Making
a "living"- killing seals... Photo: GAN |
In an effort
to bring balance and an [attempted] unbiased look at the true nature
of the Canadian Harp seal slaughter, we believe it's necessary
to try and understand the mentality, lifestyles and points of view
of the people who actually do the clubbing and killing, and the organizations
and groups that support it.
Obviously, their view points are far different than the opposition's,
and understanding it as best we can is an important piece of the puzzle
to ending the wasteful slaughter.
THE SEALER GALLERY
Click here to see 2006 sealers. A revealing photo gallery.
THE FIRST AND
BEST PLACE TO START IS TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THE MODERN DAY SEALER:
Today's typical modern day Canadian sealers are mostly fisherman,
who, more often than not, are unholy participants in the corporate
profit machine of a select few businesses and the government that
subsidizes their cherished lifestyles.
Although the baby seals represent their first "employment opportunity"
of they year, the profits made by killing the seals are miniscule
compared to their "other jobs" of fishing, crabbing, and taking lobster.
The fact is, for most sealers, the majority of the proceeds of the
seal slaughter go directly to the sealing ship owners and the pelt
wholesalers, with the actual man on the ice making slim pickings for
the dirty work.
WEBPAGES, STORIES, ETC. ABOUT SEALERS:
Here's
a collection of sealer related stories and webpages. Well
be expanding this section over time:
Sealers
speak out- Extreme cruelty at the hunt-
(Webpage- (GAN) Global Action Network).
 GROUPS
SYMPATHETIC TO THE SEALER'S
POINT OF VIEW:
There are a few groups who (upon a first quick look) CLAIM to be on
the seal's side, or advocates of "animal rights", but in
reality far better serve the needs and interests of the sealers themselves
and the government supporting their highly subsidized killing industry.
In
navigating around their websites, it's interesting to see their replies,
justifications, and rationalizations regarding the subject matter
of the Canadian seal hunt.
On some pages, you will see, for example, articles stating "facts" about the Harp seal/ cod relationship, however it never fails that
the article or claim isn't backed by any credible unbiased science
reports that we can study and question on our own... Basically, we
just have to take their word for it.
NATIONAL
ANIMAL INTEREST ALLIANCE-
(Organization Website- "Our members
feed, clothe, heal, comfort, entertain, inform and protect the world!")
SAD
BUT TRUE... EXPOSING THE TRUE NATURE OF THE WWF:
Unfortunately,
this very powerful "environmental" organization chooses
to ENDORSE and spread DIS-information about the seal hunt.
Paul Watson and Harpseals.org wishes to expose this organization for
what they are: seal kill supporters and puppets of the Canadian government.
Read Paul's take on the current position of the
WWF regarding the hunt.
In addition, Harpseals.org recently obtained a copy of an email sent
to one of its list members in regards to their question about the
seal hunt. Read the email now for enlightenment.
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND-
(Organization Website- Take a stand for
the seals and ask them why they don't OPPOSE the seal hunt!)
PRO
SEALING ORGANIZATIONS:
The most
brazen groups who unabashedly promote sealing (and whaling):
HIGH NORTH ALLIANCE-
(Organization Website- "The organisation's
objective is to protect the rights of whalers, sealers and fishermen
to harvest renewable resources in accordance with the principle of
sustainable management.")
NORTH ATLANTIC MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION
(NAMMCO)-
(Organization Website- "the inter-governmental
body for cooperation on the conservation, management and study of
marine mammals in the North Atlantic.)
QUESTIONABLE
(PRO?) SEALING WEBSITES:
If you go into Yahoo.com and plug in "Baby Seals",
you come up with a wide variety of sites regarding the clubbing of
baby seals. Some of these are questionable in their purposes,
but to each his own... In some way, perhaps these websites help to
bring attention to the plight of the seals?
I
CLUB BABY SEALS
(Website: One engineering students twisted and (hopefully) sarcastic
take on the subject of clubbing baby seals. Not to be missed are the
letters written to him over the years by visitors to his site.)
PRESS
IN DEFENSE OF SEALERS:
Harpseals.org believes in providing as diverse a collection of information
possible regarding the seal hunt. Here
are a few press stories supporting the sealer's position:
WHO
WILL DEFEND THE SEAL CLUBBERS?- (Article:
Boris Johnson, writing for "The Age Online", editor of The
Spectator and a columnist with The Daily Telegraph, London, defends
the sealers right to kill- April 16th, 2004) |
