A recent report proposes that 220,000 grey seals be shot and incinerated in their protected Sable Island nursery. This horrific proposal includes shooting pups with silencer-equipped rifles, loading them onto dump trucks with a specially modified grabber machine, and transporting them to incinerators. all at a taxpayer cost of $35 million.
Culling of marine mammals has never been shown to benefit any commercial fish stock. According to your own scientists, the current state of cod stocks is the result of the long-term effects of overfishing not grey seals. In Alaska alone, fishers harvest more than 4 billion pounds of fish from the area each year.
We ask your Department reject this outrageous and scientifically unjustified plan.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa
Frank Stanek
Media Relations
613-990-7537
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Office of the Minister
Nancy Bishay
Director of Communications
613-992-3474
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Lori Lee Oates
Director of Communications
709-729-3733, 690-8403
oatesll@gov.nl.ca
