HSUS Statement on Today's Incidents at the Canadian Seal Hunt
- (March 26, 2006) This afternoon, in an apparent set up, Canadian authorities charged seven legally permitted observers of the Canadian seal hunt--staff of The Humane Society of the United States and independent media-- with violating the conditions of their observation permits.
The event occurred in the Gulf of St. Lawrence while observers were documenting apparent violations by sealers of the marine mammal regulations that govern the commercial seal hunt. The observers, who were traveling in rigid inflatables, were following a sealing vessel through heavy pack ice. The vessel quickly changed direction, cutting off the inflatables, and forcing them to navigate a path away from the boat while avoiding the ice floes. The HSUS inflatables managed to move away to safety. However, at that moment, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials (who had been out of view on board the sealing vessel) emerged and summoned the HSUS observers.
Rebecca Aldworth, director of Canadian Wildlife issues for The Humane Society of the United States, along with five other staffers and a member of the media were charged with violating the conditions of their observation permits (permits issued to observers require a distance of 10 meters be kept from a sealer engaged in hunting seals).
The sealing vessel that HSUS observers were charged with being too close to had, with another sealing boat, repeatedly charged towards the HSUS inflatables just an hour before. At that time, a nearby vessel had twice tried to summon the Coast Guard to assist the HSUS, but had received no response.
This happened several hours after the same team was rammed by another large sealing vessel, an action that clearly endangered the lives of the seal hunt observers.
Ironically, sealers who rammed and endangered the lives of HSUS staff and media have not been arrested, yet peaceful staffers there to document the hunt were charged. Seal hunt footage taken by observers was confiscated by the officials.
Editor's Note: Broadcast quality footage of the ramming of The HSUS boat is available to media outlets via an ftp site. Please contact Belinda Mager, bmager@hsus.org, 646-469-4987 for details.
Statement from Morrissey:
"We will not include any Canadian dates on our world tour to promote our new album. This is in protest against the barbaric slaughter of over 325,000 baby seals which is now underway.
I fully realise that the absence of any Morrissey concerts in Canada is unlikely to bring the Canadian economy to its knees, but it is our small protest against this horrific slaughter - which is the largest slaughter of marine animal species found anywhere on the planet.
The Canadian Prime Minister says the so-called "cull" is economically and environmentally justified, but this is untrue.
The seal population has looked after itself for thousand of years without human intervention, and, as the world knows, this slaughter is about one thing only: making money. The Canadian government will stream all of the pelts into the fashion industry and this is the reason why the baby seals are killed with spiked clubs that crush their skulls - any damage to their pelts is avoided. The Canadian Prime Minister also states that the slaughter is necessary because it provides jobs for local communities, but this is an ignorant reason for allowing such barbaric and cruel slaughter of beings that are denied life simply because somebody somewhere might want to wear their skin.
Construction of German gas chambers also provided work for someone - this is not a moral or sound reason for allowing suffering.
If you can, please boycott Canadian goods. It WILL make a difference. As things stand, Canada has placed itself alongside China as the cruelest and most self-serving nation."