31.03.2008
The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker CCGS Des Groseilliers twice rammed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Farley Mowat today. The Sea Shepherd is present at the baby seal hunt to document the killings. Witnessing a seal being clubbed is a crime in Canada.
The Coast Guard had ordered the Farley Mowat to not approach the area where seals are being slaughtered. When the Farley Mowat did not comply, the Coast Guard rammed the vessel near the port aft stern area. After the Farley Mowat stopped in the ice, the Coast Guard rammed the ship a second time in the same area of the ship causing damage to the plates in that area.
The Coast Guard has demonstrated extreme recklessness with this move. The crew of the Farley Mowat were engaged in documenting the slaughter of seals. They were not interfering with the hunt. The annual slaughter of baby harp seals has started off the east coast of Canada in Newfoundland last week. The slaughter of over 325.000 baby seals has been widely condemned around the world, but the Canadian government is adamant in its continued support for it.
“I’m beginning to wonder if anyone on the bridge of the Groseilliers has a license to command a ship,” said Captain Alex Cornelissen. “The incompetence of the Coast Guard has already cost the lives of four sealers this week-end and now they are ramming ships in dangerous ice conditions. This is unbelievable. It’s like the Coast Guard has declared war on seal defenders and the sealers are collateral damage.”
The Farley Mowat will remain in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and will continue to document the atrocities on the ice. Already the crew have seen enough evidence to understand that the Canadian government’s pretense that the slaughter is humane has no basis in reality – in other words it’s a state sponsored lie.
“It appears that Canada is prepared to use violence to cover-up the truth of this slaughter,” said Captain Paul Watson. “Our duty is to resist their violence and continue to document the truth.”
Background —
The annual slaughter of baby harp seals has started off the east coast of Canada in Newfoundland. The slaughter of over 325.000 baby seals has been widely condemned around the world, but the Canadian government is ademend in its continued support for the barbaric mass killings. The EU is said to pass legislation this year to ban the sale and/or export of seal products within its borders.
Last week, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship ‘Farley Mowat’ set off from Bermuda to make its way to the killing fields. The last time the Sea Shepherd went out to confront the seal hunt was in 2005 when eleven Sea Shepherd crew were arrested. The aim of this year’s ‘Seal Defence Campaign’ is to try and document the atrocities. In Canada it is a crime witness a seal being killed. Never mind going out there purposefully to document whats going on ” It is a crime to take a photograph of a dying seal. It is a crime to video tape or film a sealer doing his grisly work. Unless you have a permit and the government is not granting permits. And the regulations that ban anyone approaching the slaughter are actually called the ‘Seal Protection Regulations’.”
Four seal hunters drown after boat capsizes
Mainstream media outlets are reporting that four seal hunters have drowned off the coast of Newfoundland after their trawler capsized in the ice.
The Canadian Navy states that the three bodies have so far been located with one still missing presumed dead.
Footage obtained from the hunt has shown the hunters ignoring guidelines on animal welfare distributed by the Canadian government, seal carcasses have been left on the ice, whilst some reports are emerging on seals being skinned alive despite a ban on the practice. Further reports of malpractice and illegal activities are still incoming.
The direct action conservation group Sea Shepherd is expected to arrive off the coast of Newfoundland within the next day, despite threats from the coastguard warning of arrest. Sea Shepherd founder and director Captain Paul Watson has this to say:
“The Minister is making some very irresponsible statements here. Canada has no right to restrict entry of a foreign registered ship into the 200 mile economic exclusion zone when said ship is not engaged in economic activity. The Farley Mowat is a Dutch registered yacht crewed by international volunteers, none of who are paid to be on that ship. The ship has the right of passage and that is guaranteed by international maritime law. We suggest that the Minister consult with his attorneys before making further threats”
With the prospects of a European seal pelt ban looming and increased pressure by activists, it is only a matter of time before the hunt is finally stopped. By hitting the sellers of this product the hunt can effectively be bankrupted.