Anti Sealing Protesters to Escalate Demonstrations to End Hunts

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Anti sealing protesters threaten to escalate demonstrations to end hunt

Source: APR

Mar 13, 2001 11:35

 

LONDON (CP) _ Protesters opposed to the seal hunt in Canada and Norway say they

could escalate their opposition to the hunt by targeting tourism to the two

countries in their campaign to end the fur trade.

 

Craig Armstrong of the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade led about 40

demonstrators outside Canada House at Trafalgar Square in a 90-minute

demonstration Tuesday before holding a similar protest at the Norwegian embassy.

 

``It is unbelievable that in the 21st century, and despite international

condemnation, governments of countries such as Norway and Canada continue to

support the mass slaughter of seal mammals,'' he said.

 

The coalition of anti-seal hunt groups organized similar demonstrations in 14

countries.

Armstrong said later this year animal rights activists will decide whether to

begin new campaigns aimed at discouraging tourists from visiting Canada and

Norway.

 

``We're pushing it this year, we're going to make it a major, major issue,'' he

said.

``We're going to be looking at expanding the campaign to perhaps target the

tourist industry and see how we can have a financial impact on the governments

of Canada and Norway.''

 

Ottawa has maintained the quota for the annual harp seal hunt at last spring's

levels.

The quota for the East Coast hunt remained at 275,000 animals, the government

said, because last year's harvest was small and the population stands at its

highest level since the 1970s.

 

Canadian sealers took 92,000 harp seals last spring, about one third of the

quota. Fishermen argue the seals damage fish stocks.

 

Armstrong said the fact the quota wasn't met means there is no market for seal

fur.

``We're hoping the number of seals killed is going to be less this year because

there's simply no markets for the products,'' he said.

 

The Canadian Sealers Association has said its members expect a rebound in the

2001 season as inventories dry up.

A study last year concluded there are about 5.2 million harp seals off the East

Coast. In the 1970s, there were two million when the industry was almost shut

down by worldwide protests.

 

Federal subsidies on the sale of seal meat revived the hunt in 1996. Over the

past 10 years, about 1.4 million seals have been killed.

But about one million of those were taken in the past four years alone.

 

 

 

 

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