AN
OPEN LETTER TO RED LOBSTER TO
STOP SUPPORTING THE CANADIAN SEAL HUNT
We recommend sending this letter to Red Lobster Public Relations department.
Attn: Wendy Spirduso/ Kim Lopdrup
P.O. Box 593330, Orlando, FL 32859
You can change the letter to suit your own words, otherwise it is an excellent
letter (we think).
Dear Red Lobster:
Date: (today)
I am surprised to learn of the seal hunt that recently concluded in Canada. The
reports from groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society, and Harpseals.org are that seals as young as 12
days old were killed in a very in-humane way simply for fur and the penis bone
for a Chinese impotence potion (blackmarket).
The death toll on the ice this year was over 350,000 animals, making this the
largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet.
We were even more surprised to learn that Red Lobster has the power to stop this
hunt, but refuses to do so!
I find it unacceptable that Red Lobster feels that it is “inappropriate to boycott
Canadian seafood……that would harm tens of thousands of innocent people who make
their living in the Canadian seafood industry and have nothing to do with the
Newfoundland seal harvest”.
Your concern for fishermen who are not involved in the seal hunt is ludicrous
– if Red Lobster joined this boycott, Canada would have no other choice but to
end the seal hunt within a few weeks. That is how much purchasing power Red Lobster
has – why not use it in a POSITIVE WAY?
You also claim to be “reaching out to the Canadian Department of Fisheries and
Oceans to help influence and effect positive change”. There has not been one confirmed
report of this, and your guest relation’s staff quickly change the subject when
asked about the details of “reaching out”.
On March 15, 2005, there were protests in 27 different countries all over the
world calling on the Canadian Government to stop the cruel and needless slaughter
of seals. On June 25, 2005, Red Lobster restaurants all across the United States
and Canada were being protested because of your refusal to boycott seafood from
Canada. We also saw another protest in our area on July 30, 2005, at our local
Red Lobster so apparently people are very, very upset with you.
You have the power to end this hunt, and yet you refuse to do so. This makes you
even worse than the sealers themselves.
The video footage of this “hunt” is heartbreaking. What makes this hunt even worse
is the attitude that the seal “hunters” take toward protesters from the HSUS,
Ifaw, the Sea Shepherd and many others. The sealers hurled numerous insults at
the protesters, “mooned” many of the women protesters, and one of the sealing
crews actually attacked the Sea Shepherd crew who were on the ice only to film
the hunt. Representatives from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
were also filming the hunt. The media reported that some of the sealers actually
hit several of the Sea Shepherd observers in the legs with their clubs, yet the
sealers were not arrested.
These sealers are the same individuals who are now providing the seafood that
is served at Red Lobster!
Does Red Lobster really want to support people like this? I certainly do not want
to support these people, nor will I support any establishment that purchases from
them.
Therefore, I am joining the efforts of Americans this day and pledge to not eat
at Red Lobster or any other Darden establishment until you agree to boycott seafood
from Canada.
Respectfully yours,
John or Jill Doe
A Former Red Lobster Customer