opportunity to present the facts. Do you work for the Sea Shephard Society ?
The people who work for SSCS are usually way too busy to waste their time here.
Question--why are there no women sealers?
Aside from the Costco fiasco, I am shocked to hear that Rogers/Yahoo is permitting the IFAW to place their ads on their portal. Rogers spent $220 million for the cable company in Newfoundland & Labrador- they have a lot of money invested in Newfoundland & Labrador- a shame that they don't support the people who live and work there. I am cancelling my Rogers cable and internet tomorrow-
AGREED- if ROGERS CABLE supports the IFAW and lets them show their anti-sealing ads online, then I refuse to do business with them. BOYCOTT ROGERS!!!!
Yeah, I saw it too.... goodbye to my ROGERS HI-SPEED. I am CANCELLING it tomorrow.... I thought ROGERS were being a good corporate citizen here in NL, but I guess they caved in as well. Differing viewpoints are ok, but that ad was totally incorrect.
Brian r........wake up please.
I would like to ask all of you who believe the society is lying to explain this????
More than 16 hours before Costco made it's announcement, Sea Shepherd Conservative Society had
in fact already announced it. Saying Costco plans to remove omega 3 from the shelves in reponse to the boycott.
Yeah???
Consumers who purchase from Costco, whom oppose the hunt.
Costco states they removed the product because of consumers desires.
Sounds like it has Seal Hunt Boycott written all over it.
Now try to explain the lie to me?
And please don't be like the rest of the pro-sealers, politicians etc...
and hide when asked to explain what they said or why they said it. I truly want to know
I need en-lightening. As someone here said we needed to be en-lightened.
I just like facts, not only what is being said, but to look at what's behind what is being said.
again brian r...........hello..........
Costco was accused of bowing to pressure from animal-rights groups, but said in a statement issued late Friday that it removed the seal oil capsules for business and not political reasons.
The only politicians involved are the pro-sealers.
So I guess it wasn't politically motivated.
Great wording speaker for Costco!!!!
This doesn't sound like Sea Shepherd Conservative Society (who are not politicians)are liars to me.
It sounds like, we removed the product from the shelves because people are against purchasing seal products. (business not politics)
Wow, you can fool some of the people all of the time and most of the people....none of the time....
Costco says its decision to remove seal-oil capsules from shelves had nothing to do with controversy over the East Coast seal hunt or with an anti-hunt group that claimed credit for the move.
Again great wording "it doesn't have anything to do with the controversy over the east coast seal hunt or with an anti hunt group that claimed credit for the move"
controversy- arguing
anti-hunt group- no name mentioned.
it doesn't have anything to do with the arguing or the anti-hunt group
it does however have something to do with customers of Costco who back the anti-hunt group and oppose the hunt.
It's all in the wording. Try not to be mislead by any of this, or anyone now.
Costco has made a decision today, March 1st, at the highest levels of Costco management, that it will no longer carry any seal oil capsules in St. John’s, Newfoundland or any other Costco location in Canada.”
Costco didn't announce it until the last days of March....so how did sea shepherd know march first...??? hmmmmm
I can answer that....costco told sea shepherd before they told the world?
think people, seal hunt is going on seal products being removed...it does not take a rocket scientist...and all within a month...sheeesh
Damage control.
Sea Shepherd posted it first on March 1, 2006.
The Sea Shepherd and the Humane Society followed by four other groups, sent it out March 4, 2006. (anti-hunt group that claimed credit for the move.)
Things were quiet for a bit, then on March 30, sea shepherd realeased it again
On March 31, 2006 Costco made it's realease.
So how did all these groups know in advance? DUH!
I still don't get it.
This isn't a victory for opponents of the hunt. Costco is not boycotting the millions of dollars of canadian seafood they sell. They're dropping one product that is barely used and generates little revenue.
This isn't a loss for sealers. Costco's still buying seafood and selling it, and that's where your money's made.
Costco made one little concession to save the larger product.
Everyone of you on both sides is being stupid on this one. Its much ado about nothing.
LOL Mr $$ watson is lurking and getting worried his propaganda campaign will get reversed.
You still don't get it do you?
If they only remove the seal product it will show the world and the International courts there is not a market for it.
If they start to remove the seafood in Canadian stores, it shows vindictiveness, then defeating the purpose. Which is to stop the seal hunt. The boycott for seafood has to come from all other sides of the borders. It is not good strategy to financialy break an industry within the country of origin, but outside of it. (even though it is an American company, it is still located in Canada and serves Canadians not connected with the hunt). And the fish and seafood is not a related product to the seal.
The goal here is to prove there is no market for seal. Canada and china are about the only two places with markets for seal (other than pelt). We have to kill the seal market in Canada and then there will be no large enough market except for pelt. (which is at its done point for the most part the dwindling few that make up for pennies in sales) And the pelt alone is not a good enough reason to continue the hunt. Remember you are using the argument you need it for survival, right? In todays world you have to have a market for your product expecially when that product is seal in mass numbers such as these. Pelt is about all there is a market for. NOPE! Sorry. Won't work, don't need pelt to survive. And you can't show sales for 345,000 seal parts, except for pelt mainly.
Get it Yet?
If Costco is telling the truth about why they removed the Seal Oil from their shelves than why did they send an Email to Paul Watson and not their members. A good way to show their support for the members of Newfoundland & Labrador is to make a donation to the Sealers Association and come out with statements that Paul Watson is not telling the truth.
they never said paul watson lied....oh my they said....
Costco says its decision to remove seal-oil capsules from shelves had nothing to do with controversy over the East Coast seal hunt or with an anti-hunt group that claimed credit for the move.
Again great wording "it doesn't have anything to do with the controversy over the east coast seal hunt or with an anti hunt group that claimed credit for the move"
controversy- arguing
anti-hunt group- no name mentioned.
it doesn't have anything to do with the arguing or the anti-hunt group
it does however have something to do with customers of Costco who back the anti-hunt group and oppose the hunt.
Again Sea Shepherd, and gosh darn no I am not a member.....
just stating all the facts....
Again Sea Shepherd posted that they would remove it on March 1, 2006
Costco did not say a word until march 31, 2006. Remember after there had been speculation for weeks they were about to remove it, because of Sea Shepherds release.
Costco is not against the fisheries, but for all the people who buy all sorts of products from costco, who oppose the hunt. People that purchased stuff from Costco worldwide, who oppose the hunt, refused to buy from costco until they removed any seal product.
But did not ask for fish and seafood be removed because they did not want to put, Canadians not connected with the hunt out of work. This is why boycotts do not work inside the country, where the seal hunt goes on. This is not a boycott it is a removal of a product most find offensive. And a product contributed to the kiling of mass numbers of marine mammals where there has never been a commercial market for at least 89% of the animal. That is The International Animal Welfare Courts stipulation and the laws and regulations surrounding the WTO. They have already told you to stop in Geneva courts, everyone has asked you to stop, all over the world, that or use greenlands methods, and listen to world scientist on numbers. Even offered Ottawa plans for monetary allowances to make up for the loses, for the sealers. They have refused, so this is what goes next. No hunt no money period.
I bet the world would faint if you all stopped on camera and said Ottawa, we want to be reimbursed for all monetary losses, but the world wants us to stop. And then everyone would win. Then there would be next year and a new hunt to deal with. But if it keeps going like this, the hunt will stop and then the money will too. Then Ottawa can't take the plan and utilise it. Either way, look at the future.But even if I were in it, I would make Ottawa pay. And do it on the news. Change the worlds opinion about you step into the future. Make Ottawa look like who they are. I am Canadian and oppose the hunt but do not back this boycott because I will not put Canadians out of work. But where the hunt is concerned i'd give my life to see the killing end. And that's who I am. And I do not like Ottawa and it's money hungry ways. Just a wish.
Oh well anyway....
Why is it these protestors only listen to one side of the story, and base their rants on fiction versus unbiased opinion?
The anti-seal hunt people love to provoke, using the cuddly photo-ops as a backdrop to their fallacies.
To all of the people of Newfoundland/Labrador, i support you. But remember- never get into a pissing match with a skunk.
Well, Rogers is no longer a part of my life- their support for the IFAW forced me to cancel my internet, cable, and cellular phone. Today is my last day of internet service until I get a new provider.
We have listened to all sides, every time someone speaks for you he swallows his leg and is caught lying. Seven different countries worth of scientist, vets, environmentalist and marine biologist...some of the best in the world, disclaim your vets without reputable signings and lying politicians. And please don't use Williams argument the wwf canada's vet. deemed it humane, I read the report and that was a lie. Just like the shelter and fuel equals seal thing he said.
So, who do you think we should believe? When is a proof a good proof? When it has been proven. I have heard all sides, about all of it. Read more than you can get your hands on....looked at both sides, and weighed them both because I have to, unlike most.
The world however isn't uneducated either....and it's not because they are cuddly white babies. We see these too....
http://www.nemsplace.co.uk/?p=394#comments
Anyway useless is useless. And we know it isn't because you trust Ottawa, it must be that you like to do this. Because you have had ways out.
When you get a clue I hope for your sakes it won't be too late. Just consider what will happen if you wait till you are made to stop by the worlds courts, think about it, what the reputation alone will have done by then, what will happen to you? Anyway remember you really did have options.
It seems someone thinks that everyone is lying ! Are Costco lying when they state " Costco has no affiliation to, nor is it a supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society or the methods it employs in promoting its causes." ( see link to press release above ).
This is clear.
Seems like paul watson is up to his regular tricks...check out his quotes on activistcash.com
If you don't know a stat, fact or issue make it up on the spot...in todays news media the facts are unimportant.
I find it slightly pathetic that someone posted "Wait for the Junos". If all the ARA's can come up with is Pamela Anderson rambling on I doubt we have much to worry about.
I don't know how smart or dumb this woman actually is but she is known world wide as the ultimate "dumb" blonde. If PETA thinks anyone is going to take her serisously they are more out of touch with reality than most people think.
As for Pam, all I can say is I've seen the Pamela and Tommy Lee videos and I can guarantee you that woman is not a pure vegan.
Oh, bye the way. According to reports hundreds of people have turned in their Costco cards so far and there is a planned "mass" card return being called for by one individual this morning. This person would like as many people as can make it to go to Costco in St. John's at 10:00am on Saturday to do it as a group.
On another note. Several businesses now have seal oil capsules on their counters and are offering free capsules (and in some cases product discounts) to anyone who wishes to deposit their Costco card in the Jar.
There is another initiative underway nation wide ( a much more subtle and direct one) but more on that later.
Boy, Last night we were treated to a few seconds of Pam Anderson ranting about the seal hunt (to a chorus of boo's from the audience) while she gyrated half nude around the stage talking about "liking it rough". Now a quick news scan reveals the true anti-anything that is non-vegan, motives of Heather McCartney coming out.
According to news reports, At an event organised by the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation, the wife of Sir Paul McCartney, the former Beatle, will call for milk to be dropped from the nation's diet.
Meanwhile nutritionists around the world are crying foul. Milk is of course considered essential to the growth of healthy bones and teath. and accoording to experts:"Anything that is encouraging teenagers to take calcium out of their diet is a concern.
According to reports: Heather McCartney will appear at the event entitled Why You Don't Need Dairy, on Wednesday.
Well folks, I guess we all know where her credibility will be with the general public after this one. If the ARA groups keep this up they'll win the fight for us.
Sorry, my last post should have read "last wednesday"
Also, I wonder if Paul Watson was aware of Heather's activities regarding banning milk when he said is his press release about the Costco situation:
"Expect nasty words from Canada's government officials, expect them to accuse our side of the same things, the same lies they have repeated over and over again; that we are misinformed, that this will lead to no sales of meat, and that children will be denied their milk at school."
Really Paul, I guess our milk is safe, somebody just forgot to tell Heather I guess.
I'd like to see as many people, preferrably sealers, goto the Price Club some Saturday and surround the place with their trucks/cars and not let shopper through their 'picket line'.
Shut the place down for the day and show them we mean business!!
I'd be willing to be Saturday will be an interesting day out there. I already got rid of my card but I plan to turn up anyway just for support. I would suggest to anyone else out there to do the same. Maybe a nice picket sign, hmmmmm.
Consumer rights freedom groups such as the ones mentioned above...activistcash.com........and views from them......should be taken as lightly.
Consumer Freedom is a non-profit front for
PR firm Berman & Co. for whom Martosko flaks. Berman & Co.'s founder
and Executive Director stands accused of "funneling millions... donated
to non-profit organizations he runs - right into his own bank
They claim to be consumer rights advocates, when in fact they are fronts for various retailers, manufaturers and non profit organizations.
Whom are really advocating the right to distribute anything on the illegal side...from legalized recreational drugs to kiddie porn,
From a legal standpoint, anything from prostitution (Nevada...etc...)to fur sales consumption even from domestic animals world wide.
I have not been able to find one consumer rights group leader with a valid reputable, reputation or degree, that includes all issues they tackle.
