-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Watson Seashepherd [mailto:paul@seashepherd.org]
Sent: February 26, 2003 2:38 AM
To: Watson Paul
Subject: Draft Letter for letters to the Canadian Embassy and consulates

CANADIAN HARP SEAL HUNT
Draft letter to Canadian Consulates - please write your own letter or copy this one and sign.

We would like to express our condemnation of the reckless disregard for animal welfare and conservation shown by the Canadian government in its management of the commercial seal hunt.
In March 0f 2003, the world will witness what has become the largest kill of harp seals in Canada since 1850. Stating that they were responding to "market conditions", the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has set a quota of 350,000 seals to be slaughtered each year for the next three years. This move towards a market driven quota rather than one set according to conservation principals will have grave consequences for the harp seal population. Certainly, this situation is reminiscent of the circumstances leading to the collapse of the cod stocks in the early 1990s.
In 2002 the quota was 275,000 and the actual kill was officially in excess of 307,000. The government of Canada responded to this overkill by raising the quota to a ridiculous high of 350,000.
The DFO's refusal to enforce its own quota and Canada's Marine Mammal Regulations (MMRs) signifies a dangerous abdication of its responsibility to manage the seal hunt.
A 2001 study conducted by an international team of veterinarians found that during the hunt, up to 42% of seals are skinned alive while fully conscious. Furthermore, video evidence gathered each year shows routine violations of the Marine Mammal Regulations and Canada's Criminal Code, including the skinning and bleeding of live seals, the stockpiling of dead and dying animals, and the dragging of live seals across the ice with sharpened boat hooks. Despite the submission of more than 660 thoroughly documented violations to the DFO over the past few years, not a single charge has been laid in response.
Today, the Canadian hunt for harp and hooded seals is the largest slaughter of marine mammals anywhere in the world. Internationally condemned for its inherent cruelty and waste, the Canadian seal hunt has tarnished the image of your country around the world.
We urge the Canadian government to intervene and close the hunt for harp and hooded seals permanently. Should your reckless support for this cruel and out-of-control slaughter continue, it is certain that there will be a backlash against Canada.

Sincerely,

Note: Canadian consulate contact details can be found at:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/english/missions/rep-can1e.htm).

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/236982184