Tag Archives: Humane Society International
Opposition to seal ban grows within EU, where hunters alliance is optimistic rules will change
A group representing hunters in the Nordic countries says it’s more optimistic than ever that the European Union will lift a longtime ban on trading seal products. The regulation, implemented in 2009 after a highly successful campaign from animal rights groups, deprived Canadian sealers of their primary market. “Our hope and expectation is that the ban will be reversed, and that trade can be possible again,” said Johan Svalby, senior advisor for international affairs at the Nordic Hunters Alliance. Since beginning its review of the current regulations, thousands of individuals and organizations have participated in consultations, including the Canadian, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut and Northwest Territories governments, which argued for removing the ban. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:27
Wind farms: Where are all of the ocean saviors?
The precautionary principle has deep roots finding expression in sayings such as ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ or ‘better safe than sorry’. The use of the precautionary principle in ecosystem management is especially important,,, Repeated failures of management highlighted by the collapse of northern cod off Canada, the California sardine fishery, and herring, sandeels, blue whiting and capelin stocks in the North Sea have demonstrated the need for this approach in order to help address scientific uncertainty. Yet when it comes to protecting huge swaths of ocean,,, Clog 
our near shore and offshore waters with hulking (approaching 1,000 feet tall today, who knows what’s in store for tomorrow?) structures supporting huge rotors with tips moving through the air at velocities approaching 200 miles per hour? So what? Festoon our sea beds with electrical cables carrying huge amounts of electricity, And what of undersea server farms,,, >click to read< 15:43 Nils E. Stolpe/FishNet USA. © 2021 Nils E. Stolpe, July 31
Seal hunt provokes fury from activists
Humane Society International strongly condemned Canada’s annual Atlantic seal hunt as “absolutely devastating” just hours after it began Tuesday morning. While the federal government says that strict protocols are followed when authorizing commercial seal hunts, HSI Canada says seals are dragged onto boats and clubbed to death after being impaled on metal hooks, while others die painfully after being shot. “Most adult people can’t bear to watch it on video,” said Rebecca Aldworth, HSI Canada’s executive director. Her organization says that Justin Trudeau’s government, by permitting commercial seal hunts to proceed, is “completely out of step with Canadian values and the international community.” But Adam Burns of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said the seal hunt “provides really important economic activity” to Atlantic Canadian coastal communities. click to read the story 14:53
New money for Quebec seal hunt – UPEI researcher to study commercial potential of grey seals in Magdalen Islands
After rejecting a scientific study that involved culling 1,200 grey seals from the Brion Island nature reserve in the Magdalen Islands, the province is helping to finance similar research nearby. The $72,904 in funding will allow a University of Prince Edward Island researcher to study an unspecified number of grey seals harvested on Corps Mort, or Dead Man’s Island, a few kilometres west of the Magdalen Islands archipelago. Wildlife veterinarian and pathologist Pierre-Yves Daoust is pleased the Quebec government decided to support an alternative proposal. Some opponents of the seal hunt are appalled by the decision. “We are deeply disappointed to see this so-called study funded,” said (panhandler) Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of Humane Society International – Canada, calling the study a make-work project for the commercial sealing industry. Read the story here 19:28
Controversial whale sanctuary to be voted on at the International Whaling Commission
A whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic covering an area as big as India and Russia together: This is the proposal presented by Argentina, Gabon, South Africa, Uruguay and Brazil at the 65th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Slovenia, which runs from October 20 to 28. A heated debate between some 80 pro- and anti-whaling nations will lead tomorrow (25.10.2016) into voting on whether to give the green light to the proposal, or reject it once again – it happened in 1998. Japan, Iceland and Norway have been the three main countries blocking the sanctuary due – environmentalists say – to their commercial interests. These three nations have used legal loopholes and controversial arguments to keep hunting whales, even in existing sanctuaries. If the new sanctuary proposal is accepted, the immediate question following the hurrahs will be how to really protect whales there from countries that continue to insist on whaling. While the moratorium for commercial hunting from 1985 largely improved the protection of whales, threats such as by-catch or pollution were left out of the agreement. Whale sanctuaries are intended to fill that gap. Read the story here 13:12
N.L. pledges $2M to seal hunt
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador pledged $2 million Wednesday to support the seal hunt this year – a move animal welfare advocates called a “bailout.” Two processing plants, Carino Processing Ltd. in South Dildo and . in Fleur de Lys, will each receive a loan of up to $1 million toward the purchase of seal meat, pelts and fat from the 2015 harvest. “These loans will help to ensure income for sealers and processing workers throughout the province and support the long-term viability of fish stocks off our shores,” Read the rest here 07:47
Federal ministers call for change in EU seal products ban
“The EU allows seal products from Greenland to be marketed in the European Union with(out) any regard in which they are hunted. So in other words, the European Union seal regime does nothing to actually keep seal products out of the EU market or away from the EU public,” she said in a telephone interview. Read more here 08:39