They claim their goal is to allow products to be purchased by people who want them, but the fact is they want to allow people with products to market them. These are the people who finance them. Cigarette companies, adult film producers, alcohol companies....people that feel their rights as manufacturers have been revoked or questioned to huge protest.
Activist groups are motivated by extreme passion or desire to make something they see wrong, right again and it seems, to at times, become angrily fronted.
They do however have lists of advocates from various schooled backgrounds, and economic standings. The front man or woman for these groups
is always considered an extremist.
In taking all evidence you have to allow for time frames and esculations. When all legal measures have been exausted in the country in opposition
they will then move to the outside world community. Their record of success is undeniable, their means questionable. Majority of people advocating these groups are skilled in various types of skills and degrees. We have no actual number of all, because no one truly knows who they are. Only the front guys. (secret organisation for the most part), except for what we do see in the frontlines and by way of effectiveness in their causes. The fact is, they are scientist, professors, doctors, surgeons, housewives, biologist, veterinarians, carpenters, sailors, hunters, children, stars, stock investors, politicians and all with a front man for their cause. It is impossible to take the group and zero in on to what motivates them as a whole. It is also impossible to put them under a microscope when they use front men and women on the world stage. Front men and women seem ineffective to some and effective to others.
So, in weighing this and assuming majority rules, that is the motivation behind them as a whole. However we do have those who will go to any lengths, at times, to exert their cause. And from an unbias view point this seems to be domintaing both agendas where this is concerned. For the most part where all advocates verses adversaries objectives come into play. Both sides play the game effectively to their cause to the best of their ability and at times leads to aggression from both sides. Yes, lies also, or half truths, or lies by omission, but the goal here is to win the majorities confidence in your cause and to make it theirs, using at times "high lighted means".
It all depends on who the majority of the world believes in any cause presented.
The activist put out as much negative about the cause, remove existing markets, provide public awareness, media spotlight, they use monetary advantages to "spam", airtime, banners, ads in newspapers, equipment. They use high, but low profile wealthy activist to put financial pressures on big companies and political figures around the world. Visual effects are their greatest asset. Their belief is that a majority of people, do not believe that everyone tells the truth all of the time, but people will believe their own eyes. Their objective "majority" advocacy.
The advocates objectives are the same, but opposite in this way, not only do they begin to discount all claims activist groups make, they launch a "pro-cause" alliance. To win "majority" advocacy.
When one group or the other fails miserably, they will then come to an "agreement". And then activist begin a full force launch into a new cause. And if they can gain majority advocacy they will win for their cause.
And I know this because I am an objective research specialist when working. And a person with ideal's when not.
Boy, Patriot, you are really sounding desparate! And notice are there are virtually no comments when you write on another topic. "The lady doth protest to loudly."
I'd be willing to be Saturday will be an interesting day out there. I already got rid of my card but I plan to turn up anyway just for support. I would suggest to anyone else out there to do the same. Maybe a nice picket sign, hmmmmm.
Patriot, hun, they already know you disagree with their decision and agree with the hunt.
It would be much more effective to get people all over Canada to agree and picket on the same day....
4/02/2006
The Ecology of Sealing, by Debbie MacKenzie
Guest Commentary by Debbie MacKenzie, a director of the
Grey Seal Conservation Society
Finally, we have a Canadian newspaper with the courage to print a statement addressing the ecological consequences of the Canadian seal slaughter.
The Canadian Government continues to insist that there is no conservation argument. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society holds the position that there are serious ecologically consequences. The destruction of the many species of seals over the last 400 years has caused irreparable damage to the Northwestern Atlantic marine ecosystem
The Halifax Chronicle published the following article by Debbie MacKenzie, of Prospect, Nova Scotia. She is a director of the Grey Seal Conservation Society
The Halifax Chronicle
Halifax, Nova Scotia Thursday March 30, 2006
Seal hunt ecologically irresponsible
By DEBBIE MACKENZIE
Nobody said that the seal hunt was cruel, and nobody complained that Canada kills whitecoat pups, at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ latest public consultation on seal hunting.
At the seal forum last November, only one criticism was raised against the seal hunt. It was argued that the seal hunt plan is unacceptable because it is not "ecosystem-based," and DFO was reminded of its legal obligation under the Oceans Act to use ecosystem-based conservation plans.
A stable, healthy ocean ecosystem needs large natural predators, and all other big predators in Atlantic Canada, besides seals, have recently been eliminated. Scientists accept these facts: This is in reference to the huge numbers of large predatory fish that long competed with seals to eat small fish.
Today, essentially all big fish are gone, and rising seal numbers have not nearly made up for the loss. To maintain a healthy natural predator presence in the ocean, therefore, none of the relatively few surviving fish predators should now be killed, and that includes seals.
Natural predators play key roles; and entire ecosystems, including the prey species, do better when predators survive too. Eliminating large predators degrades ecosystems, and this occurs everywhere from forests to grasslands to oceans.
A mass harvest of seals today carries a greater ecological risk to the ocean than it did when great hordes of large predatory fish shared the waters (cod, shark, halibut, etc.) and shared the seals’ ecological role.
The truth is that today’s ocean scenario, both the potentialities and the risks, is not remotely like it was in earlier times.
Now the web of sea life appears strangely unstable, teetering. If we take the seals, we remove the last natural predators from a once robust web.
What collapses then? The platitude that seal hunting is a time-honoured "tradition" becomes irrelevant.
Although seals and ice floes may look exactly as they did in past centuries, what lies beneath the surface has changed dramatically for the worse.
The food supply for fish is failing, and the oxygen content of seawater is falling, as the ecosystem becomes increasingly poor and degraded. Under this scenario, insisting on targeting the last surviving natural fish predator courts ecological disaster.
The worst of it is that there are DFO scientists who are aware of this problem, but who are not permitted to speak openly about it.
These scientists were not invited to "advise" the "seal managers." The managers wanted "science advice" only on the size of the seal herds, refusing to consider information about the state of the ecosystem, including the now serious shortage of fish predators.
When it was explained at the seal forum that DFO scientists have published much relevant ecosystem science, including a rationale for protecting fish predators, and that this information should logically translate into advice that managers not approve another seal hunt – the reply was silence.
But outside the forum, a DFO official remarked that nobody reads those ecosystem papers anyhow.
DFO managers were formally asked to consider science advice from their own scientists, regarding how modern ecosystem objectives should be used in planning the seal hunt. But they refused, claiming this was unnecessary.
Amid hyperbole about "science on the cutting edge" and "international leadership," DFO boasts of using a new "ecosystem approach" to ocean conservation.
But they are not, because the new seal hunt plan is, like all previous ones, based only on an outmoded "single-species approach."
This method was long used by fishery managers: Numbers of fish or seals were estimated and then some fraction was declared as the quota for a "sustainable fishery." However, this simple strategy has failed spectacularly – think: cod crash.
Science today knows a better way, but DFO refuses to admit it.
DFO was likely pleased to see animal rights groups again denouncing this spring’s harp seal hunt as brutal. That was their cue to launch the standard rebuttal: "The seal hunt is humane! We have scientific proof of that! And we don’t kill whitecoat pups!"
OK, sure DFO, we’ve heard all that before. Now please explain why you refuse to meet your obligation to safeguard the future of Canada’s marine life by using modern scientific methods, by meeting your legal obligation to Canadians to use an ecosystem-based approach to conservation.
Why do you refuse to listen even to your own scientists?
Why, after the disastrous losses of marine life over the last two decades, does Canada still have government science muzzled by the fishing industry?
No excuse for cruelty
There was a time I looked forward to the month of March as heralding the end of winter and signalling that spring is just around the corner. Now I dread March because I know the seal hunt with the associated pain and suffering is due to start. And make no mistake, my concern is not just because the seal pups are “cute” — it is the blatant inhumane acts carried out by the sealers that really make me angry. Actions that go unpunished and unreported by the television networks.
The sad fact is that there are cruel people everywhere and this includes a portion of the sealers.
Which brings us to the Canadian TV coverage on this subject: it is completely one-sided, talking about tradition and showing weeping Newfoundlander wives saying that their husbands should be allowed to continue. Stories on the arrest of protesters who don’t observe the rules regarding how close they can get to the slaughter (how about the sealers who don’t observe the rules — anybody covering that?).
Were you aware that protests took place in Zagreb, Croatia; London, England; Madras, Israel; Capetown, South Africa; Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia, all over Europe, and the U.S.? I bet the answer to that is “no‚” because the Canadian TV networks seem to be interested in covering just one side of the story. What happened to the days when reporters actually reported both sides of a story and let the public make up their own minds?
Personally I would settle at this point for a reduction in the quota and punishment to sealers who clearly abuse animal welfare rules and regulations already in place (but not enforced).
Where are the animal cruelty inspectors? Why aren’t the sealers skinning animals alive being charged with animal abuse on an unthinkable scale?
These cruel non-caring people should be permanently banned from the hunt, have to return their subsidy courtesy of the taxpayer and be fined and hopefully some jail time.
Too harsh? Too bad! Maybe then the other sealers will think twice before inflicting pain and suffering in the name of “tradition!”
Leslie Yeoman
Winnipeg
Just because a handful of protestors - some sincere, some wingnuts - show up outside a Canadian embassey does not make it worthy of coverage
See how out of touch you are, you are not even referring to the event the letter writer is making. The story, which is all over the press today (google on seal hunt), is about the ones you arrested from HSUS for "getting too close."
Go to protectseals.org and view the film for yourself to see what a mockery your government is.
A stable, healthy ocean ecosystem needs large natural predators, and all other big predators in Atlantic Canada, besides seals, have recently been eliminated. Scientists accept these facts: This is in reference to the huge numbers of large predatory fish that long competed with seals to eat small fish.
Today, essentially all big fish are gone, and rising seal numbers have not nearly made up for the loss. To maintain a healthy natural predator presence in the ocean, therefore, none of the relatively few surviving fish predators should now be killed, and that includes seals.
Natural predators play key roles; and entire ecosystems, including the prey species, do better when predators survive too. Eliminating large predators degrades ecosystems, and this occurs everywhere from forests to grasslands to oceans.
A mass harvest of seals today carries a greater ecological risk to the ocean than it did when great hordes of large predatory fish shared the waters (cod, shark, halibut, etc.) and shared the seals’ ecological role.
so much for my predator prey argument being ignorant...sheeesh I used this same argument a month or more ago, talk about confirmation!!!
Anon......
Just because a handful of protestors - some sincere, some wingnuts - show up outside a Canadian embassey does not make it worthy of coverage
In response.........
But you see the protesters are stars, doctors, lawyers....as the person said above, from all over the world.....even a huge percentage in your own country.
You advocates are sealers, their families.....and some Canadians outside this chain.....but realitively few. You have to get more advocates...from other cultures and from other employment statuses...like scientist, teachers....children (not sealers children). Children are always GREAT for advocacy. And these outside your country also....I could go on...
The truth is Sea Shepherd played real fair they posted the product pull at the beginning of March, in a way of saying don't hunt. Which gave you time to either get ready to boycott or talk Costco out of it. Or not hunt. But instead you wait three weeks, till the time they actually pull the product, to do this? You automatically always believe Sea Shepherd is a liar and pro-sealers are truthful.....well this is the result.
Costco had already analized damage control before making this decision....whoever the person is behind sea shepherd, he is an investor of some big bucks....so whether Costco knows it or not (but I am sure they do) Thus the statement we are not affiliated with....etc...sea shepherd. But someone Costco knows is....affiliated...
This past Friday night I had dinner at my friends place and he just got back from a week "on the ice" as a independent photographer and he had some very enlightening info on what is going on out there. Protester getting hit with seal innards? That was him that got the brunt of it. Seal intestines were not as slimy as he expected.
Anyway he and another independent photographer lasted until the first couple of runs at them by the seal boats and promptly told the group to call the helicopter to get them the hell of this boat. The rest of the week he stayed in the helicopter from what I understood.
This is his third of fourth year on the ice and he said that from what he can see about 80%-90% of the killings were efficient with a few sightings of what looked to be “sloppy” harvesting but the sealers are getting more violent and bolder in their actions against the protesters. They better watch out, is what he said, or there might be some major repercussions down the road.
He was all for the hunt, and has a lovely pair of sealskin boots and matching gloves, but is having second thoughts about the way things are being handled.
Just my two cents.
CR
The hunt is vile. I am from Boston. I am boycotting all products from Canada. I used to travel to Canada - no more. The Nova Scotia commercials airing down here make me sick. I did not buy a cucumber at Whole Foods yesterday because it was a product of Canada. WAKE UP! STOP THE SLAUGHTER! Your entire country is suffering for the pennies made by a few.
URL: http://www.capebretonpost.com/news.aspx?pname=News&StoryID=47984
URL: http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/493500.html
I guess you all believe this too, all decapatated, all at the same time, by the same means?
