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Sea Sheperds Victory
Jan 19, 2006

Focus:Environment
Action Request:Celebration
Location:Canada
Sea Shepherd Wins Victory for the Seals in Canadian Court
On March 31st, 11 crewmembers from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Farley Mowat were arrested for the crime of approaching a seal hunt without permission of the Canadian Minister of Fisheries.

Two months later, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans charged Captain Paul Watson for the same violation.

All twelve defendants were placed on trial in November 2005.

The verdict was delivered on January 17, 2006.

Defense attorney John Mitchell of Charlottetown argued that the crew had not committed a violation because the regulations allow for a citizen to be closer to one half nautical mile of a seal hunt, if the hunt takes place within a half a nautical mile of the residence of the citizen.

The defense argument was that the Farley Mowat was the legal residence of the crewmembers that were arrested.

The judge accepted this ruling and acquitted Captain Paul Watson because he did not leave the ship despite approaching within a half a nautical mile of the seal hunt onboard the ship.

The other eleven crewmembers were found guilty of breaking the regulations because they had allegedly walked more than a half a nautical mile away from the Farley Mowat.

The eleven crewmembers may be fined $1,000 each for approaching a seal kill without permission.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society intends to appeal these convictions.

The verdict now establishes that this March, before the Government has time to change the regulations, any organization that opposes the slaughter of seals, including Sea Shepherd, may enter the area where seals are being killed with a ship because the ship is a residence for the people on board.


The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society suspects that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will seek new legislation to overturn this loophole but with the elections in Canada on Monday next week, January 21st, they likely can not change the regulations before the start of this year's slaughter at a date not set yet in the month of March.

Our history in opposing the seal slaughter has seen a steady erosion of our freedoms. Every time there is an opening to oppose the slaughter, the government enacts legislation to close that opening. The government of Canada does not want people to witness the cruelty against the seals and the violations of the sealers. Said Captain Paul Watson.

The eleven convicted crewmembers are Alex Cornelissen from the Netherlands, Peter Hammarstedt from Sweden, Laura Dakin from Australia, Colin Biroc, Andre Casanave, Ian Fritz Ryan Goyette, Matt Scwartz, Megan Southern, and Dr. Jerry Vlasak from the United States, Lisa Shalom from Canada.

Three of the eleven crew arrested are presently on the Farley Mowat in the Southern Oceans opposing the illegal slaughter of whales by Japanese whalers.

1st Officer Alex Cornelissen, 2nd Officer Peter Hammarstedt and Chief Cook Laura Dakin say that they have no intention of paying fines for the crime of witnessing a seal being slaughtered. We will go to jail and we will conduct a hunger strike for the seals rather than give the Canadian government a single loony. Said Alex Cornelissen.

There is no law in the world that will ever prevent us from opposing cruelty and mass slaughter, said Peter Hammarstedt.

Any penalty the courts give us for witnessing the slaughter of a seal is minor compared to the suffering the seals endure at the hands of the sadistic barbarians protected by the laws of Canada. Said Laura Dakin, If the courts believe that this penalty will deter us from being compassionate and caring, they are wrong. No court on Earth has the power to dictate morality.

The ruling does allow Sea Shepherd to return to the ice to protest the annual mass slaughter of seals.

Ill be back, said Captain Paul Watson. I have been fighting this obscenity for over three decades and I shall fight it until it is ended or until I die. Nothing will ever convince me that there is any justification for the evil of sealing.

The 2006 seal slaughter will begin in March 2006. No quota has yet been set. More than a million seal pups have been viciously slaughtered between 2003 and 2005. It is the largest mass slaughter of a marine wildlife population in the world.




This message has been sent from the M/Y Farley Mowat
This message has been authorized by Captain Paul Watson and/or First Officer Alex Cornelissen.
When responding please send in plain text and without attachments.
Please remove original text and keep replies brief.
For further information on the voyages of the Farley Mowat refer to http//www.seashepherd.org

PLEASE HELP THE 300,000 BABY SEALS THAT WILL BE CLUBBED TO DEATH IN MARCH
Visibility: Everyone
Posted: Thursday January 19, 2006, 3:12 am
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Past Member (0) 		Thursday January 19, 2006, 3:31 am
Another day and another victory. This to is great news. Could 2006 be the year of change? Lets hope and petition so.

Eva L. (198) 		Thursday January 19, 2006, 3:44 am
I have such admiration for the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to fight against the atrocities of man.

Victoria Deer (1) 		Thursday January 26, 2006, 12:23 am
If only every single action towards the babies occurred simultaneously… that w/put an end to it! I was hoping Aids would wipe out the horrible human-animals…still praying for something to do it. Only by the complete end of them by some other disease (beside themselves) will the cruelties cease.

From putting our bodies over theirs to ˝ miles away! I suppose those with Satan don’t like to be watched.

(Mark Twain) I would never kill anyone, but I’ve read a lot of obituaries with a Smile on my face. –Samuel L Clemens


Cheryl Sunshine Benson (524) 		Monday February 13, 2006, 7:04 pm
well thre is a petition to get them freed from JAPAN right now maybe you could sign that, it's on my share, thanks

Gwen C. (1) 		Thursday August 10, 2006, 2:26 pm
Bless you all for standing up to what is Right! These beautiful loving creatures should be protected not bloodgened to be worn on some Haute persons back! May god help you with this fight!
Sinecerly,
Gwendolyn L. cline (Gods Loving Creatures)

Tony Langham (1) 		Thursday July 26, 2007, 4:25 pm
If we could get rid of plastic bags then more seals/turtles and much more sea life would be safer! Please get on to www.BanPlasticBags.org.
tony6 Langham-Salisbury in England

Carolyn T. (235) 		Saturday August 25, 2007, 6:52 pm
Great News! I do that click on behalf of seals every morning. Don't you just love it when you can feel you are making a difference a click at a time!

Delliana of the Sea (249) 		Monday March 24, 2008, 12:22 pm
Thanks For this Post

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Boris Branwhite
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