An eco-shitstorm is coming...everything rests upon whether or not we come to terms with the politics of earth and sky, evolution and transformation. Otherwise, in our lifetimes, we shall suffer......the fall of nature itself." - Bob Hunter
HOW MUCH DAMAGE HAS HUMAN FISHING DONE TO THE OCEAN? We thought we could fish forever, because the sea was a limitless protein mine. But dawning now is a realization that we were wrong about that. But how naive were we? And what price will be paid? Ocean life is dying back in unexpected ways: although there are fewer fish and other sea animals, more of them are starving, while waves of 'sickness' spread as primitive microbes gain the upper hand. Symptoms include spreading 'dead zones,' harmful algae blooms and a diminished presence of sea animal life in general. Is fishing implicated in all of this? This website challenges accepted views of how the ocean works and suggests an new interpretation of today's trends: failing ocean fertility induced by fishing. (Also challenged is Canada's decision to ignore seal diseases.
Atlantic Canada reveals what is probably the clearest evidence anywhere of the ecosystem-effects of persistent human fishing. The early 1990's crash of the once great Canadian cod stock is held up as a global cautionary tale against fisheries mismanagement, against greedy human 'overfishing.' But less well known is that the story is not that simple, that, at the level of scientific detail, so much has gone severely and unexpectedly wrong in Atlantic Canada...that the most basic assumptions underlying the 'science of overfishing/sustainable fishing' must now be questioned.
Zooplankton were unexpectedly and inexplicably lost along with Canadian fish stocks. If, as seems likely, this is part of the ecosystem impact of fishing, then this finding has global significance.
This website chronicles my observations, the evolution of my ideas about what is happening to ocean life, and my attempts to draw attention to politically undesirable information about changes in the natural world.
North Atlantic cod stocks are today widely reported to be in "bad shape," usually meaning that there are not many fish left. However, individual codfish, such as this one, typical of those caught off eastern Nova Scotia in Sept. 2002, are also visibly in very "bad shape." The "shape" is that of starving fish. Hold mouse over the cod above (for a few seconds) to see the contrast with the body shape of a well fed cod. Experimental starvation of cod by Canadian scientists shows this:
Besides the flattened belly profile, the cod starving in the wild (top photo) shows an unusually downturned head and reddened mouth as it appears to struggle to survive by bottom feeding at a size when it would normally rely largely on prey fish in the water column. This physical sign that adult cod are now struggling to survive by bottom feeding contradicts several current lines of thinking about the reasons for poor growth in cod today (e.g. cooler water depresses appetite, fish are genetically slower growing, excess seal predation is killing them...). A simple shortage of their normal prey appears to be the most immediate problem facing Atlantic cod. And cod are not suffering from excessive seal predation. Check out the mysterious cod kill in Newfoundland, April 2003.
The focus on feeding habits also helps to explain why Atlantic haddock stocks (naturally more oriented toward bottom feeding) are faring somewhat better than cod stocks today. An inventory of Atlantic Canadian fish stocks reveals the widespread nature of this trend.
Evidence: a Transformed Ecosystem
As the size and abundance of commercially targeted fish species has plunged in recent decades, populations of smaller, unexploited organisms, the 'foundation' species of the marine ecosystem, have also experienced major downshifts. Oceanic zooplankton is in decline, and NASA/NOAA has recently reported an apparent global declining trend in marine phytoplankton production. Evidence suggesting lowered marine nutrient cycling can also be seen along clean oceanic shorelines.
Example: A clean, rocky intertidal zone in Atlantic Canada was heavily dominated by barnacles (filter feeding animals) in summer, 1948, reflecting relatively high marine productivity at that time. (Photo from Stephenson and Stephenson 1954 J. Ecol. 42:14-70 ) Move mouse over photo to see this site in summer, 2002. Now dominated by rockweed with relatively sparse barnacle cover, with individual barnacles very small, this shift away from dominance by filter feeders, and towards dominance by seaweeds, offers classic evidence of a decline in "nitrogen loading" rates. (Carpenter and Capone, Nitrogen in the Marine Environment (Acad. Press, NY, 1983)) This pattern of shifting dominance from filter feeders to seaweed is also widely evident today in the tropics where mass coral bleaching and infectious coral epidemics signal the failing health of those once dominant filter feeders.
Changes in Seaweeds
Increasing nutrient stress is visible in long established seaweed populations such as this Irish moss (a red algae) in Nova Scotia, which has bleached to white during summer, 2002. (Hold mouse over photo to see the color of healthy Irish moss.) A pattern of gradual change across many seaweed species, including the common brown rockweeds, is consistent with a gradual decline in nutrient availability. Exceptions to this pattern appear to occur only in localized coastal areas affected by high levels of nutrient runoff. Does confusion in the seaweed diagnosis result from 'pseudo-eutrophication?'