This has a probability ratio of 1 in 1,356.23 trillion........sheesh
I guess this is another "natural occurence" like last years more than 2000. Funny, last years came in the day after the hunt, the day the olympic logo arrived, the inuit symbol, to somehow promote "tradition". It was also deemed a natural occurence...(and you believe this too)
What I don't understand is a bunch of marine mammals wash ashore the day after the hunt, DFO "not hunt related natural occurence". (you believe it)
This year all decapatated all at the same time....not hunt related "natural occurence" (you believe it)
And Mr. John Efford, whom you all claim is a moron, who is anti seal and has raved kill them all, and in the next sentence says save the marine ecosystem, and who initiated this cull to save cod policy, states, seal eating parts of cod "is not natural" "you believe him...."
But you still say Sea Shepherd is a liar when he said march 1...costco to remove product....march 31 Costco removes it.......and announces it after first declining comment. (you don't believe sea shepherd)
I am so at a loss...................it just keeps getting more and more.......I am still at a loss....
Hey anon from boston..... write ndp jack layton and the liberals.......and hit the scaredy cat Harper up while you at it.
I sent my letter to Harper the other day. I wrote to Loyola. I wrote to Nova Scotia tourism. I am horrified that nothing is being done about this. What is it going to take? Why make the entire country suffer for the pockets of a few? Tell the sealers to work at Costco in the off-season. There must be other work besides clubbing defenseless baby seals to death. I am most disturbed by the fact that they cannot swim away in an attempt to escape. They banned the slaugheter of whitecoats (supposedly - I just saw the 2006 hunt picture of a bloodied whitecoat - his head had molted so I guess that makes his fair game for the club?). Maybe it is time to ban the slaughter of babies - those that cannot swim to safety. I would hate to know what goes on in the mind of a seal hunter.
Don't stop email email email over and over call call call....It is effecting the cement companies in my area and the restaraunts.....and what goes on in the mind of a sealer is a few dollars in pelt and a hatred for pest that eat there commercial fish they make billions on and that they culled to near collapse. And everyone is lying but them everyone is doing this for money, the ARA's are killing the market...look at the facts....there has never been a market for seal except for penis and pelt. I could go on and on...read this.....it's only about 10% of the truth....it goes on and on....
http://canadiansealhunt.blogspot.com/
I am ordering my BOYCOTT Canada stickers tomorrow. I use my SAVE SEAL stamps daily. The word is spreading. The HSUS members were banned from documenting the hunt? A fellow Canadian, banned, after viewing it for 8 plus years. That tells me that Loyola is shaking in his shoes. We all know it was a set-up. The boycott is working. Decent human people will not sit still and allow this hunt to continue. Danny Boy needs to accept this and move his region forward. p.s. what an embarressment on Larry King - honestly. He stumbled and bumbled over all his "facts". The pictures tell a thousand words. Hence the banning of the HSUS members. One plus One still equals two.
You know people who hide have something to hide. I guess people are tired of their children seeing the pictures. They blame the ARA's but they are the ones killing. They have a right to their "traditions" but the do not have a right to upset the world with it.
I wonder how long it will take for the politicians in this country and America and all over the world to get sick of their children viewing this "hunt"....??? You can't walk the streets surf the web...banners pop up...
The thing is, they gave them a way to end it and be compensated, they tried for three years to convince, now....
The thing is if they collapse the economy in fisheries, tourism etc....by 32% it will take 4 years to recover. And all for what?
Nadine Saunder's letter to Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams:
Dear Mr. Williams,
With all the Seal Hunt media coverage in the last few days/weeks, I have a feeling that at this point in time most of Canada and the world think that every single person in Newfoundland supports the Seal Hunt. Thank you for putting all of us onto your animal cruelty agenda. I grew up in Newfoundland and lived there for half of my 31 years on this earth..... and I can tell you that not ALL of us feel this way.
The Seal Hunt is unfortunately an ingrained part of the closed-minded part of the Newfoundland population, and has been for many generations. Many Newfoundlanders see this as their God-given right. I'm not one of them.
I think that I can fairly say that a typical Canadian doesn't actually know all that much about Newfoundland. They might know one or two Newfies, or many Newfies if you live in Alberta!
Quebecers (and the media) goes on and on about how Quebec is a distinct society. Anyone who has ever visited Nfld from other parts of this country knows and understands that Nfld is equally distinct, with their own languages, heritage and customs. It is a society on its own in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, an 8 hour ferry ride to the nearest Mainland destination, that being North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Many Newfoundlanders have a feeling, maybe even a chip on their shoulder, that the rest of Canada thinks we are all 'dumb Newfies', who 'milk the EI system'. By encouraging this seal hunt as some sort of 'temp employment to feed yer kids' you are perpetuating the myth that Newfoundlanders are uneducated and cruel rednicks.
Newfoundlanders have a not-so-great history with their own Government's mis-management of natural resources. The DFO has brought the Atlantic Cod fishery into a state that will never recover.
I fail to understand, after everything that has happened, how so many of my fellow Newfoundlanders, including yourself as Premier, still take what the Government in Ottawa and the DFO says as "gospel." These officials CLEARLY don't know what they are doing!
It doesn't take a Scientist to figure out that the Cod fishery is dead because of overfishing and the wastefulness of the drag nets and the industry in general, not the Seals.
Many individuals live in tiny rural communities in Newfoundland, and have never even left the province. Some only know one way of life...and that suits them just fine.
However, the upcoming "bloodbath" on the ice will remain in our memories and in our hearts for years to come. Regardless of how much money the province of Newfoundland and the country will put into tourism, it will not take that image of seals being brutally slaughtered from our minds.
The rollin' of the sea, won't be beckonin to me, I can guarantee you that, Mr. Premier!
Until this slaughter stops I will be forced to boycott my own province. Newfoundland is a rugged, natural beauty of Canada. I only wish that the people of this country including yourself would see it as such, and come up with more creative methods of bringing money into my home province.
I live in Vancouver now, and B.C . has a HUGE tourism industry because of the 'natural beauty'.
When I walk along the shoreline here in Vancouver with my dogs, I think of my far away home province that I love so much.
The quiet times spent walking among the driftwood, the silence and the stillness. Animals and nature together.
Yet how many Canadians have actually made that 8 hour ferry ride to get to know about the Newfoundland culture and beauty? If the rest of Canada actually saw the rugged coastline, the Whales in their natural habitat, the fog rolling into the harbour in St. John's....you would feel a connection to the sea and the land, as do I, having grown up there.
What we all need to do is to work together to bring Newfoundland into the greater Canadian collective, and in a positive way. With all the blood, sweat, and tears I put into helping animals every day, I don't want to be seen around the world as a cruel, murderous Newfoundlander.
The Seal Hunt gives us a great opportunity to educate people, and show them what Newfoundland and Canada REALLY is. A humane society that cares about animals. There may be some deeply ingrained traditions in Newfoundland 'heritage' and 'culture', but in 2006 we should be showing the world how we've evolved from the cave man days and promote our province instead for it's ski resorts, cozy winter log cabins, snowmobiling, etc.
There are many other ways to subsidize the cold harsh Nfld winters than going out onto the dangerous ice flows, endangering our husbands and boyfriends, and killing innocent animals.
Why do you refuse to see that eco-tourism is the more viable and self-sustaining option for the province in the long run?
I believe that if all of Canada supported Newfoundland with a genuine interest in coming up with creative alternatives for employment, rather than Ottawa just throwing money into band-aid solutions for temporary and seasonal jobs, then things might actually change there for once.
But maybe I'm wrong, what do I know? I'm just another 'stupid Newfie'!
--Nadine Saunders
Ok, after reading post after post by somebody who chooses to remain anonymous, I couldn’t resist having just a few things to say. I am, of course, assuming that most of those posts were made by the same person. But it seems a pretty safe assumption to make given their repetitive nature and repeated slandering of the English language and basic rules of grammar. So, to the pretty much lone defender of seals everywhere on this site, I have this to say:
1) I found your assertion that the world is prepared to shut down the Canadian cod fishery in protest to the seal hunt quite amusing. You claim that you yourself are a Canadian, yet you don’t seem to be aware that most of the cod being taken from our waters are not taken by Canada, nor by big bad Ottawa or its evil counterpart DFO for that matter. In fact, most of the cod taken from our waters and from just outside of them are taken by foreign countries such as Portugal, Spain and yes even the virtuous United States. Countries that you would like to have us believe are more concerned with protecting the precious seals than profiting off of the cod, like big bad Ottawa is trying to do. Perhaps it would do you good to put down the Sea Shepherd Times and pick up a real newspaper once in a while. If you are indeed a Canadian, it shouldn’t be very hard for you to find information on how the over-fishing of non-Canadians who aren’t nearly as concerned about conservation as you like to give them credit for, is having a much more negative impact on our fishery than a few loud-mouthed animal rights activists who love to pretend they have a lot more support than they actually have.
2) I checked out the article you gave to prove that Danny Williams was lying when he said that the veterinary group hired by the WWF found the hunt to be humane. I didn’t have to read past the first paragraph before finding that they did indeed find that the large majority of seals killed in the hunt (around 98% was their quote) are indeed killed in an acceptably humane manner. I find it very interesting that you would read this and find that Danny Williams was lying since he didn’t state that a very small portion do slip through the cracks and yet you can throw full support behind groups that make outrages claims that the vast majority are killed inhumanely. Your judgement concerning what constitutes truth and what is slanderous is horribly skewed to say the least. Furthermore, I would venture to say that a little research would find that 98% being killed humanely would far exceed the percentage of humane kills of pigs or sheep. I think it speaks volumes for our heavily regulated seal hunt. I personally wouldn’t have expected it to be that high. Thank you for pointing that out.
3) While we’re on the subject of truth, I’m sure you are aware that big bad Ottawa outlawed the killing of whitecoats back in the 80’s. Despite that, if you go to any website, or view just about any anti-hunt ad, the first thing you will see staring you in the face is an adorable little whitecoat. Why do you suppose that is? In the interest of honesty, shouldn’t they be fighting what happens today versus what happened more than 20 years ago? Recently, Paul Watson was questioned on that on the local news here in Newfoundland. I don’t remember his exact words, but his response went something like this, “It doesn’t really matter that the whitecoats aren’t actually being killed because the seals that are being killed are still very young.” Now I ask you, if that is true, and it doesn’t matter, then why do they insist on using the whitecoats for practically all their ads? If it doesn’t matter, then why not portray it honestly? Simply put, it does matter and they know it. It’s much easier to generate funds and rally the troops with pictures of the absolutely adorable baby whitecoats with their big droopy eyes. The fact that it presents a false picture is what really doesn’t matter to these guys. As long as they bring in the funds, the darling little whitecoats will remain the poster child for animal rights groups everywhere. Truth is easily sacrificed for the cause. And yet we’re somehow expected to believe all the other “facts” these guys present.
4) Although this is entirely irrelevant, I had to state it. It’s flipper pie! Got that? Flipper pie, not fin pie. They’re seals not sharks. Flipper pie by the way is absolutely delicious. It’s a shame you’ve never had the privilege of trying any. Although, in my books the carcass tastes even better than the flippers. Ok, now I’m getting hungry. By the way, I have absolutely no Inuit blood in me. Sorry if it shatters your stereotypes to learn that a non-Innuit can enjoy the tasty meat of the seal. Are you sure you’re from Canada and not the US? I mean, it’s typical for people in the US to hold such stereotypes. We all live in igloos and so on and so forth. (Note large doses of sarcasm)
5) Obviously you get very lopsided news coverage wherever you may be, but to point out the lie of the Sea Shepherd group that was brought up earlier, it was that Paul Watson himself stated that Costco had agreed to boycott the seal oil capsules after being approached by the Sea Shepherd society directly. They claim to have directly influenced the decisions, not through some abstract means of persuading people not to buy the capsules. He even claims to have a letter from Costco’s top executives to his society and store management where they explained how they were removing this “despicable” product from their shelves. He also stated that they did not have to threaten them with a boycott to get them to remove it. Costco responded with the news release that you are referring to, which stated that the removal had nothing to do with the seal hunt, but rather was for purely business reasons. One of the two parties is obviously lying. Both cannot be telling the truth. The person that posted earlier wanting to catch the Sea Shepherd society in yet another lie, obviously believes that somebody to be Paul Watson, given his and his society’s record. I tend to believe Costco is lying, as it would be just too much of a coincidence for them to pull it at this particular time for non-political reasons. It’s probably a combination of lies from both sides. What I suspect really happened, was that they didn’t expect much of an outcry from the supporters of the hunt so when they got it they backed down, but tried to do so in a way that meant they didn’t have to admit that they had taken a political stand to begin with. It doesn’t seem to be working, not many people believe them.
