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baby seal about to be bashed to death |
The ice runs red with seal blood after being bashed to death |
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The Right Honorable
Paul Martin Dear Prime Minister Martin, I am writing to express my dismay at the Canadian government's promotion of the commercial seal hunt—the largest and most brutal slaughter of marine mammals on earth. Ninety-five percent of the seals killed over the past five years were under three months of age, and the majority were less than one month old. At the time of slaughter, many seal pups have not yet eaten their first solid meal or taken their first swim. Newly separated from their mothers, they literally have no escape from the hunters. Each year, parliamentarians, journalists and scientists who observe the commercial seal hunt continue to report unacceptable levels of cruelty, including dragging conscious seal pups across the ice with boathooks, leaving wounded animals to suffer in agony, and even skinning seals alive. An independent panel of veterinarians that studied the seal hunt in 2001 concluded up to 42 percent of the seals they studied had likely been skinned while still conscious. Sealing is an off-season activity conducted by a few thousand fishermen from Canada's east coast. They make, on average, a very small fraction of their total incomes from seal hunting—the rest from commercial fisheries. Even in Newfoundland, where 90 percent of sealers live, the landed value of the seal hunt accounts for less than one tenth of one percent of the Gross Domestic Product, and only two percent of the fishery. In 2004, more than 365,000 harp seals were slaughtered for their fur in Canada—the largest seal hunt in half a century. The last time Canada allowed this many seals to be killed—in the 1950s—the harp seal population dropped by two thirds. The overwhelming majority of Canadians, Americans, Australians and Europeans oppose Canada's commercial seal hunt, and are willing to take action to help end it. Please act now to end Canada's commercial seal hunt before your country's international reputation is irreparably harmed. Sincerely, Your name address Letter No 2 Email: calgary@stephenharpermp.com Hon. Mr. Harper Conservative Party, Canada Dear : I would like to express my concerns about the Canadian commercial seal hunt. Firstly, I understand that the Conservative Party of Canada "supports the seal hunt as long as it is done in a humane manner". Recent video footage obtained by observers during this year's slaughter, and subsequently aired around the world, proves beyond a doubt that the "hunt", largely unregulated, is not a hunt at all, but a massacre of defenseless seal pups in their icy nurseries. Although required to check corneal reflexes of clubbed animals, hunters have been prone to move on to the next available seal, leaving some writhing on the ice and suffocating in their own blood. DFO enforcement officials cannot possibly be hovering over every sealer, so violations are frequent. Please visit the websites of the Humane Society of the United States, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare to view graphic visual images that will provide you with all of the evidence that you need in this regard. It is not unusual for seals to be skinned while alive and conscious. In fact, a panel of independent veterinarians visiting Maritime ice floes in March 2001 concluded that up to 42% of seal carcasses studied showed evidence of inhumane killing practices; these animals may have been alive and conscious at the time of skinning. Secondly, are you aware that 365,971 seals were killed in 2004, and that this was the largest slaughter in Canada in more than half a century? Over the past three years, more than a million seals have been dispatched. The last time Canadian hunters killed this many seals - in the 1950s and 60s - close to two thirds of the harp seal population was wiped out. This is hardly an "environmentally friendly" plan of action. Further, even the Department of Fisheries and Oceans admits that harp seals are not responsible for the decline of cod populations. The following excerpt is from their website ( http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/myth_e.htm ): "Myth: The Canadian government is allowing sealers to kill nearly one million seals to help with the recovery of cod stocks.Reality: Several factors have contributed to the lack of recovery of Atlantic cod stocks, such as fishing effort, poor growth and physical condition of the fish, and environmental changes. Seals eat cod, but seals also eat other fish that prey on cod, therefore it is difficult to hold any one factor responsible for the decline in cod stocks. In addition, there are many uncertainties in the estimates of the amount of fish consumed by seals." Lastly, the seal hunt is not an economically viable practice. Sealing is an off-season activity conducted by fishermen from Canada's east coast. They make - on average - one twentieth of their incomes from seal hunting, and the rest from commercial fisheries. Even in Newfoundland, where 90 percent of sealers live, revenues from the hunt account for less than one percent of the province's economy, and only 2 percent of the landed value of the fishery. According to the Newfoundland government, out of a population of half a million people, only 4000 fishermen participate in the seal hunt each year. Placing all of this into perspective, what does it cost to send the Coast Guard to the ice floes every year in order to "monitor" the hunt? Overhead figures must be considered when calculating any potential revenue. The commercial seal hunt is an activity that Canada's federal government could easily replace with economic alternatives should it choose to do so. In fact, the added burden of an internationally-launched boycott of Canadian seafood (to be halted when the seal hunt is brought to a permanent end) will do nothing for Canada's economy, nor for its worldwide reputation. I urge you to take all of the above into serious consideration. The yearly slaughter is more than cruel--it has been shown to be criminal. The hunt is environmentally damaging, and cannot be justified from an economic perspective. The Conservative Party would do well to support an end to "Canada's Shame" by adopting a firm policy against the Canadian commercial seal hunt. Your prompt reply to my concerns would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely yours, [Your Name] [Your address] Letter to Red Lobster restaurants to boycott Canadian Seafood. Dear Red Lobster Restaurant, I would like to ask Red Lobster to boycott Canadian seafood. It is the only way to save the baby Canadian seals who in their hundreds of thousands are clubbed to death each year and sometimes skinned while still conscious. Canada's government could have stopped the seal hunt years ago, but it has repeatedly failed to act. The Canadian government says that it will only stop the hunt when Canada's powerful fishing industry tells it to. And that will only happen when the industry gets hit -- and gets hit hard -- in the pocketbook. Canadian fishermen will stop clubbing baby seals only after American restaurants and consumers stop buying their seafood. Please help us keep the pressure on Canada's government and its fishing industry. Please choose another source for your seafood. Sincerely [Your Name] This information from Humane Society of the United States The boycott of Canadian seafood—designed to put pressure on the Canadian government and seafood industry in order to abolish the country's cruel seal hunt—is already in full swing. With your help, the Protect Seals Network will end the seal hunt forever. Here are a few things you can do to ensure the campaign's success. 1. Thank the companies that have already pledged to limit or eliminate sales of Canadian seafood. They are all making a difference. Legal Sea Foods 402 W. 13th St. NY, NY 10014 Spectrum Organics Marks & Spencer Whole Foods Market 2. Contact the restaurants, distributors, and grocery stores that have yet to join our boycott. Politely ask them to help protect seals by limiting or eliminating Canadian seafood. Red Lobster Joe's Crab Shack (owned by Landry Seafood Restaurants, which also
owns Chart House, Crab House, Landry's Seafood House, Charley's Crab,
Rainforest Café, and Saltgrass Steak House) Trader Joe's Company Kroger Company Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 3. Spread the word. Print out extra copies of our Pocket Guide to Boycotting Canadian Seafood and share them with your friends, family, and coworkers. Also tell your friends and family about our Protect Seals campaign.
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