Arguments
Standard views of the workings of the marine ecosystem do not predict, or explain, many of today's worrisome trends in marine life - from the failure of NW Atlantic cod stocks to rebound under a 10 year fishing moratorium, to the global increase in 'harmful algae blooms.' Although multiple factors undoubtedly affect the ecosystem, an overall decline in nutrient cycling or total "productivity" has not generally been considered to be one of them. This is because marine productivity has been thought to be "physically forced." Recognition of the strength of "biological forcing" has been lacking in traditional views, and this is the basis of the arguments offered here, including the reasoning that total productivity can be reduced by significant living biomass removal (fishing). It is speculated here that, besides ecological functions such as floating spawn, one important route of biological forcing that has been missed may be the possibility that vertically migrating zooplankton not only shuttle carbon down to deeper waters, but they may also shuttle 'new' nitrogen up to surface waters.
The Ocean Sentry organisation supports the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as well as it works as a wide awareness program, dialogue and respect for marine environment and those who inhabit it.
Ocean Sentry was founded by passionate individuals that got tired to see how our oceans are being depleted, overexploited, and plundered for tradition, sport, entertainment, or simply because of our greed.
In this context the need to defend and preserve all marine ecosystems is our responsibility and enforcing regulations, laws, international conservation treaties, marine reserves, and international sanctuaries that were established to protect marine wildlife around the world is our duty.
Given that laws are often mercilessly broken by outlaw poachers and those who support them because of economics interests, we support the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to enforce these laws in order to preserve our oceans from being destroyed.
Ocean Sentry is appealing collaboration of all those inhabitants around the world that firmly believe that marine wildlife as well as the threatened environment that support it, needs our immediate protection and commitment and accordingly direct action to enforce international laws, beyond demagogy, banners, photographs, and protests, is the right way to prevent the rampant extinction of this fragile ecosystem.
Sharks, whales, sea turtles, fish and many others need to be urgently protected. They count on your help as you should count on them to keep alive. Don’t leave them alone! Get involved!
Your donations must save oceans and never be assigned to maintain big corporations. Your donations must be directly assigned to the ecosystem protection and you should participate in its goals and achievements given that a victory for the conservation of oceans is a victory for you.
Great revolutions along history have been made by people like you. Help to this change in favour of conservation, preservation and defence of all marine wildlife.
That is why Ocean Sentry asks support Sea Shepherd and our future campaigns.
By Protecting and Defending Oceans We are Saving Ourselves.
If you are willing to die for a whale, then: Welcome aboard!
General Information
Ocean Sentry
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When we first heard the rumors that Sea Shepherd might add the sleek, biodiesel-fueled powerboat called Earthrace to their efforts — we wanted to believe. But seriously, would it be possible? Could an anti-whaling organization land something out of a James Bond movie to further their cause?
Yes.
Outside the International Whaling Commission meeting in Portugal, Sea Shepherd announced plans for their sixth campaign against Japanese commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary - Operation Waltzing Matilda. They also revealed the incredible news that the Earthrace will be joining the SS Steve Irwin in this new operation. And yes, it will change from its current silver to the Sea Shepherd’s striking black.
“It looks like a spaceship. It can do 40 knots and dive under waves completely. We’ll be using it to intercept and block harpoons,” said Captain Paul Watson, who earlier this week was arrested (And later released) after entering Portugal. He added that the organization was outfitting the vessel with half a tonne of Kevlar to toughen it against the ice. “It has the endurance to go half way round the world on a tank of fuel,” he said. “They won’t get away from me.”
The Steve Irwin will also be receiving some love in the form of $500,000 in repairs and additions. Its buckled hull plates have been repaired (after clashes earlier this year with the Japanese), and a powerful water cannon has been added on the bow to match the whalers’.
Finally, the organization confirmed that the Animal Planet television crew will be back to film season three of the popular show Whale Wars. “We are taking the most powerful anti-whaling weapon at our disposal: a film crew,” said Laurens de Groot, a Sea Shepherd Netherlands Director. “The cameras are more powerful than cannons and our ammunition is the naked truth about illegal whaling. We intend to keep the focus on Japanese crimes and we intend to sink the Japanese whaling fleet – economically.”