6) As my final interesting point to ponder, I would simply like to ask this question: If all the ruckus of the animal rights groups is really having the impact you claim, why do you suppose that the price of seal pelts continues to climb and has reached record heights? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out it’s not working…
You sound real desperate dude. Did you just get back from clubbing a baby seal? I did not write the post you are referring to, but I do not think that attacking someones grammer is appropriate. Passion makes people type fast - we are all trying to say what we want to say. Spell checking on a blog seems a little silly - we all make mistakes now and then. As to your one point about the baby white coats being used on the flyers, so be it. THE IFAW website CLEARLY SHOWS a picture from the 2006 "HUNT" of a BLOODIED WHITECOAT (minus the white fur on his head), SO WE ALL KNOW THESE BABIES ARE FAIR GAME (once the white fur STARTS to molt - or is it maybe that the savage seal killer could care less??? !!!! PICTURES TELL A THOUSAND WORDS AND WORD IS GETTING OUT! SIGNING OFF -BOSTON, MA (sorry for any grammer errors, dude!)
everything you stated as a pro sealer.....above....is funny.......everyone knows danny lies, your DFO is responsible for the waters....yadda yadda...everyone else believes all of the above but you people who insist on killing seals for financial gain or fun. Give it up..and anyone else look at both sides....oh, but we have...oh btw some of that I didn't write, but I do agree with everything except your analysis, or your perception. I hope everyone including the author of some of that stuff has time to, repeat it all on a level you can understand, because this person, has already done so in the part that belong to me...read from the beginning...na don't think so, if you didn't get it once or twice or even three times.........you will never get it. Oh and you know so much, it is your blog you should and do know I didn't write all of it, but about one third of any of that. You should also know smarty...by IP addy I am in Canada......CANADIAN! But I don't mind responding...for it all. Kill the seal save the cod....yeah right! So you are killing the seal to save cod stocks as reported by the government, and your DFO did fish the waters to collapse because they regulate it..(and are responsible)....maybe you should read something besides pro sealer stuff huh?
Wow, I might have wrote one or two of those. I Can not remember, but I wish I had the time to proof read all your comments. Like it really matters.
Who cares about your pelt prices. The WTO regulations, say that where wild mammals are concerned, you have to have a market for 89% of the animal.
No one has ever claimed the market for pelt was not out there. In fact that is what we do claim. You kill the seal to help regenerate cod populations
and pelt. Also we do not have to kill the pelt market, to kill the hunt. Think clearly. You will have to sale an awful lot of pelt if you keep going
in this direction, however. Oh, btw, I may not can write, but I sure can read.
I did not contribute, but I wish I would have. I need to point one thing out though.
it was that Paul Watson himself stated that Costco had agreed to boycott the seal oil capsules after being approached by the Sea Shepherd society directly. They claim to have directly influenced the decisions, *****this needs commas.
I read what was posted, it said "through encouragement from Paul Watson," dude.
I could encourage a senator, to encourage an MP, to vote a certain way. The MP might never
have knowledge, to the fact that it was I that encouraged him. He might pretend not to know.
Paul Watson knew about it three weeks or more before it actually took place and before anyone else.
Good enough for me.
I'm Canadian and I thought it was fin pie too. Who cares, no one else wants it.
"everyone knows danny lies, your DFO is responsible for the waters....yadda yadda..."
Brilliant! And I don't suppose you've ever even heard of the 200 mile limit? or NAFO? or the disputes with the EC who refuse to abide by NAFO quotas? Of course not, how silly of me, those are not issues discussed by the Paul Watsons of the day and the celebrities never get in on that action.
"read from the beginning..."
I did read from the beginning. Same stuff I read every year. Same old half truths and propaganda we hear year after year and watch people swallow hook line and sinker just because some celebrity endorses it.
"Oh and you know so much, it is your blog you should and do know I didn't write all of it, but about one third of any of that. You should also know smarty...by IP addy I am in Canada......CANADIAN!"
My blog? Wow, I didn't know that. I never even visited this site before today and already I own it. That's impressive. I suppose it is my blog, in as much as Paul McCartney was in Newfoundland when talking to Larry King even as it scrolled across the screen that he was in PEI. Yes, I suppose if a Newfoundlander owns it and I'm a Newfoundlander, then it must be mine. It only stands to reason really. After all, how many Newfoundlanders can there be?
"and your DFO did fish the waters to collapse because they regulate it..(and are responsible)....maybe you should read something besides pro sealer stuff huh?"
Maybe you should read something besides what is published by animal rights activists. The collapse of our fishery and its failure to rebound was and is a whole lot more complicated than you've been led to believe. There are many factors, many groups, and yes even many countries involved. And our waters are not solely governed by DFO, not by a long shot.
"Also we do not have to kill the pelt market, to kill the hunt. Think clearly. You will have to sale an awful lot of pelt if you keep going in this direction, however."
Oh right, I forgot, your boycotts and bans are going to destroy the Canadian economy so that the only thing we have left of any value are the seal pelts and we really will need to hunt them to extinction and then of course the hunt will stop. Funny thing is, none of the claims of the billions of dollars your protests are costing us can be substantiated by anybody outside of the organizations making the claims. The numbers just don't add up. More, I think, of a few loud mouths trying to make us believe that they have far more sway than they really have.
On one note though I should apologize. It was wrong of me to assume that just because the posts kept repeating the same thing over and over with very few words changed that they must have been all written by the same person. After all, when it comes to seal hunt protests, year after year we keep hearing the same thing over and over from the mouths of different celebrities who have been recruited to parrot the same lines. So why should I expect anything different on here?
Now look who is afraid to reveal himself. You never visited before today and you gathered all of what you said above by looking at it today?
lol....anyway if we want to pick apart all blogs, let us do it. Based on facts not gramatical errors ok?
OK....let us do Patriot shall we everyone? Look at the dates ok????
March 30, 2006 3:29 PM STATED BY PATRIOT sorry to pick you bud. Stabilize is spelled wrong. To begin with. See how childish yet?
Here is what he said...on another post a few days ago.
Bye the way, I forgot to mention in my last comment to Michael,
Your explanation of how letting the seal population expand will help stabalize the ecosystem is a simplistic joke.
When you talk about it being needed to replace other predators you ignore the fact that even though the number of predators such as sharks has fallen so too have the fish stocks they prey upon.
You will not balance anything by allowing an over abundance of any predator to prey upon an under abundance of prey. All that will accomplish is a further depletion of the prey and an eventual mass starvation of the predator.
Please read this again looking at the dates. And you can not say I posted this, nor knew it would be posted days in advance.
Bye allowing a limited number of predators to feed on the limited number of prey a balance is more sustainable.
March 30, 2006 3:29 PM
NOW THIS AT A LATER DATE POSTED 3 DAYS LATER and not by me, and I did not know it would be posted. POSTED BY ANON:
4/02/2006
The Ecology of Sealing, by Debbie MacKenzie
Guest Commentary by Debbie MacKenzie, a director of the
Grey Seal Conservation Society
Finally, we have a Canadian newspaper with the courage to print a statement addressing the ecological consequences of the Canadian seal slaughter.
The Canadian Government continues to insist that there is no conservation argument. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society holds the position that there are serious ecologically consequences. The destruction of the many species of seals over the last 400 years has caused irreparable damage to the Northwestern Atlantic marine ecosystem
The Halifax Chronicle published the following article by Debbie MacKenzie, of Prospect, Nova Scotia. She is a director of the Grey Seal Conservation Society
The Halifax Chronicle
Halifax, Nova Scotia Thursday March 30, 2006
Seal hunt ecologically irresponsible
By DEBBIE MACKENZIE
Nobody said that the seal hunt was cruel, and nobody complained that Canada kills whitecoat pups, at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ latest public consultation on seal hunting.
At the seal forum last November, only one criticism was raised against the seal hunt. It was argued that the seal hunt plan is unacceptable because it is not "ecosystem-based," and DFO was reminded of its legal obligation under the Oceans Act to use ecosystem-based conservation plans.
A stable, healthy ocean ecosystem needs large natural predators, and all other big predators in Atlantic Canada, besides seals, have recently been eliminated. Scientists accept these facts: This is in reference to the huge numbers of large predatory fish that long competed with seals to eat small fish.
Today, essentially all big fish are gone, and rising seal numbers have not nearly made up for the loss. To maintain a healthy natural predator presence in the ocean, therefore, none of the relatively few surviving fish predators should now be killed, and that includes seals.
Natural predators play key roles; and entire ecosystems, including the prey species, do better when predators survive too. Eliminating large predators degrades ecosystems, and this occurs everywhere from forests to grasslands to oceans.
A mass harvest of seals today carries a greater ecological risk to the ocean than it did when great hordes of large predatory fish shared the waters (cod, shark, halibut, etc.) and shared the seals’ ecological role.
The truth is that today’s ocean scenario, both the potentialities and the risks, is not remotely like it was in earlier times.
Now the web of sea life appears strangely unstable, teetering. If we take the seals, we remove the last natural predators from a once robust web.
What collapses then? The platitude that seal hunting is a time-honoured "tradition" becomes irrelevant.
Although seals and ice floes may look exactly as they did in past centuries, what lies beneath the surface has changed dramatically for the worse.
The food supply for fish is failing, and the oxygen content of seawater is falling, as the ecosystem becomes increasingly poor and degraded. Under this scenario, insisting on targeting the last surviving natural fish predator courts ecological disaster.
See this is not playing nice. I could continue this way but...no thanks I prefer to play fair and nice.
And I do believe I probably wrote one of those...maybe.
That whole thing about Paul McCartney saying "I am here, I am already here", was quite comical to me. I knew exactly what he was saying - he was saying, I am here IN CANADA. The fact that some people think he was somehow an idiot, not knowing where he was, just showed to me, in the US, how desperate Danny Boy was acting. And how desperate the Canadian press went to attempt to portray the debate in favor of Danny. He was so clearly stomped upon by the other side. As for the hunt protestors recruiting celebrities, I bet the sealers would recruit a b rated celebrity if they could only get their hands on one! Who in the world would step forward and use their celebrity status to promote such a hunt. A celebrity using his stutus to promote a worthy cause should be applauded. This protest is in full court press mode. I try to google seal skin fur coats and come up empty. Any designer that attempted to sell that in the US would feel the weight of the world on them. Good luck on the price of the pelts going forward. And I hope you stocked up on all those seal oil caplets!
bye is spelled wrong too.... did you see it up top...2 times...I am tired of this it ain't no fun no more. CHILDISH GAMES! That causes people to lose their blog writers.
Cindy Murphy,
You made a comment above about the economic ramifications of this seal hunt, through the use of boycotts etc.
I live in Ontario, Muskoka area. The men from the cement companies that come into my shop, have very large concerns.
The cement for the olympics is an issue and the money is needed to finish. They have also made comments about American tourist
choosing other destinations for their vacations this spring and summer. The sealing is beginning to hurt all Canadians.
After stopping in here and reading post, because of the boycott title, I have learned you people would be willing to put your
own people out of work for the few extra dollars you earn in a practise most Canadians find intolerable. The tourist you are
losing. And the money this thing will cost the rest of Canadians does not matter to you one bit. We have given you ways to
compensate for your losses. They are ignored. You feel it is us telling you what to do. You have to do it yourself or we as
Canadians will. It is high time this "traditional hunt" be put into the ancestorial file. The world is beginning to become tired
of asking. Their children have to see this. My children have to see this every year. Do you care she has nightmares? It may be your
"tradition", however it is beginning to complicate everyones future whether you see, care or not.
Tonya Rightings
Ontairio
Cindy....More, I think, of a few loud mouths trying to make us believe that they have far more sway than they really have.
I dunno Cindy. Paul Watson did say Costco was removing it's products weeks before they did.
Sir Paul McCarney was dubbed into knighthood and is a former Beatle, can't beat that, pretty noble. Sounds like alot of sway to me.
Britain did remove cod off of the shelves in response to the cod shortage.
A few days after the hunt began. It may not matter much, but makes a real true statement and is very coincidental.
Even though you might not like him, most people do and the ones that don't respect him anyway. What a nice man.
There is plenty to continue with....Martin Sheen is cool and has two, great, famous sons. TATA for now.
Anyone want to see the right way to hunt a seal?
http://www.trentu.ca/isk/hunt.htm
This is an Inuit hunt. It warns the hunt is graphic, however, we have seen graphic.
I think we can all handle this.
Thought is was against policy to post em addresses in this blog, which by the way, is going to national Canadian and U.S. press.
Na, everyone does it, in fact most like links with opinions and facts, makes it interesting I suppose. It is a blog site. One you don't have to log into or be a member of to post. The more posters the site get's the more change.
U.S. don't care they cover blog in thhe media and they have alot of media. It isn't like Canada. Canada might care I don't know, try it. If not there goes my five seconds of fame.
Well it is either post the whole page or a link.
You really might want to think twice about sending it to the media,
it is like a huge petition. I copied it in my printer. I could not believe it.
It might help. The US media won't take it though. They have blog reporters, if they
wanted it they would have it. If you watch CNN then you know. There are thousands upon
thousands of reporters and newspapers. It is unimagineable, the amount. What can you
lose by trying though. CTV is always available here probably.
Just joined , read some mail and leaving again. Why do the long extracts from ARG's keep reappearing ? Boy , they are thorough and are monitoring the internet carefully.
