The annual baby seal hunt is on and the protesters are out in force. I am personally ambivalent about the seal hunt. On one hand helpless animals are bludgeoned to death for their fur. On the other, the hunt supports families who would not otherwise be able to survive economically in a part of Canada that is very poor and which is losing its fishing industry due to over harvesting. But I do know that baby seals are not worth endangering human lives, which was apparently done when the Sea Shepherd Society maneuvered in front of a Coast Guard cutter so as to cause a collision. From the statement by the Canadian Minister of Fisheries:
On March 30, 2008, while attempting to provoke a confrontation, the Farley Mowat maneuvered itself in front of the Coast Guard vessel Des Groseilliers to cause a collision between the two vessels. The CCG icebreaker was taking part in seal hunt enforcement operations at the time.
This organization is known to use this tactic to generate photo opportunities, which generate publicity and bolster their fundraising efforts – an action I find despicable…
Members of the Sea Sheppard Society, who tried to attract media attention by manoeuvring their boat to cause a collision with a Coast Guard vessel, should reconsider their shameful tactics which jeopardize the safety and security of people involved in the annual seal hunt. If the crew of the Farley Mowat valued life as much as they say they do, they would immediately remove themselves from the area, and not attack Coast Guard vessels while they protect our sealers.
Here is the news story about the incident, with Sea Shepherd activists claiming an intentional ramming. I don’t believe them for a second. They are very radical, whose leader has accused humanity of being a virus on the planet, with the “cure” against us requiring a “radical and invasive approach.” Moreover, we are talking about a Canadian Coast Guard ship here.
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