This is what we (the supporters and volunteers) hope it's going to look like :
It is difficult to believe in this day in age, with all that we know about sharks' plummeting populations, their critical role in ocean ecosystems, and the minimal risk they pose to humans, that the archaic and destructive practice of installing shark nets for "bather protection" still exists. But in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, a province ironically known around the world as one of the few places left where sharks and the ecosystems they keep healthy still thrive, untold numbers of harmless sharks, turtles, dolphins, and rays meet an untimely and senseless death each year by entanglement in the approximately 28 km of nets that are installed just off the beaches.
What are shark nets? Shark nets are essentially gill nets: long rectangular nylon mesh nets, 200-300 meters in length, that are positioned near the surface of the water and kept afloat with buoys. Sharks swim into these nets and are caught by their gills. The squares of mesh are designed to be just large enough for sharks to become entangled, but not escape. The more a shark or any other animal struggles in these nets, the more hopeless their situation becomes, and the more impossible their chances of escape and survival. The vast majority of these animals die an agonizing death by suffocation. Gill nets are widely considered to be one of the greatest threats to the survival of many species of marine animals.
In South Africa, the shark nets are installed in tiered patterns by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNS. Just beneath the surface, they do not fully extend to either the top or the bottom and do not even come close to fully enclosing the beach areas. The result is that sharks can easily swim around or under the nets and into the shallow waters in which humans swim and surf. In fact, the KZNSB acknowledges on its own website that at least 33% of the sharks killed in these nets were actually on their way OUT from the beaches, rather than on their way in, and other sources estimate that this number is closer to 70%.
You see, the goal is not to provide a physical barrier to keep sharks away from the beaches, but rather to control shark populations by culling them. In many cases, the KZNSB places baited drumlines just outside the shark nets, which are designed to attract sharks in towards the beaches and kill them, either by biting the baited hooks on the drumlines or by entanglement in the nearby gill nets.
The process is entirely unselective, with nets installed all along the coast, including in Marine Protected Areas! The sole purpose of these nets is to kill all sharks in the area, including highly endangered species that would otherwise enjoy stringent legal protection, such as whale sharks and the great white shark. According to the KZNSB's own website, "The Marine Living Resources Act (Act 18 of 1998) controls the exploitation of marine plants and animals in South African waters. . . . The great white shark is totally protected; in 1991 South Africa being the first country in the world to do so." And yet, the KZNSB, which is governed by the KZN Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, is exempted from these important conservation regulations in the interest of making tourists feel safe.
Sea Shepherd's Director of Shark Conservation, Kim McCoy, a founding member of the Shark Angels alliance, was outraged to witness first-hand the carnage caused by South African shark nets. "Sharks and other animals don't stand a chance against these nets," said McCoy. "They are brutal, indiscriminate killers designed to systematically cull a species for no other reason than to boost tourism by giving beachgoers a false sense of security against a severely sensationalized threat."
Shark Angels co-founder, Julie Andersen, who frequently leads groups of people on diving trips with the tiger sharks of Aliwal Shoal, clearly illustrates the irony of using shark nets to increase tourism, noting the number of tourists who come to South Africa each year specifically to dive with sharks. "Sharks in South Africa contribute a significant amount of revenue to the South African economy and provide countless jobs," said Andersen. "Live sharks mean tourists, jobs, and money. And that is recurring income-not the one-time income generated when a shark is killed."
Over the last three decades, more than 33,000 sharks have been killed in the KZNSB shark nets. And if that's not alarming enough, consider the 2,000+ turtles, 8,000+ rays, and 2,000+ dolphins who were also ensnared and killed.
In addition to the countless deaths of sharks and other species caused directly by the shark nets, their impact on our collective psyches is damaging to shark conservation efforts worldwide. The very existence of shark nets perpetuates the myth that sharks are bloodthirsty man-eaters, and that humans require some form of protection from them. The installation of shark nets reinforces our misguided and often irrational fears of sharks by legitimizing these concerns as valid. This in turn fuels the biggest issue faced in shark conservation: the public's apathy, or even loathing, towards sharks.
It could be said there was once a time and a place for shark nets. Perhaps decades ago, when the public knew little about sharks, the fear of shark attacks was running high, and shark populations were far healthier than they are today. The practice of installing shark nets in South Africa began in 1952, when little was known about sharks, and humans had yet to spend the next 50+ years ravaging our oceans, causing irreparable damage and the collapse of species after species. The public wanted "protection" from sharks, and shark nets served this purpose.
But since then, shark fishing has skyrocketed, eliminating a large percentage of the world's shark populations, and the public has been exposed to much information about the importance of biodiversity conservation and the true nature of shark behavior towards humans. In recent years, it has been proven that a variety of non-lethal shark deterrents, such as the Shark Spotters program funded by private donations and the City of Cape Town, can be equally effective, and that animals need not be killed to allow for peaceful coexistence in their domain. The need for shark conservation is now a well-established fact, as is the fact these animals are significantly misunderstood, with the actual risk of an unpleasant shark encounter infinitesimal.