If anyone is interested in finding out facts on the hunt rather than exchange insults with some teenager from Boston , you should check out www.thesealhunt.com.
Good night.
If I could get in, says the URL is valid but then not found.
Well durn!
I'm not from Boston I think only one person here was.
Made about two or three comments and left??? Whatever.
I would look, it's not allowing me. (sad)
try www.thesealfishery.com
thnk you.
Its not valid either...oh well. I tried.
I got it, ooops. Thnks
seal fishery, hmm, an oxy moron, seal are not fish.
Matt--tell us about more about activecash? A project of the CCF, let's see Center for Consumer Freedom? You "dog" all the animal protection groups about their names but I find yours the most aggregious. I am an American consumer, what are you freeing me from? Freedom from what, Mary Tyler Moore? So she does not eat meat, so what. Some people don't. But the majority of Americans and Canadians who find this "hunt" vile, like myself do. What business have you posting someplace like this? Sure takes away your objectivity.
It is the same argument we have seen. We have looked at both sides. And have actually done most of it here.
Again all I see is Canadian Veternarians, those hired by Canada no names of any veternarians
that I can research to prove reputation. Politicians.
From my end the seafood boycott looks ok. Question why did Danny say WWF Canada hired independant
veternarians, gave no name, that says the hunt is humane? It doesn't say that, it makes no fewer than 11
recomendations to make the hunt humane.
I got transcripts from the Geneva court, you can go to www.boycott-canada.com/news/geneva.htm NOT for the boycott,
but to view all evidence and findings. When are you going to produce names, not politicians, scientist and marine
biologist, world reputable veternarians from another country? I just want to see proof. When the argument to save
the cod was presented, you listened to a politician over a professor in marine biology, from your own country. I am
trying to see your proof. I have hundreds of these with names I can verify as reputable.
Conservation Biology, indicates that Canada’s management plan for the Northwest Atlantic harp seal hunt is failing. Landed catches and estimated total deaths caused by human activities both exceed estimates of what the seal population can sustain.
The paper, co-authored by David Johnston, Peter Meisenheimer, and David Lavigne, of the International Marine Mammal Association, Guelph, uses the government’s own figures to show that more seals are being landed in seal hunts in Canada and West Greenland than the population can sustain and, as a consequence, the population is almost certainly declining.
I don't know what else to say to you, I will listen to all these people from all walks of the world, no, not all of them are activist. I listen to Scientist, veternarians, marine biologist and professors, over veternarians with no name and politicians.
MYTH: IFAW representatives, veterinarians and other experts have said the seal hunt is humane.
FACT: There isn’t a single reputable "expert" or "veterinary group" that has observed the seal hunt and called it humane.
MYTH: Veterinarians hired by the World Wildlife Fund said the seal hunt is conducted in a humane way.
FACT: The report produced by these same veterinarians puts forward no fewer than eleven recommendations to make the seal hunt humane.
trust me I have studied the charts all the way from 1950, prior to that do you know there were more than 30 million
you have a continued history of the same thing......
NEWFOUNDLAND––Memorial University biologist Edward Miller, host of a February 1997 workshop on how harp seals affect the Atlantic Canada cod fisheries, charged on June 24 that one of the four participants from the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans had privately disclosed data indicating that as many as 500,000 seals were killed in the 1996 offshore hunt, nearly double the official count of 262,402. Twenty-nine scientists from seven nations took part in the workshop. These scientist were lying too?
I could go on leading up till today but I think we have all seen it.
All I want is a name, a reputable scientist, veternarian, marine biologist or professor with a reputable signing. Even a name would be good, independant never flies with me. I don't like the numbers your giving, they can not be backed scientifically. In fact your own report uses the excuse they have bounced back from the near hunt to extinction from 1950 to 1970 and will again I read it and your government released it. It had everything down to seeal product market info. Which is bad. Except for pelt. We can't take this. It is 2006 we have to add global warming...etc...
it is ecologicaly irresponsible. 30 million seals oh man to what number? 6 mill. Plus the extra killed since....wow.
"The decision to place or pull a product from our shelves is never based on politics," Costco spokesman Pierre Riel said. "Each product must stand on its own commercial merits."
One for the home team.
A multi billion dollar company shows no market for seal product.
This will be one to take to the top. No market no hunt, who better than Costco or walmart?
"Each product must stand on its own commercial merits." It had none.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/03/seal-quota060403.html
The quota of 18,500 seals was surpassed by about 1,000 animals before the Department of Fisheries and Oceans called a halt last week, a DFO official said.
"It's pretty hard to manage that very, very precise because you have 40 vessels sealing at once, so we closed the fishery Thursday at one o'clock," Roger Simone said.
so much for the "Highly Regulated Managed Hunt" Do you realise Roger Simone's statements to the press are contradictory to the claims "It is highly regulated and managed hunt" Talk about the stars, do these people even have a brain that leads their mouths to speak?
THERE IS NO BIOLOGIST EVER AT MUN NAMED EDWARD MILLER
Check your facts!
An earlier post stated that you booked a large party at a local Red Lobster, then in a protest move when you found out they were serving Canadian fish you walked out on your reservation...so....according to HSUS Red Lobster is boycotting Canadian fish due to the seal hunt...gasp...were the ARO's lying??
Anon, you're making much ado about nothing. 1000 extra seals don't mean the hunt is not regulated.
1000 out of 18,500 is around 5%. Also, those 1000 animals will come off of the overall quota so there is no impact.
The overall quota is over 300,000 animals so even if the rest of the hunt led to an overage of say 4000 animals it would still be only about 1% of the overall quota.
When you have something this big spread out over such a large area a discrepancy of about 1% sounds pretty well regulated to me.
Where legalazed "hunting" is all over the world, you go one over your quota you are subject to losing everything. Oh that is right here you just break constitutional charter rights and arrest protesters.
No one said red lobster is boycotting seafood it says we are boycotting red lobster....duh!
Edward Miller.....http://www.mun.ca/marcomm/news/headlines/1999/133.html
I guess there is no debbie miller either....DUH!
Costco boycott petition available at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/costco/
(To those who plan to be there, see you all on Saturday morning in the Costco parking lot.)
I think the writer was trying to show the difference between animal hunts for profit
and hunting of wild animal worldwide, with the exception of Canada. I think the point
was well made. Wild marine mammals who have to be protected when there is a question of
damage to an already failing marine ecosystem and is a concern. The argument is, this
according to world regulations, does not conclude it to be a well managed or regulated hunt,
based on wild or marine mammal regulations.
Red Lobster was on the list of restaurants boycotting Canada seafood. But the list was
also derived to make consumers aware of restaurants selling Canadian seafood as to boycott them.
When the restaurants were called by your consumer rights guy (whom most in reputable businessess
refuse to consult with, it puts them into a certain "family" group) some of them were not boycotting
Canadian seafood. The consumers were. Are you still misunderstanding this?
Why boycott Costco? They have made press statements on removing it.
Is it immediate removal or removal for the future?
Are you trying to show support for a product about to be removed?
1081 signatures, you still have 3,124,000 to go world wide. They must have addresses and phone numbers to insure legitimacy.
Oh and they also must be large spenders at Costco or legitimate customers purchasing Omega 3, outside of the sealing industry.
Again the products must stand on their own merits, the sales are depleted to almost zero in comparison to other products that
need shelf space. Meaning low market volume and forced discontinued. Showing no large market for Omega 3, using the biggest
retailer of the product.
You must have a market for your product before creating the product in mass numbers
where even domesticated animals are concerned. Now you are killing seal, knowing there is not
a market for the majority of the animal. It's called gathering a case against the necessity of
the hunt. It takes time. The time seems near to the end though. Finally.
dumb petition, i could sign it over and over again who'd know?
Motivational boycottin at it's finest. wasn't a market for seal oil. you don't want to buy the oil just kill the seal. it's about sellin the oil, not killen the seal, for the company. no sales in 2005 for that oil of yours. can't take a count for the 2006 hasn't happened as of yet. and the oil just didn't sell last year cause them protesters and people were mad from last year's hunt, mad all year and are even madder this year. wonder what sale's will be for this one.
Connecticut Businesswoman Makes $16 Million Offer to Canadian Prime Minister to End Slaughter of Canadian Baby Seals
NEW CANAAN, Conn., April 4 /CNW/ -- In a just-released letter to
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Cathy Kangas, CEO and Founder of PRAI
Beauty, a global beauty company, has offered to raise the $16 million that
Canadian fishermen will realize from the sale of the pelts of slaughtered baby
seals. Ms. Kangas wrote: "If you stop this year's hunt immediately, we will
provide you with the $16 million to be distributed at your discretion." The
Canadian government has stated repeatedly that the seal hunt provides needed
off-season income to the fishermen in the communities of the Gulf of St.
Lawrence and Newfoundland.
Ms. Kangas also proposed working with the Canadian government to institute
a program to buy back existing fishing licenses and launch a program of
eco-tourism in Northeastern Canada to replace the seal hunt. "Canadian
fishermen could earn more money serving as park rangers for high end tours to
Canada to see the beautiful spectacle of seals giving birth on the ice floes,"
she noted. She said that whale-watching tours in Canada have been very
successful attracting visitors.
"We are providing you with an alternative to what Paul McCartney called 'a
stain on the character of the Canadian people.' If this is really simply an
economic problem, then take our offer," Mrs. Kangas stated in her letter. The
money, she pointed out, will be raised from private citizens and animal
protection groups worldwide which oppose the seal hunt including The Humane
Society of the United States, which has more than nine million members.
Mrs. Kangas added: "With the worldwide boycott of Canadian seafood, the
television coverage of baby seals being clubbed to death for their pelts, and
the involvement of high-profile celebrities such as Heather and Paul McCartney
and Bridget Bardot, one would think that Stephen Harper would welcome an
economic solution to the seal hunt. We are willing to negotiate in good
faith. However, should he choose to ignore my letter and continue with the
hunt, we need to ask the world what will it take for Canada to end this
barbaric practice?"
Cathy Kangas has championed animal welfare issues for more than twenty
years. She presently serves on the Regional Council of IFAW (International
Fund for Animal Welfare) and as an advisor to HSUS (Humane Society of the
United States).
As CEO and Founder of PRAI Beauty, a global skin and beauty care company
sold through the Internet and home shopping networks, she created "Beauty With
A Cause." Under this program, her company contributes a portion of its
proceeds every month to a different animal protection organization.
Among the many animal protection organizations supported by Ms. Kangas
through PRAI Beauty are: Animals Asia, which seeks to end the slaughter of
cats and dogs in China for food; IFAW for the campaign to save the whales;
Save the Chimps, which provides a sanctuary for chimps formerly used by the US
Air Force; The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee; the United Pegasus Foundation
for retired racehorses; the Wolf Conservation Center, Best Friends in Utah,
the largest animal sanctuary in the world; and SPANA, which cares for working
animals worldwide.
Contact: Mary Frances Duffy
The Dilenschneider Group
(212) 922-0900
A copy of Mrs. Kangas' letter to Prime Minister Harper is below.
CATHY KANGAS
106 CLEARVIEW LANE
NEW CANAAN, CONNECTICUT 06840
March 21, 2006
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, KIA O42
Dear Prime Minister Harper:
Your government has repeatedly stated that the $16 million realized from
the slaughter of Canadian baby seals is vital to the fishing communities of
the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland. If you stop this year's hunt
immediately, we will provide you with this $16 million to be distributed at
your discretion.
Furthermore, we will work with your government to institute a program to
buy back the fishing licenses and begin a program of eco-tourism in
Northeastern Canada, which would replace the seal hunt. Through this program,
high-end tour companies, such as Abercrombie & Kent, would provide
opportunities for its customers to see the beautiful spectacle of seals giving
birth on the ice floes. This could be a whole new source of revenue for the
region and fishermen could serve as Park Rangers showing the seals and
protecting them.
The eyes of the world will be on Canada when the seal hunt begins. We are
providing you with an alternative to what Paul McCartney called "a stain on
the character of the Canadian people." If this is really simply an economic
problem, then take our offer. The money is being raised from animal
protection groups worldwide including The Humane Society of the United States,
which alone has more than 9 million members.
We are asking you to negotiate with us in good faith. If we do not hear
back from your office before the start of the hunt, we will have no other
choice than to take this offer to the Canadian and worldwide media. We are
providing the Canadian government with an opportunity to end the seal hunt and
provide fishermen with an alternative livelihood. We look forward to
discussing this offer with you. I can be reached through my assistant Diane
Jacobitti at (941) 929-7435.
Sincerely,
Cathy Kangas
For further information: Mary Frances Duffy of The Dilenschneider
Group, +1-212-922-0900, for PRAI Beauty
wow. What can I say. Awesome. If the sealers want it. It's a good move for the provinces future that will lead to greatness.
Bye the way, the reason Costco pulled the capsules was because of Paul Watson plain and simple. As a matter of fact one employee at the St. John's location has already said that the company removes any product that people protest against. What a way to run a business. I wonder who will dictate to them next?
Also, let me set a few other facts straight.
First, this province is the only place Costco stocked the product in the first place. So the Canadian removal is really in the St. John's store only.
Second, the product does sell. It didn't sell well at Costco because they were too afraid of ARA's to promote it or display it prominantly. In other retail stores across the Province it has flown off the shelves over the years and still does.
This leads me to point three. The removal of the product really has little effect on the overall market because it still sells everywhere else while it didn't do well at Costco anyway because of thier yellow streak.
Finally, official or not, I believe this one store in St. John's (the only one that actually stocked the product) will listen to 1 or 2 thousand signers or what ever that final number is. Regardless of wether or not the petition is official.
Anyone who has ever run a business will know that if 1000 people in your immediate vicinity (which is what we are primarily talking about) are saying they plan to boycott your business then you will listen.
I spoke with someone yesterday who told me they drove past the Costco parking lot and unlike a normal day at that time, there was ample parking available. The parking lot resembled an open desert in fact.
As evidenced by their bowing to Paul Watson because his society buys ships supplies at Costco, the sound of crickets in their lot is the sort of thing they understand.
Patriot, wake up! The Costco thing is over, no one cares. Get over Watson!
Your sealers and government has not more excuses, they were just offered $16Mil!
If they deny the money they have to come up with yet another excuse. IMPOSSIBLE they have all been stomped out but the financial problems, this is the last of it. Financial excuse for the hunt.........gooooooooooooone. Hunt OVER!
Patriot,
They were pulled about 6 to 10 months ago in two other locations, your lost.
Anyway who cares about it? Costco don't, we don't, all I know is you have
a way for a fantastic future that I am jealous of! I am never jealous.
Anyone who has ever run a business will know that if 1000 people in your immediate vicinity (which is what we are primarily talking about) are saying they plan to boycott your business then you will listen.
I spoke with someone yesterday who told me they drove past the Costco parking lot and unlike a normal day at that time, there was ample parking available. The parking lot resembled an open desert in fact.
No anyone who ran a business would not know this. They would not judge one store and a thousand people over the financial ramifications to the company, in the world as a whole.
The parking lot being deserted in the town where pro hunters live, does not do too much good. The world did not see it and the finacial damage was minimal, very minute to the company. The only people who noticed was the people boycotting. Oh, and the people, your own people, you would have put out of work if you kept this practice up. Your people work at that store, but have no say so in management or product sales.
Well you don't have to worry about Costco anymore, if your PM and sealers do not accept this offer you will not be able to sell anything. There are no more excuses for this barbarism. I bet you really hate those stars now? In all this time they really did care what happened to you.
Myles,why have you not started a new piece on the $16M offer? This is the biggest Newfie news ever?
I am waiting to donate. I am also waiting to go out there and see it.
It is hard to understand when you look at it everyday, that you have the most beautiful place in Canada.
Worth billions in revenue with tone of jobs, allowing people to see it. Paradise, just like Rebecca Aldworth said.
When did you ad the picture? Don't you know you all look more and more like cry babies everyday?
Myles,why have you not started a new piece on the $16M offer? This is the biggest Newfie news ever?
How do you know that he is not already started?
The biggest news ever? Oh wait that was the “biggest Newfie news ever” wasn’t it. Please explain to me why you (and the rest of the ignoramuses out there) feel the need to place Newfie in any piece of text that is written about the people of Newfoundland & Labrador? On that note, I wonder what the biggest Nigger, Jew, Whop or Spic new was today.
Just by asking this question you tell me you are a very sheltered person. How would an unconfirmed $16m offer be the biggest news to ever hit Newfoundland & Labrador? I can look back as far as only YESTERDAY and recall a potential $10 billion dollar that was more or less turned down by our Government. I guess you and the rest of the other misinformed people like yourself just assume we are living in third world conditions. $16m would buy a lot of new Igloos for our people eh?
Let’s say that the Government did actually accept the money? For starters I would argue that the industry is worth much more than that (and only going nowhere but up I might add), but that is beside the point. What then? Do all the Fishermen line up and take a handout from someone? What about next year?
Do you honesty think that the likes of PETA and HSUS want the seal hunt to actually stop? That would be like me owning an Ice Cream Cone store and deciding to get ride of the Ice Cream. People are not going to give me money for the cone. The picture of the white coat is the cash cow (or seal) for these organizations. Do you think people would donate money to them if they flashed around posters of a baby Cod Fish or another not so cute animal? Of course not!
Actually, perhaps Stephen Harper should take the cheque and cash it in. Then he can write his own $16m cheque against those news funds and send it south to George W. We can then tell you to abolish capital punishment in your local prisons, to shut down guantanamo bay, or to respect your own national reserves in Alaska and to not drill for oil there. I am not particular, you can pick one of those or about another 100,000 other things I hate about the US. The congressmen should worry about cleaning up their own house before looking into others backyards.
Mr. Chills--you could have save yourself some time by just writing boo hoo.
Captain Watson Corrects Attorney Averill Baker’s Knowledge of Sealing
4/01/2006
Commentary by Paul Watson
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Perhaps Averill Baker’s experience in practicing law in St. John’s allows her to submit inaccurate evidence on behalf of his defendants. This shoddy disregard for the facts does not fly well off “the rock.”
Attorney Averill Baker’s editorial in The Express contains a great deal of inaccurate and misleading information and does not do her credit as a lawyer.
Baker suggests that the whitecoat and blueback pelts come from Europe, Asia, and the United States.
She is wrong on two counts. Whitecoat and blueback pelts do come from Norway. None of these pelts are obtained from the United States or Asia. Norway does have a whitecoat hunt. Norway also has hundreds of thousands of whitecoat pelts from Canada in the Reiber Company warehouse in Bergen, Norway. Russia does kill baby Caspian Sea seals, not harp seals or hood seals.
Greenland sealers do not kill whitecoats or bluebacks. In fact, they don’t hunt baby seals at all, and recently Greenland banned Canadian seal pelts because they did not want their seal products to be associated with the mass slaughter of baby harp seals in Canada.
It is not legal to sell seal products in the United States except from a very small number of seals taken by Aleut and Inuit sealers in Alaska. The commercial trade in seal products is banned by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. None of the seals killed by aboriginal hunters in U.S. territory is a baby seal. They are adult male Pribilof fur seals. None are harp or hood seals – these species are not found in Alaska.
Baker, by the way, describes it as the Marine Mammal Protection regulations of Alaska. This is inaccurate. It is a Federal Act. It is designed to protect seals from harassment and it does indeed prevent people coming closer than 100 feet of a seal. However, there is no exemption for sealers because there are no commercial sealers in the United States. Permits can be obtained for closer observation.
Baker states that it is illegal to film the seal hunts in Europe and the United States. She is right about the Norwegian hunt, but she is wrong about the U.S. aboriginal hunts. I have had a crew in the Aleutians documenting the hunt of adult Pribilof fur seals. We did not require a permit.
Baker laments that seal defenders are picking on Newfoundland alone. This is not the case. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been involved in opposing sealing in the Caspian sea by the Russians (which was documented without anyone being arrested), in Namibia (which is documented annually without anyone being arrested), in Norway (where Odd Lindberg was arrested for documenting the seal slaughter), and in Great Britain (where Sea Shepherd documented and shut down hunts at the Farne Isles, the Orkneys, and the Irish Sea).
Newfoundland is not being singled out although the Canadian slaughter receives the most attention because of the massive quotas and because it is the most brutal of the world’s seal hunts.
Canada has restrictive laws that do not allow documentation of the killing of seals without a permit which is difficult and expensive to obtain. My crew and I have been arrested numerous times for documenting the killing of seals.
Cameras get into abattoirs all the time and documentation of cruelty in slaughter houses is quite routine. Cameras have recorded hundreds of cases of cruelty to seals on the ice without any consequences to the sealers whereas documentation in slaughter houses usually results in penalties.
Sea Shepherd opposes the slaughter of seals in Canada because it is ecologically unsound, it is cruel, and it is a wasteful. There are alternatives. The international protests against the slaughter of seals in Canada are not going away. On the contrary, the movement is gaining momentum and is growing stronger.
2006 has been the best year yet for motivating international outrage against the slaughter of seals and we predict that 2007 will be even more controversial. Pride is a factor in the continued support of the hunt in Canada but pride has a price. Governments will ultimately listen to economics and the cost of supporting the seal slaughter will soon grow prohibitively expensive.
Already a welfare project, the slaughter promises to be the most expensive welfare scheme in the world.
It will be abolished.
Captain Paul Watson is the Founder and President of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Column by Avril Baker in The Express
Averill Baker
The Express
They are the rage in Europe, but the question is where do they get them? We see them on TV - white and blue sealskin coats - on the catwalks of Europe and the runways of New York. They are on the news every night - those fancy fashion models - wearing white and blue sealskin coats, slinking down the runways, one leg directly in front of the other, like a fox tracking a rabbit. While they strut across the stage, the news announcer in the background quotes the most recent aged celebrity who claims we Newfoundlanders are barbarians. As we all know in this province, we are not allowed to sell the skin of a whitecoat or blueback seal. It is a criminal offence to do that. Ottawa made sure, about seven years ago, that we ordinary Newfoundlanders and Labradorians would not forget the law when they ordered enforcement officers to raid the homes, business premises, and trucks of all buyers of sealskins in this province. The officers seized all records of the buyers and any blueback sealskins they found. Every person who sold bluebacks in this province was charged with a criminal offence. I know all about it because I am still in court representing some of the sealers in ongoing cases at several communities on the Northeast coast. Over and over we see the whitecoat and blueback clothing on CBC, CTV, CNN and other networks, while they talk about us, shamelessly suggesting something that we know is a big fat fib. The truth is, those beautiful whitecoat and blueback sealskins come from Europe, Asia and the United States, where it is legal to sell whitecoats and bluebacks. In these other countries, the law states every seal can be killed and the pelts sold as long as the seal is weaned from its mother. This means they can be taken about 10 to 12 days after birth. A blueback can remain a blueback for a couple of years. So, these European and U.S. protesters who are objecting to the killing and selling of whitecoats and bluebacks should stay home and protest in their own front yard. But they come to our province, where it is illegal to do the very thing they are protesting against, and where the penalties are so severe for breaking this law nobody does it! Of course the real reason why the protesters are here is because Canada is the only nation that allows them to get close to a seal, let alone a seal hunt. The law in the United States is called The Marine Mammals Regulations of Alaska. That law says that no person, other than a sealer, can come to within 100 yards of a seal. A film crew in an airplane cannot come to within 1,500 feet of one. There is also no provision in U.S. law to allow a protester to be given a license to do what the aged celebrities are allowed to do on our coast. Norway, renowned for a very high standard of living, directly subsidizes the seal hunt with cash paid for each pelt. Norway even issues hunting licenses to tourists to kill seals if they want, but Norway does not allow protesters to approach a seal or be in the area of the hunt. The UK law respecting seals even allows fishermen to kill all seals that approach fishing gear or salmon rivers. Greenland has an unlimited quota to kill seals. They estimate they killed in excess of 150,000 pup seals last year.
Norway and Russia recorded 177,000 kills and they count their seals differently. They encourage sealers to kill whitecoats and bluebacks in their first year of life because of their high incidence of natural mortality. Their quotas are set so three seal pups are counted as two adult seals. While Canada is the only place in the world where television cameras are welcome to witness and film, on site, the killing of seals, you might have thought there was hope for change with Newfoundland's own newly-appointed federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn in charge. Last week the minister claimed it is probably better to licence the protestors to come and film the hunt and show the world it is well-regulated and humane. Perhaps it is too obvious to point out to the minister that cameras aren't allowed in abattoirs (nor should they be), and they shouldn't be allowed on the pristine white ice fields. The abattoirs are closely regulated and inspected, and so are the ice-fields.
Averill Baker practises law in St. John's.
This is old. LIABLE remember....sheeesh. you are clueless.
It's like getting the consumer rights group to back your hunt in the mean time they back kiddie porn and stuff.
She is a defense attorney in Newfoundland. Alot of stuff is way out or lies. I can tell you this she was called down on her lie about the US pelt sales and has not spoken on it since. CLUELESS what do you expect a defense attorney who defends a murderer to say? Plus she grew up in this culture.
She has to defend it or she looks like an ungrateful spoiled bankers daughter. I am through with this site...
When seal skins are processed, the longer guard hairs are removed to reveal this underfur which is then straightened and dyed to various colors usually white to make a very soft and warm pelt. Northern fur seals are found on both sides of the Pacific Ocean from about 32° north to the central Bering Sea. It is the most common species of fur seal which occurs in northern waters. Eight other species of fur seals have been described, most from the southern hemisphere.