Shark nets are an unnecessary and outdated practice designed to address an issue that could easily be tackled in a non-lethal way, and they blemish South Africa's image as a world leader in conservation. It is time for a change. It is time to get these shark nets out of the water, once and for all.
Fishing gear and marine debris - 6.5 million tonnes every year May 2009. Large amounts of fishing gear lost at sea or abandoned by fishers are hurting the marine environment, impacting fish stocks through "ghost fishing" and posing a hazard to ships, according to a new report jointly produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Problem is getting worse According to the study, the problem of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is getting worse due to the increased scale of global fishing operations and the introduction of highly durable fishing gear made of long-lasting synthetic materials.
10% of marine litter The report estimates that abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear in the oceans makes up around 10 percent (640,000 tonnes) of all marine litter. Merchant shipping is the primary source on the open sea, land-based sources are the predominate cause of marine debris in coastal areas.
Most fishing gear is not deliberately discarded but is lost in storms or strong currents or results from "gear conflicts," for example, fishing with nets in areas where bottom-traps that can entangle them are already deployed.
The main impacts of abandoned or lost fishing gear are:
Continued catches of fish - known as "ghost fishing" - and other animals such as turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals, who are trapped and die.
Alterations of the sea-floor environment; and - the creation of navigation hazards that can cause accidents at sea and damage boats.
Gill nets, fishing pots and traps are most likely to "ghost fish," while longlines, are more likely to ensnare other marine organisms and trawls most likely to damage sub-sea habitats.
Gill nets are the major problem - 10 kilometres long In the past, poorly operated drift nets were the prime culprits, but a 1992 ban on their use in many areas has reduced their contribution to ghost fishing.
Today, bottom set gill nets are more often-cited as a problem. The bottom edge of these nets is anchored to the sea floor and floats are attached to their top, so that they form a vertical undersea wall of netting that can run anywhere from 600 to 10,000 metres in length. If a gillnet is abandoned or lost, it can continue to fish on its own for months - and sometimes years - indiscriminately killing fish and other animals.
Crab and lobster pots Traps and pots are another major ghost fisher. In the Chesapeake Bay of the United States, an estimated 150,000 crab traps are lost each year out of an estimated 500,000 total deployed. On just the single Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, about 20,000 of all traps set each year are lost each hurricane season - a loss rate of 50 percent. Like gill nets, these traps can continue to fish on their own for long periods of time.
Islands of garbage
The total input of marine litter into the oceans per year has been estimated at approximately 6.4 million tonnes annually, of which nearly 5.6 million tonnes (88 percent) comes from merchant shipping.
Some 8 million items of marine litter are thought to enter the oceans and seas every day, about 5 million (63 percent) of which are solid waste thrown overboard or lost from ships.
It has been estimated that currently over 13,000 pieces of plastic litter are floating on every square kilometre of ocean. In 2002, 6 kg of plastic was found for every kilogram of plankton near the surface of a gyre point in the central Pacific, where debris collects.
Mass concentrations of marine debris in high seas accumulation areas, such as the equatorial convergence zone, are of particular concern. In some such areas, rafts of assorted debris, including various plastics; ropes; fishing nets; and cargo-associated wastes such as dunnage, pallets, wires and plastic covers, drums and shipping containers, along with accumulated slicks of various oils, often extend for many kilometres.
Solutions - Inventing "smarter" gear
Work is underway to explore durable gear that incorporates bio-degradable elements. This approach is already used in some countries for fish traps and pots, which are constructed with a biodegradable "escape hatch" that disintegrates when left under water too long, rendering the trap harmless.
Fledgling efforts are under way to develop biodegradable and oxy-degradable plastics for wider using in the fishing industry.
The use of passive acoustic pingers on nets can help prevent cetacean entanglement when fishing and remain active if gear is lost. Experimentation is also underway in the addition of sound-reflecting substances to netting material, with the same goal.
Designs are being developed that incorporate pieces of cord to nets that function normally during fishing but which break when trapped large animals begin to thrash, freeing them.
The addition of magnets to gear can deter sharks from approaching too closely.
For those who don't know about the state of our oceans.And how important it is to clean up after ourselves.And the waste is only one of the oceans problem ! Whatever you drop on the beach,50% of that litter ends up in the ocean ! Many people around the world know about this,but this huge waste dump still floads on the ocean !!! Hugs Claudia *For the Oceans*
There is a huge plastic waste dump site in the Pacific Ocean that is twice the size of the continental United States.
It is estimated that 10 percent of the world’s plastic waste finds its way into the sea and slowly but surely most of it ends up in the Pacific Ocean.
Sea currents transport the waste into ocean “dead zones”, large areas of water that are slow moving circular currents which trap debris into one large constantly moving mass of plastic.
This mass of plastic is slowly being broken down into a plastic dust that marine wildlife mistake for food. Small fish consume tiny bits of plastic as if they were normal plankton. Those fish are then consumed by larger species and the plastic contamination moves up the food chain.
The UN Environmental Program estimates that over a million seabirds, as well as more than 100 thousand marine mammals, die every year from ingesting plastic debris.
Dead seabirds having mistaken plastics for food, have been found with discarded plastic lighters, water bottle caps and scraps of plastic bags in their stomachs.
Scientifically the area is known as the Northern Pacific Gyre, one of five gyres in the world’s oceans.
They are an area of sea where water circulates clockwise in a very slow spiral. Winds are light and the currents tend to force any floating material into the low energy center of the gyre – everything afloat becomes trapped.
These “dead zones” have been well known to sailors for centuries and they have traditonally avoided them at all costs. Low wind conditions means slow sailing.
Recently some sailors have been taking power assisted short cuts to their destinations and discovering vast areas of plastic garbage in their wake.
Some researchers estimate that there are over six kilos of plastic for every kilo of naturally occurring plankton in the Pacific plastic waste dump.
Besides being a danger in themselves these vast areas of plastic pollution act as chemical sponge attracting other damaging pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), hydrocarbons and DDT that have been dumped in the oceans, creating even more highly damaging toxins for marine wildlife to mistake for food.
The northern Pacific plastic dump is deceptive to the eye. While it contains huge amounts of plastic waste it is not all floating on the surface. Wave action and the heat of the sun degrades the plastic into smaller and smaller particles which can form a sinking toxic soup that extends down to 6 meters below the ocean’s surface.
But there is still enough plastic floating on the surface to create a false habitat for plant and animal organisms to live on. Once attached to the floating surface these species are transported far beyond their normal ecosystems.
These ocean hitchhikers can then invade new habitats to become possible nuisance species in environments that nature didn’t originally intend them to inhabit.
Not all plastic floats. As it breaks down it can begin to sink towards the ocean’s bottom. Dutch scientists have discovered that over 70 percent of discarded plastic eventually sinks to the sea bed.
The Dutch researchers have counted an astounding 600 thousand tonnes of plastic sitting on the North Sea floor. As that ocean floor becomes increasingly smothered by descending bits of plastic sea bed organisms struggle for survival.
Dr. Marcus Eriksen, research Director of the Algalita Institute in Atlanta says, “Whatever goes into the ocean goes into these animals and onto your dinner plate.”
There has been little concern voiced by governments as the Pacific Ocean toxic garbage patch largely lay outside of international waters, outside their normal legislative considerations.
The problem is being intensified as modern plastics become more durable and increasingly more disposable.
As the Pacific plastic dump grows, and it could double in size by 2015, the effect on the human food chain becomes more toxic and problematic.
I was born on the ice floes off the east coast of Canada, where the pristine snow-scape stretches out as far as the eye can see. For the first few days, my fluffy coat was as white as the surrounding snow...then after a couple of weeks, it began to turn silvery with black spots.
It was then that this peaceful landscape changed forever.
I heard a rumble off in the distance, and soon I could see a boat pushing through the ice. Then I heard the loud bangs of a rifle, and saw men jumping off the boat and onto the ice with sticks that had spikes on the end of them.
One of the men approached a defenseless seal pup nearby, clubbed him over the head again and again, and then skinned his lifeless body with a long and bloody knife.
De volgende getuigenissen, uit de eerste hand verkregen van ‘blueback’-jagers, werden door handhavingsambtenaren van het Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen opgetekend. Deze informatie, die ons op verzoek ter beschikking werd gesteld, bevat schokkende beschrijvingen van wreedheden tegen dieren.
Uit de aantekeningen van de ambtenaren:
· Als de moederdieren worden gedood en de pasgeboren pups alleen op het ijs achterblijven, hebben ze geen schijn van kans om te overleven. De zeehondenbaby komt hoe dan ook langzaam van de honger om.
· Een .22-geweer mag niet gebruikt worden bij de zeehondenjacht omdat dit geweer niet krachtig genoeg is om zeehonden snel te doden. "Tot maart werden de meeste vrouwtjes gedood met de pup nog in hun buik.