Fur seals were first described scientifically by Georg Wilhelm Steller in 1742. Commercial exploitation soon followed, and several million animals were harvested by Russians and later by Americans, resulting in severely reduced populations. In an attempt to stabilize the population and achieve maximum productivity, the governments of Japan, Great Britian (for Canada), Imperial Russia, and the United States met in 1911 to form the North Pacific Fur Seal Commission. This treaty prohibited pelagic sealing. Harvesting has been managed by international agreement ever since. Only young male seals between the ages of 2 and 5 are presently taken. Harvests during the period of 1980-84 ranged between 22,000 and 26,000 seals. Beginning in 1985, commercial harvesting of fur seals on the Pribilof Islands was terminated. Only those seals needed for subsistence purposes are now taken.
so about the international treaty, whose breaking it now? You are not managing it by international agreement. In fact you will not listen to the international courts decision on this. Have to go...see ya clueless. When you wake up and realise, it will be to late for you to make rational decisions based on awareness. Oh, by the way tell Averill she has mustard on her $10,000 dress your government bought her to say that. I guess they will need to pay her more to takle Paul Watson, you think? (she hasn't spoke a word)
come back chill patriot...still clueless???
Mr. Chills--you could have save yourself some time by just writing boo hoo.
We have 10,000 comedians out of work and you are trying to be one.
Here’s a tip for you, if you are too lazy (or perhaps dim-witted) to respond to someone with actual substance, then save yourself the time and do not write anything.
just say boo hoo. Everything you say anytime is always proven, faliable. And I don't even know the paul watson poster, but that's the stuff we are trying to explain, the lies are constant. boo hoo. You just want an excuse to bloody your habnds and the world will see it if you turn it down.
who is dim witted you have been so caught everytime you lie. It seems to me you would get better at it people.
I thought it had great substance!
What do I get the feeling that I am speaking to a 12 year old?
you have been so caught every time you lie
Since you are responding to a post by me, I would assume that this statement is directed at me. What exactly am I lying about?
Every issue you use to promote this hunt. Every issue is not factually backed except by no named independant vets and politicians. You ignore scientist, marine biologist, veterinarians, and professors from around the world and in your own country. So you can kill for profit and knowing there is no market for the animals by 89% as required by trade regulations, you ignore courts, you ignore treatys...and you don't even care do you?
This is intentionally irresponsible. The government here is going to allow your tradition to hurt us and you too in the long run. Do you people even care that my father works for Irving and the US consumers cancelled orders last week by 1/4. Your tradition is causing heartache every year for everyone. My daughter is so distraut. If it does that to children, imagine how good it really is. I am not talking about the bloody pictures either, I am talking about the ones she sees at school when they teach this culture of yours. Fact: we are grouping to propose you are in violation of our civil rights to teach this to our children in school. We are also alledging you are in violation of our civil rights to conduct business without interference!
MR CHILLS.
That 10 billion dollar deal was not money in your pockets
to stop killing and oil is not considered big news.
Paying some guys to quit killing would be big news.
You have already made big news though. With the exception
of the 9/11 attacks. No news has been bigger, not even the Iraq war,
not in the last few years. (big as in widely spread)I mean as many
people know about it, not trying to debate the relevance except to
say, as many know and almost as many mad about it.
I think Exxon works with Greenpeace
on environmental issues, behind the curtains?
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/04042006/2/world-u-s-businesswoman-offers-raise-16-million-stop-canadian.html
If there is even one sealer out there.
You make the call and hear what she has to say.
Thank You,
Aron Brown
----------SO LETS MAKE IS SIMPLE FOR THE SLOWER AMONG US-----------------
From a CBC interview:
At least one prominent chef in New York City was surprised to hear his restaurant was on the list prepared by the Humane Society of the United States.
"If you come to my restaurant right now, I have scallops from Digby, halibut from up north, northern Canada, I do have oysters, [and] P.E.I. mussels," said David Pasternack, chef at Esca in Manhattan.
Pasternack said nobody asked him to boycott Canadian seafood.
"I don't know who the Humane Society is, so I wouldn't really know who did it or what," he said.
From the HSUS Website:
A listing of places who are agreeing with HSUS's boycott:
New York City
Dishes (Chef: Maggie Talisman)
Esca (Chef: David Pasternack)
------SO WHAT IS IT A LIE?? or the does the truth just not matter to these guys??
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/protect_seals/why_a_boycott_of_canadian_seafood/restaurants_who_support_boycott.html
Copy of Press Release on Global news.com ..........Mr. Joe Smythe , CEO of Alabax Corporation announces that Alabax will match the $16 million contribution recently announced by the Global Beauty Corporation to stop the slaughter of baby seals off the east coast of Canada. Mr. Smythe , a long time opponent of the slaughter , states says that it is time to stop this senseless hunt and encourages likeminded citizens to follow the lead of Alabax and write Prime Minister Harper to stop this hunt immediately. See Globalnews.com for details .
lol...maybe they should show good faith and put it into trust to make sure they are serious, oh wait this is just a publicity stunt! What!? An ARO!? Publicity stunt!? Could fund raising be slowing down??!!
Could you supply some more information, according to the US government Alabax Corporation is not a reg corporation and Joe Smythe is not the reg CEO of any corporation in the US.
Somthing smells like HSUS puppet to me :)
Why do you discredit this. Mr. Smythe is a well known supporter of animal rights . See alabax.com
lmao.... www.alabax.com is not a website, it is a search engine... were you thinking people wouldn't check?
Yea he is right click on my name and see for yourself!
Come on if you can't con people with fluff white seal pups a fake website isn't going to do it :)
Click my name, www.globalnews.com isn't even a site either!!
Duh, the next thing you will say is that the Global Beauty Corporation is not legitimate either
MATT
the list was not only restauraunts boycotting, but restaurants to boycott.
Red Lobster was on the same list but ut was for consumers to boycott.
Giving us a list of restauraunts to boycott. It says join these restaurants
already boycotting Canada. Meaning join the boycott. Red Lobster was on that list,
If you know to read then you would know they never said Red Lobster was boycotting you
they encouraged us to boycott Red Lobster. The list was derived to encourage consumer
boycott. Some on the list were boycotting you, still are, some have began. It is also a
way to get people to join. Cause verses effect, it is all in the wording. You continue to
claim Red Lobster being on that list meant they were saying Red Lobster had started boycotting
you but if you continue to read the plans for a successful boycott, you would know they were telling
consumers to boycott Red Lobster.
Could someone translate Matt's comments please
Costco stock does not seem to be taking a hit from the piddly little "boycott" of the Newfies. I think it is a STRONG BUY!
Totally agree . Your analysis of the Sunday stock market is correct. I would encourage all of us who oppose this slaughter to but Costco stock.
After hearing about the horrific treatment of seals at the hands of fishermen in Canada's annual seal hunt, many companies, chefs, and restaurants pledged to boycott some or all Canadian seafood until the hunt is finally ended. If one of them is in your town, stop by to say thank you.* If you don't see your favorite restaurants, chefs, or seafood-selling companies on this page, please talk to them and ask them to join the boycott. If you are a business that would like more information about how to become part of the boycott, please go to this page or contact the manager of the Protect Seal Campaign, Pat Ragan, at pragan@hsus.org or 301-258-3141.
RESTAURANTS
Click on the city/state links below to see if restaurants and/or chefs near you have pledged to help protest the seal hunt by boycotting some or all Canadian seafood boycott:
There is a long list. Now tell me where it says all of these are boycotting Canadian Seafood?
It doesn't it is a list derived to get consumers to boycott all companies selling it.
then at the bottom it says.....
* Special thanks to Chef Anne H. Sandhu of Sullivan University's National Center for Hospitality Studies. which means thank her for deriving this list. tada.
it's an illusion. a pressure point.
By the way no one would tell Mr. Bergman anyway. Unless they wanted the publicity that went with it and them connected all the things in life we want our children to see.. :)
How irrational is it for Canadians who live in such a desolate area that has very few prospects for work, so that some are forced to hack baby seals to death, to boycott a viable corporation that is helping you to improve the quality of your lives. You are Pig headed - about a boycott of Costco and about the Seal Hunt. Does anyone have a brain up there?
actually it jumped, new customer sales were up 22%.
This boycott falsehood must stop. My restaurant is listed as boycotting the hunt and I do not know what they are talking about. The tactics of HSUS are despicable.
Legal Seafoods - high end US eatery - very popular - is part of the boycott. Check out their website. They do not need to be a name on the list - they scream it out loud down in the us. You people are so stupid.
Yes and my name is included also. Who are these HSUS people and why are they deliberately misleading people ?
Susan Feniger
The HSUS speaks for the animals who cannot speak for themselves. You crazy seal hunt people think that all HSUS people are crazy. So untrue. I am a soccer mom and I contribute when I see a cause that really bothers me. I am the woman/family/tourist that will travel to Canada and help your economy. None of this will happen if I hear you are for the hunt. So Susan, you might want to look into who the HSUS people are - they are average americans/canadians who eat at your restaurant. They are also people who will drive you into bankruptcy. You should feel special that you are on their list!
I have never been approached by HSUS yet they say I am one of hundreds of chefs that are boycotting Canadian seafood products. Whether or not I oppose the hunt , don't you think this is wrong ?
Susan
Given the nature of the offense, I can easily forgive them. Hell, they can put my name on the list too! The fact of the matter is that the word on the hunt is getting out and all Canadians are going to suffer. Don't get caught in the details. Is it wrong that hunters throw baby seal guts at protesters? Yes! It is all wrong. Everything about this hunt is wrong!
I agree. If you throw guts at a person you should be punished. These sealers are crazy and everything about this hunt is wrong. We must unite and raise more money to fight this senseless slaughter.
Paul
They didn't say that why can't you people read?
It's a consumer boycott list also.
You are not a chef. Prove it. LMAO. You would
not be piddling here. Those are American and again
you wouldn't be piddling here. Silly people did you
call them all as a customer? Not as a Hustler magazine
pushing Bergman? Everyone in America with morals or
desires to look like they have them, steer clear.
It was a list to consumers also and I bet they did
not admit to it. Mr. Bergman lies so much. Kiddie porn
pushing retard. And he would try if he thought he could
sell it. You know "consumer...ooops I meant producers rights
money laundering, creep"
They missed their quota by 1000 (they claim) also. No punishment.
Ain't like them regular game wardens in the world. Jail
What is the name of your place Susan?
So we can be sure to boycott ya.
What's wrong is killing for profit.
Wild warm blooded marine mammals.
After all it is THEIR right and THEIR
natural resource.
Come on Susan tell us? If you do not think
this boycotts working.
Given the nature of the offense, I can easily forgive them. Hell, they can put my name on the list too! The fact of the matter is that the word on the hunt is getting out and all Canadians are going to suffer. Don't get caught in the details. Is it wrong that hunters throw baby seal guts at protesters? Yes! It is all wrong. Everything about this hunt is wrong!
I will just say this. What the heck a lie to save is better than their lies to kill.
Now look who is afraid to reveal himself. You never visited before today and you gathered all of what you said above by looking at it today?
Here's a startling revelation for you: When you click that little link to read the comments made on a post, you actually get all of the comments made, not just the ones that were made that day. And yes, I did gather all of what I said by looking at it yesterday and reading all the comments made over the past couple of days. By the way, it's herself not himself. Cindy Murphy is my real name. I live and work in St. John's, Newfoundland.
That whole thing about Paul McCartney saying "I am here, I am already here", was quite comical to me. I knew exactly what he was saying - he was saying, I am here IN CANADA. The fact that some people think he was somehow an idiot, not knowing where he was, just showed to me, in the US, how desperate Danny Boy was acting. And how desperate the Canadian press went to attempt to portray the debate in favor of Danny.
Ok, I have to ask, did you even see the show? Because he did not say, "I am here, I am already here", in reference to being in Canada. Danny asked him to come to Newfoundland and Labrador, and his reply was, and I quote, "Well, we're here, Danny. You don't need to invite us. Thanks for the invitation, but we're here. We're actually in the studio here. We are in Newfoundland." If you don't believe me, CNN keeps transcripts of all Larry King Live shows on its web site. If you didn't hear it as it was, perhaps you can read it as it was. It doesn't take any media skewing to get a laugh out of that. By the way, I didn't watch any Canadian press trying to portray things in Danny's favour. I watched Larry King Live on CNN. American media is quite accessible to us believe it or not. In any case, I might add, it's a good indication that you've been brainwashed when you can't even just get a laugh out of it when someone from your favoured side goofs up, and instead feel the need to defend and deny.
He was so clearly stomped upon by the other side.
That much I'll agree with. It was pretty much an ambush. But I've got to say, regardless of feelings on the hunt, Heather Mills McCartney looked pathetic with her motor-mouth, eye-rolling, whining. I hope your feelings on the hunt don't extend to you having to follow everything she says now. You have love her latest campaign. Drinking milk is definitely evil. (Yes, that was sarcasm)
I dunno Cindy. Paul Watson did say Costco was removing it's products weeks before they did.