...Ik zag dat zeven ongeboren pups overboord werden gegooid nadat het vrouwtje was gevild. Ik heb er zelf ook twee uitgehaald. Een andere jager was hier net zo erg door geschokt als ik. Er moet een andere manier zijn om op zeehonden te jagen. Op 10 maart waren we aan het jagen toen de zeehonden net geboren waren, want ik zag dat er op acht van de tien ijsschotsen jonge zeehondjes lagen met de nageboorte en andere overblijfselen van de bevalling nog op het ijs. Ik weet nog van die keer, dat een zeehondje zijn ouders nakeek die aan boord werden gehesen. Hij keek de boot echt na, terwijl wij er op volle kracht vandoor gingen. De pups werden niet gedood, maar ze werden helemaal alleen achtergelaten op het ijs."
Verklaring van een jager, opgenomen door Fergus Foley, Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen, 10 juni . "Ik zag dat er een paar drachtige vrouwtjes werden gedood en ik zag de pup levend uit haar buik op het dek vallen.
...(Naam doorgehaald) zei dat ik hem overboord moest gooien, en dat deed ik. Hij klauterde op een ijsschots. De moeder zat helemaal vol met melk. Die melk liep eruit, op het dek, toen de pup eruit viel."
Verklaring van een jager, opgenomen door Cyril Furlong, Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen, 24 juni . "Ik stond erbij toen er klapmutswijfjes werden gevild en ik zag pups eruit vallen, op het dek.
...Ik heb zoiets twee keer gezien en ik weet dat het tijdens de eerst reis acht tot tien keer is gebeurd. Ik weet gewoon dat dit gebeurd is, want ik hoorde de bemanning erover praten. De twee pups die ik op het dek zag, leefden nog. De pups werden overboord gegooid en ik heb één keer zo’n pup in het water zien zwemmen. Ik weet niet wat er met die pups gebeurd is.”
Verklaring van een jager, opgenomen door Cyril Furlong, Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen, 3 juli , 15.33u. "We vingen klapmutsvrouwtjes en lieten de pups op het ijs achter.
...Ik stond op het dek toen er een pup uit de buik van een vrouwtje viel. Samen met twee andere bemanningsleden vilde ik die zeehond. Ik weet niet meer met wie. Die pup was levend toen hij d’r uit viel. Ik maakte die pup dood en gooide hem overboord."
Verklaring van een jager, opgenomen door Fergus Foley, Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen, 6 juli , 15.51u. "I seen a female being pelted and the pup came out of her when they cut her open, the pup was dead.
...This seal was killed for a while. This was on the day we got one hundred and seventy. Someone passed the comment, 'If Green peace were only here to see this.'"
Sealer's statement, taken by Fergus Foley, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, June 22, 15:15 hrs "We jaagden op volwassen zeehonden en meerdere keren vingen we de oudere dieren en lieten we de pups op het ijs achter.
...De klapmutsen waren net bezig hun jongen te werpen toen wij daar aan het jagen waren. Eén keer vingen we wel zeehonden voordat ze jongen hadden gekregen. Ik zag een pup uit de buik op het dek vallen terwijl het vrouwtje werd gevild. Die pup leefde nog en ze gooiden ‘m overboord. Die pup leefde nog, ik zag hem zwemmen. Hij kroop het ijs op."
Verklaring van een jager, opgenomen door Cyril Furlong, Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen, 6 juli , 11.11u. "Ik moest op zeehonden schieten en ze villen. "Ik was er getuige van dat een klapmutsvrouwtje werd gevild en dat er een jong uit viel, op het dek.
...Dit gebeurde zo’n acht of tien keer. Er werden allerlei opmerkingen gemaakt, zoals ‘Hadden we maar een videocamera bij ons, dan konden we scheppen geld verdienen’ en ‘Wat wij hier doen zou natuurlijk verboden moeten worden.’”
"Het kwam heel vaak voor dat het mannetje en het vrouwtje gedood werden en aan boord gehaald en dat de pup dan op het ijs achterbleef. Soms zat zo’n pup nog onder het bloed, omdat hij net was geboren. Tijdens heel de reis vingen we zo’n vijfhonderdvijftig zeehonden. Ik denk dat zo’n vierhonderd daarvan klapmutsen waren, en ten minste honderdvijftig daarvan waren vrouwtjes."
"De zeehonden werden in de speedboot altijd in een groot net gestopt. Nadat ze aan boord van het schip waren gehesen, zag ik overal tussen de zeehonden lege patroonhulzen van een .22-geweer liggen. Vaak lagen ze op het dek van het vissersschip nog hevig te spartelen. Ik heb gezien hoe waarnemer Rex Hodder ze oppakte en overboord gooide. Hij moet geweten hebben dat we .22-geweren gebruikten. Ze maken zelfs een heel ander geluid dan die zwaardere vuurwapens. Ze hebben een keer geprobeerd die geweren voor Rex Hodder te verbergen. Ze gaven die geweren via de ventilatieopeningen in de machinekamer aan elkaar door. Als we er met de speedboot op uit gingen, bewaarden we die geweren in kisten. Op die reis vingen we wel meer dan drieduizend zeehonden. Ergens rond 21 april kwamen we op het ijs aan. Ik denk niet dat het .22-geweer krachtig genoeg is, daar dood je zelfs nog geen ‘beater’ mee. Ik heb vaak genoeg gezien dat de zeehonden nog leefden nadat we ze uit de speedboten hadden gehesen. We gebruikten een ‘hakapik’, een stok met een puntige haak eraan, om ze af te maken."
Verklaring van een jager, opgenomen door Fergus Foley, Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen, 24 juni , 19.40u. "All the females we took, the pups were left on the ice.
...The pup was left on the ice after the female was killed and taken on board."
Sealer's statement, taken by Fergus Foley, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, July 14 "Soms moest ik van hem het mannetje en het vrouwtje doden, een andere keer alleen het mannetje. De pup werd altijd achtergelaten.
...Volgens mij zei hij dat we ze allemaal moesten doden toen er niet zoveel zeehonden waren. Soms waren die zeehonden nog niet zo erg oud, want het bloed van de geboorte lag er nog.” "Aan het eind van de dag hielp iedereen mee met villen. Terwijl het vrouwtje werd opengesneden voor het villen kwamen er twee of drie pups uit. Ze werden gedood en overboord gesmeten. Er werd druk over gepraat of het nou goed was om dit te doen en of we dit wel konden verantwoorden. Eigenlijk voelde iedereen dit wel zo.” “De beste dag was toen we er ongeveer honderdtachtig vingen. Die dag vingen we mannetjes en vrouwtjes, het was zo’n beetje aan het eind van de reis. D’r lagen daar heel wat pups en die werden dus op het ijs achtergelaten. De volgende dag doodden we een paar vrouwtjes die in gezelschap waren van hun mannetje en hun pup. " "We waren er met z’n vieren bij toen de pups uit het vrouwtje werden gesneden, (naam doorgehaald) weet hier ook van. Die reis vingen we ongeveer achthonderd zeehonden en minstens een kwart daarvan waren vrouwtjes."
Verklaring van een jager, opgenomen door Fergus Foley, Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen, 10 juli , 19.15u. "Tijdens de tweede reis lieten we zo’n vijftien tot twintig pups alleen achter nadat we de volwassen dieren hadden gevangen.
...Er werden vergissingen gemaakt, ze doodden drachtige klapmutsvrouwtjes, dat gebeurde een keer of zes, maar de pups kwamen er nooit uit op het dek. Ik jaag al lang op zeehonden dus ik wist dat ze drachtig waren. Het ging ons toch niet om het vlees, dus ging zo’n pup samen met de dode moeder overboord.”
Verklaring van een jager, opgenomen door Fergus Foley, Ministerie van Visserij en de Oceanen, 11 augustus , 16.50u. "There were a few occasions when we took the make and female Hood seals and left the pup on the ice. ...I observed on two occasions for the trip pups falling out of the female while being pelted on deck. The two pups I observed were alive and were thrown over the side. I seen these pups crawl up on the ice after we threw them over aboard." "I probably killed three to four hundred seals with the 22 caliber rifle…There was conversations between the skipper and myself and the crew to make an effort to hide the 22 rifles from the observer." Sealer's statement, taken by Fergus Foley, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, June 29, 10:45 hrs "After the females were pelted and pups fell out onto the deck the pups were thrown over the side.
...I did see a couple move around in the water behind the boat. They appeared to be alive and swimming. We watched a seal that came out of the old one on deck try to get up on a pan of ice. It did not get up to my knowledge. This did bother me to see seals flapping around in the water and trying to get up on the ice."
Sealer's statement, taken by Fergus Foley, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, June 28, 16:30 hrs
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So, If you ever see Sealers, or Sealing Advocates, or articles or officials stating any of the following myths or lies, or users commenting on the internet, you are now armed against them with the truth:
To Anyone who attempts to say that sealers Dont go into whelping grounds, this testimony proves that Sealers admit to it.
To Anyone who says they don't kill babies, this testimony shows that Sealers admit they do kill baby seals.
To Anyone who tries to quote the DFO sponsored "seal hunt is humane" study where DFO escorted observers went along on board sealers ships, can now be shown that study is a fraud, there's admission above that they passed weapons behind the backs of the DFO hired observers, and even the DFO-hired observers got in on the act of throwing baby seals bodies overboard, and even observers participating in the act, tampering with, and getting rid of the evidence.