And the impact of that was? Oh that's right, more people have to go to Wal-Mart to buy their capsules. And I suppose it's possible that we might loose Costco here in St. John's. While I am a Costco member (until I get out to get my refund) I can live without them. There are lots of other stores that aren't in the back pockets of the activists.
Britain did remove cod off of the shelves in response to the cod shortage.
And that one certainly had a big impact. Especially considering that with the given cod shortage and conservation attempts, there's far less cod than meets demand, so one less country demanding it is a blessing. Now if they could just convince their European counterparts like Spain and Portugal to in the very least obey NAFO quotas, we might be able to keep the cod from disappearing all together. Too bad cod aren't cute enough for the Paul Watsons of the world to take up their cause.
MYTH: Veterinarians hired by the World Wildlife Fund said the seal hunt is conducted in a humane way.
FACT: The report produced by these same veterinarians puts forward no fewer than eleven recommendations to make the seal hunt humane.
EXTRA FACT YOU SEEM TO HAVE MISSED: The report actually presents recommendations to make the hunt more humane, to continue with the improvements that have already been made so that the estimated 2% that are still killed inhumanely will not be.
A multi billion dollar company shows no market for seal product.
This will be one to take to the top. No market no hunt, who better than Costco or walmart?
I hate to burst your bubble, but my mother went to Wal-Mart tonight to make her regular purchase of seal oil capsules and couldn't get them, not because they were taken from the shelves but because they were sold out and had lots more on order. They've seen unprecedented demand for them since the whole Costco fiasco. It seems there are people buying seal oil capsules that never have before with all the media attention Costco has given them. Several stores around here are carrying them that never carried them before as well. Now of course, you will say that means nothing since it is likely only in Eastern Canada, but the thing is, it was only in Eastern Canada that Costco carried the capsules to begin with. Does the term backfire mean anything to you?
Where legalazed "hunting" is all over the world, you go one over your quota you are subject to losing everything.
That's one of the most ridiculous comparisons I've seen. You can't compare personal hunting to a commercial hunt. Next you're going to suggest we should sell tags for the seals like we do for moose.
Well you don't have to worry about Costco anymore, if your PM and sealers do not accept this offer you will not be able to sell anything. There are no more excuses for this barbarism. I bet you really hate those stars now? In all this time they really did care what happened to you.
LOL And that's all I have to say to that.
----
To Tonya Rightings:
It's not that I don't care about what the seal hunt might be costing the rest of Canadians, it's partly that I don't believe that it is costing anywhere near what they try to make us believe. They talk about all the lost tourism dollars, yet here in Newfoundland, the place most associated with the "vile" hunt, tourism is growing in leaps and bounds. Please explain that to me. So a few people say they will not come to Canada because of the hunt, who's to say those people would have come to Canada to begin with? There is no way to substantiate their numbers. They are all pie in the sky. Statistics don't bear them out. We hear the same protests every year, it's not something new, it's been going on for many years. Where is this big impact? I don't buy it. Look at it this way, for all the lobbyists and activists in the world, they can't even demonstrate a real impact on countries like China and others that people have attempted to pressure through boycotts and the like because of severe human rights violations and exploitation of children. Do you really think, they will fare so much better attacking us for killing wild animals? I certainly hope not. Grant it, the value system in the world has been declining for quite a few years, but I don't think it's gone that far yet. If you can't get enough people to put their money where the mouth is where the exploitation of children is concerned, I don't think you'll do it for seals.
The economics of the matter are much more important than people outside of the situation can understand. It's easy for Paul McCartney to get on there with his millions and say that loosing the $10,000 or so in a year is no big deal and that there are other ways to get it. But to a fisherman, trying to raise a family, where that money can be 25% or more of his yearly income, it's a different picture entirely. They could do better with tourism? Tell a fisherman to become a tour operator. Some have done just that, but it's certainly not something they could all do. 200 fishermen from a little community of not much else are all going to benefit from tourism? That's totally unrealistic. More government programs and handouts? They already have their fill of that. Fishermen are generally very hardworking people. Contrary to how they might be portrayed, they really aren't out there looking for more handouts. All they really want is to make an honest living and provide for their families like they have been doing all their lives. If you find it hard to understand why they can't believe the "alternatives" that are being offered, it's probably because, unlike them, you haven't been hearing about all the great alternatives that keep getting sent down the pipeline to them that never amount to anything and won't put food on their tables.
I am not directly connected in any way to the fishery. I have never fished (except of course recreationally for trout and such) and do not have any relatives in the fishery. But I have a great deal of respect for fishermen and for their resilience. They have been beaten down and misunderstood for many years, but they keep their heads held high and continue to work hard to provide for their families regardless. We joined Canada in 1949 and from that day to this, the bulk of Canada and Canadians have never understood our culture. Ottawa has for years used our fishery as a bargaining chip with trading partners around the world with little concern for how it affects us. And on top of it, we have to listen to people around the country complaining about Newfoundlanders getting handouts, while they have no understanding of the fact that Newfoundland's resources have been paying for their trading power that brings them prosperity. They discovered oil off our shores and it was touted as the saviour to Newfoundland with our fishery in ruins. Did it save us? Oh sure, we get a little extra revenue and a few jobs, but by in large we are not in any respect the primary beneficiaries of it. We produce oil, but thanks to an agreement made by Ottawa, we aren't even allowed to refine our own oil. Some of it is refined in other provinces and much of it is shipped to China. Now they're starting to ship our fish to China for processing. We hunt seals, and most of the processing is done in Norway. Newfoundlanders are not looking for compensation for their losses. We are looking for ways to gain more rights to our own resources, not to lose what little rights we already have.
All financial considerations aside though, I have to say, for me it's just as much a matter of principal. Now, I realize that many people will read that line and scoff, but that's beside the point. You say you're daughter has nightmares from the images of the hunt. Let me ask you this, if your daughter were subjected to watching images of pigs or cows being slaughtered in slaughter houses, do you think that would give her nightmares as well? And if it did, would you then decide that all the farmers/ranchers should stop killing pigs and cows? Or would you instead be more outraged at the groups constantly playing those graphic images to turn people towards their cause? People say there is no comparison because they are domestic animals and seals are wild, but do you think the animals know the difference? Do you think the children would see the difference if they were subjected to vivid images of domestic animal killings? I'd venture to say they wouldn't. I've never killed a seal, but I've eaten some. I've never killed a pig, but I've eaten some. I don't enjoy the constant exposure to these graphic images of seal killings, nor would I enjoy being constantly exposed to graphic images of pig killings. But if the ARA's tomorrow turned their attention to pigs and did start showing such things constantly, it wouldn't stop me from eating ham. And yes, I do realize that the market for seal meat is very low and most of it is not utilized. That's a shame really because it's quite healthy and tasty and there's an awful lot of starving people in this world that could really use it. That unfortunately is a consequence of our consumer society.
As a matter of principal, I'd just as soon bow to terrorists as to these lobbyists that try to push their views on us and claim that they care about us when they don't know the least thing about us or our culture. Heather Mills McCartney, fresh off the seal campaign, has now joined a campaign to stop people from drinking milk and eating dairy products. What's next? If we start bowing to this stuff, where do you suppose it will end? I for one have no interest in finding out.
Hey guys ...take it easy on Susan...her name is on the HSUS list ....she makes a valid point....why are you so defensive
Ok I am John Ruane then. SEE I am not that dumb.
I am fed up with this HSUS rubbish and tearing up my card as a member of HSUS....
Cindy Murphy,
Are those people upsetting you? You seem a little bothered,
even obsessed. Paul Watson is getting a much deserved break
Tonya Rightings is it? Poor girl and her daughter.
They keep those pigs and cows locked up, out of view. Thank God!
"I am here, I am already here", in reference to being in Canada. Danny asked him to come to Newfoundland and Labrador, and his reply was, and I quote, "Well, we're here, Danny. You don't need to invite us. Thanks for the invitation, but we're here. We're actually in the studio here. We are in Newfoundland." If you don't believe me, CNN keeps transcripts of all Larry King Live shows on its web site. If you didn't hear it as it was, perhaps you can read it as it was. It doesn't take any media skewing to get a laugh out of that. By the way, I didn't watch any Canadian press trying to portray things in Danny's favour. I watched Larry King Live on CNN. American media is quite accessible to us believe it or not. In any case, I might add, it's a good indication that you've been brainwashed when you can't even just get a laugh out of it when someone from your favoured side goofs up, and instead feel the need to defend and deny.
After this comment, I know why you have to beat
baby seals or agree with it. Why do we not see one
star on your side? or anyone for that matter. Get a brain.
You have serious comprehension issues.
Disconnected from reality Cindy.
Danny asked him to come to Newfoundland and Labrador
but we're here. We're actually in the studio here. We are in Newfoundland :Paul
They were already in Newfoundland, but someone else answered the Canada thing.
Anyway.................................................
Sorry we all have to comment since you brought everything we said up.
NO COMMENT on this. Maybe you have to read it again? HUH? DUH!
Paul McCartney and his wife went to Newfoundland to protest the seal hunt.
I watch American media and I wrote some of that I saw Danny the dork. We don't club baby seals anymore..most are shot. Danny is a goof. By the way where is Danny now? No where to be heard, he gets called down he hides. Poor Baby. Boo Hoo.
Give me your money you stupid sheep or else I'm going to lose my pirate ship and have to stop playing captain. Then I will have to go on the dole.
Your Shepard Paul
Cool Aid dispensor extra-ordinaire
Visit my site
www.activistcash.com
http://www.intrafish.no/global/news/article102977.ece
There is good stuff here for everyone involved. Let me know if you like it?
Danny asked him to come to Newfoundland and Labrador
but we're here. We're actually in the studio here. We are in Newfoundland :Paul
They were already in Newfoundland, but someone else answered the Canada thing. They were already there trust me! In other words what's the difference?
It's all barbaric.
Anyway.................................................
Sorry we all have to comment since you brought everything we said up.
NO COMMENT on this. Maybe you have to read it again? HUH? DUH!
Paul McCartney and his wife went to Newfoundland to protest the seal hunt. YOUR media printed it this way. So you still think Danny won? If Paul McCartney can get the media to print he was in Newfoundland when they knew he was in Quebec, sounds pretty convincing to me. But he did mean Canada and he did mean HE HAD SEEN ENOUGH!
You are just mad no one supports your hunt. British parliament called for a boycott, UK...and they say it is repugnant! And omega 3 markets not including seal, check those out, see what you think the future is?
Canadian fishermen are asked to retell the stories of events on the ice two years ago.
Making claims seals were still alive wiggling as they were skinned.
Just a couple of comments this morning folks:
First, to the person who asked, "Myles,why have you not started a new piece on the $16M offer? This is the biggest Newfie news ever?", my response is simple. It isn't by a long shot.
I did make a comment on it in order to share my views. The comment was made against the Friday March 24 article on Ottawa not supporting us. In reality I only made a comment because the offer doesn't warrant a full article.
Secondly, to Cindy Murphy. Great comments. Don't let anyone tell you you don't have a right to say what you want. As much as some contingents would like to shut others up on this site it isn't going to happen. Keep it up.
MP calls for seal hunt ban
MANSFIELD MP Alan Meale has blasted the Canadian Government for the nation's practice of seal hunting.
The MP has now joined the international animal rights campaigners in opposing the seal hunt and called for the British Government to ban the trade in harp and hooded seal products.
"The seal hunt brings nothing but shame on Canada," he said. "I have been written to by many of my constituents who are wholeheartedly against the seal hunt.
"I have seen no evidence that can justify this high level of cruelty –– the hunt must be stopped and the UK must have no part in the trade in seal products."
Mr Meale told Chad that Canada's seal hunt quota, which was announced last week, sees the figures equal those seen in the 50s and 60s, with hundreds of thousands of seal pups slaughtered and several thousand thought to be skinned alive.
Added the Labour MP: "This is totally unacceptable –– the British public were opposed to it then, and I am confident that they will actively oppose this slaughter now."
April 5, 2006
Do you really think it matters that a British Labour MP has fallen under the spell of the McCartney's and others? Please.
Canada doesn't take its orders from England or any other country. In case you missed it we are an independent nation.
Hi folks, just wanted to update those who are not aware of an article today on the VOCM website. I don't know if there is any substance to the last part of it but for what it is worth, here it is:
"...Fisheries Minister Tom Rideout is in Ottawa today to meet with Costco officials about seal oil capsules. The retail chain removed the item from their St.John's outlet - the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says it was because of the controversial nature of the seal hunt but the company cites commercial reasons. Meanwhile, a caller to VOCM Niteline, Bill, said he was told by Costco yesterday that the Omega 3 capsules are going back on the shelves."
Take it for what it is worth.
In case you have missed it, you depend on other nations for survival, who do you think buys Canadian products? The parliament of Uk and Britain have called for bans of all seal products and boycotts of Canadian goods. If you have been following the news it was more than one MP it was a large group of Parliament.
You can not be so naive as to believe consumers do not matter, that is why you are killing the seal remember?
We live in one world government circumstances, inside of the UN which you are a member, majority rules.
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