To Anyone who tries to say the seal hunt is for the meat, above they clearly admit they garbage the meat.
Here is the Evidence sealers stood by and watched them drown. This debunks the myth it is humane.
This also debunks Anyone attempting to bring up 'slaughterhouses' to justify the seal hunt. Slaughter houses DO NOT have what is called "struck & lost" animals! This means, that in the seal hunt, these sealers may either club, or shoot an animal that slips into the water, and it is wounded. This means that animal continues to suffer. Hours, days, who knows how long. That act does not happen in a slaughter house. That situation does in fact happen in the Canadian Seal Hunt! And therefore it can Never compare in the same way to a slaughterhouse, Slaughter houses do Not have struck & lost animals. And thus the Canadian Seal Hunt can Never be certified as humane. It is inherently inhumane.
The above testimony also debunks the myth that it is well-regulated. These violations were allowed to continue.
And this testimony reveals conspiring between the crew, and the so-called DFO observers, all the way up to the Sealing captain.
2. Post about this in your blog, copy the text about it and forward it, tell people, go on youtube and defend against the disgusting killers & butchers posting on there, repost our kind bulletins via your myspace, post this on your WORDPRESS, on forums, anywhere you can.
3. Write, call or phone your government officials, and tell them to reaffirm the Laws against these killers. And to mobilize enforcement authorities against these slaughterers.
4. Boycott Canadian Seafood. Boycott Canadian SnowCrab, Boycott Canadian Scallops, Boycott Canadian Lobster. If you eat seafood, stop. If you are already vegetarian, then tell others and get them to stop eating Canadian seafood. Everyone should tell grocery stores to stop purchasing it from Canada. If you go to restaurants, tell the waiters about it and tell the managers and owners to stop buying seafood from Canada. Tell them these same sealers are also some of the fishermen supplying their seafood, tell fishermen to take care of their own, in other words if they allow sealers then they are going to get boycotted, if the fishermen that don't butcher seals resolve to stop the sealers, then they would not be complicit in seal killing. Until then, these fishermen are known to back, allow, and condone these sealers, even stick up for them, and have sealers all among them, so they are going to get boycotted unless the fishermen realize that they need to reverse that and take a stand themselves against sealers and cut out the cancer and stench of the Seal hunters they have among them.
5. Click these to reblog and spread this, get it into search engines, and social bookmark sites:
I kissed my baby yesterday morning before getting to sea to catch some breakfast...
And then strange objects arrived on our ice floes yesterday !
And then strange things took steps on our ice,our home...
They approached our friend,I didn't know what was happening...
I was so scared,i tried to hide between the ice,maybe they would not see me...I could see my baby hiding too...
But what happened to our friend? I didn't understand why this was happening...
Our friend tried to get away,but he wasn't fast enough...
Our friend was dead ! My baby cried and screamed of fear and hurt...
Then they heard my baby....Now it was her turn...I couldn't save her...
My baby could see a glimps from above and saw our friends,our family,our home...
I can smell my baby, but can't find her...
I am so sad i can't kiss my baby tomorrow...
As a mother my heart double breaks,because of this cruel seal hunt,because of the mother seals who loose their babies, because of the mother seals who loose their own life and leave their babies behind...
My heart breakes... Claudia *For the Oceans* *For the Seals*
photocredits : ClaudiaForTheOceans/Care2, HSUS.org, Sea Shepherd.nl, Paul Darrow/Reutersphoto,IFAW, HSI/V4A, AP Photo/ IFAW, StewartCook
Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor, peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid.
As she stopped at my kennel, I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.
As she read my kennel card, I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to, and want to make a difference in someone’s life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.
Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek, and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.
Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I Instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.
I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.
"Miscarriage reports from
pregnant women who have
taken the H1N1 swine flu
vaccine are starting to
pour in from all over the
nation. Vaccines and
pregnancy simply do not
mix safely. In fact, the
package inserts for the
swine flu vaccines
actually say...
Native American Heritage
Day: 27 November."NOW,
THEREFORE, I, BARACK
OBAMA, President of the
United States of America,
by virtue of the
authority vested in me by
the Constitution and the
laws of the United
States, do hereby
proclaim November 2009 as
N...
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. Just beneath the surface, they do not fully extend to either the top or the bottom and do not even come close to fully enclosing the beach areas. The result is that sharks can easily swim around or under the nets and into the shallow waters in which humans swim and surf. In fact, the KZNSB acknowledges on its own website that at least 33% of the sharks killed in these nets were actually on their way OUT from the beaches, rather than on their way in, and other sources estimate that this number is closer to 70%.
get the feed
