drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

So the canadians are in the midst of slaughtering 300,000 harp seals to preserve fish stocks!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3618901.stm

Well, here's a thought - how about not over-fishing the seas in the first instance. About time that the fishing industry and governments took responsibility for our ever-dwindling fish stocks and not resort to the carnage that we are seeing at present!

As for fur coming back into fashion - what's the justification?? Arrggh! Perhaps, public skinning of a fashion designer is called for!

ProperCharlie

must admit; this does seem a bit OTT. Can't imagine seal meat tastes that great in any case

stevem2k

not condoning it in any way, but I thought that it was interesting that it was the spanish and portugese factory ships that had in a large part decimated the cod stocks.

Steve

ajm

Harsh as it may seem, if they don't cull them the seals will end up starving to death anyway when the fish stocks deplete. Even if we fished less the seal numbers would continue to grow until curtailed by food shortage.

Jamo

iTrader: (23)

saw this on tv lst night! its ******* sick! didnt think things like this were allowed to happen in his day and age!!! im not a green peace fanatic or owt, but how cute are them little fellas! sick *****!

OllyK

TaaDaa...nature and natural selection at work!!! So why do we feel the need to interfere? Coz we are greedy and want more than our fair share of the fish!

ajm

Which is also natural.... we harvest all the fish we can (just like the seals or any other animal would) until we are curtailed, and I'm sure nature has something in store for us, but thats another discussion...

OllyK

Hmmm - but how much of the fish we catch is wasted? Thrown back as it is too small etc?? How much do the seals waste? Don't see them sitting on stock piles of fish on the beach do you? They catch what they need at the time, whereas we drag tonnes of them out of the sea in one go.

Yes we will be curtailed, when all the fish runs out, then we will move on to something else, and something else until there is nothing left.

andypugh2000

Phil, you sound like you are still upset about messing up your 1st/2nd gear change on sunday NO seriously its a very sad day when mankind once again decides he wants to control all of the world

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Upset? - no, just embarrassed!

How about a national 'Club A Canadian' day??

andypugh2000

My grandparents are canadian and i would gladly go on a "club a canadian" day

carl

Is that some sort of whisky?

davyboy

Unfortunately, we can't choose to keep animals could they look all cuddley!

It wasn't long ago that humans had to interfere with nature due to foot and mouth, but then, cows and sheep are a bit minging aren't they

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Foot and mouth isn't the same issue, there is no disease issue central to this - the seals in question are being slaughtered because man has over-fished the seas and rather than addressing the real issue, the canadians have decided to slaughter a species that is existing as nature (and not mankind) has intended.

davyboy

Interesting that Greenpeace have not commented......yet

OllyK

Guess their webmaster is taking a couple of extra days hols after Easter

Nicci

Can't we just slaughter the human fish eaters.

I don't eat fish and have tried to encourage others not to eat cod, but to choose an alternative fish.

So with all the seal culls, will there be 'cheaper' fur coats?

This topic makes me really angry. Why don't those with power look for alternatives and pay that little extra. More 'fish farms' perhaps.

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

IIRC - Birdseye were marketing a fish called Haki as a great substitute for Cod - thats great until we fish all the Haki stock as well!

FYI - over 100 million sharks are killed each year for a number of reasons, finning, sports etc Not very wise to be destroying the natural balance of the oceans just because mankind can't cap it's greed.

Nicci

All the sharks getting killed...
Lots of other creatures disappearing in the driftnets too. I don't want to get started on the ignorant Tuna eaters.

Why can't people adapt their tastes?
I think magazines etc should use their influence to encourage the fish eaters to try something new.

ajm

There is waste admittedly, but this is unavoidable when you have a small number of people catching for the majority. Seals catch their own food whereas we let others catch our food. The only way they can tell how much to catch is by seeing how high the demand is previously. If the demand changes from month to month then waste will occur. However, it is not in fishermans interests (even those who ignore their quota) to catch more fish than there is genuine demand for because they will not be able to sell it!

The example of sharks and fins is a classic example of waste and should be stopped as it is unecessary. However, there should not be a problem, in principle, with hunting sharks so long as it is done sustainably. When Australia waged war on the Great White the seal population took off so while the sharks were persecuted the seals flourished. Now the pointers are protected the seals have taken a beating accordingly.

We shouldn't feel guilty for affecting population levels of species so long as it is done sustainably as that is our function as a top predator. Predators affect the levels of their prey, until such a time the availability of prey affects the levels of the predator. If its sustainable the cycle will go on indefinately with neither predator or prey becoming extinct.

Sustainability is the key.

The most realistic answer is not to make people starve, or to cull humans (although this would be effective if only it were allowed ) but to create sustainable fishing by leaving areas "fallow", creation of artificial reefs and breeding grounds, fry release programmes and strict adherance and rigid enforcement of the rules.

unclebuck

It's a disgrace. The 'fish stocks' argument is apparently bogus. The truth is they see it as a 'tradition' and 'a way of life' At least they shoot them now instead of clubbing them to death in front of the mother. It's disgusting.

UB

wrxtankie

i was a bit rude appologies

wrxtankie

Tradition bit like fox hunting thats culling too isnt it?

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Eh?

What is it with people shouting racism? Where is the racism in any part of this thread?

Unclebuck - if only they were all shot - seems like there's a fair amount of clubbing being done - and the sealers think it's a humane way of killing the creatures!

wrxtankie

erm clubbing some canadians,
dont u think peeps would be offended if you said clubbing some pakistani´s
I know its not to do with this thread but you could have been a little more subtle,

At least stating it was meant in light fun,

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Well, suggest you could have phrased it like that rather than calling us a bunch of ******!

Still not racism, nationalistic perhaps, but not racist!

Suggest you read the thread properly. There's potentially a number of interesting discussions to be had about this subject and I'm sure than 99% of readers would have seen the underlying humour in 'Club a Canadian' but I guess not all

wrxtankie

Just making a point. I thought id use some colourfull language so i could get a fast reply

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Touche

ajm

But with the greatest of respect, what exactly do you know of their traditions and way of life? Its your right to agree or disagree with it of course, but at the end of the day you live 3000 miles away and its not your culture or way of life that your are trying to ban!

What people seem to forget is that humans are animals as well. We play our part in the natural order of things and it is arrogant to set us aside from the rest and assume that we must make no footprint on nature, as if we were aliens studying another world... look but don't touch. Our input is needed.

The seals have been hunted since prehistoric time and the hunting is embedded in the natural cycle - removing the hunting upsets the cycle just as much as OVER hunting, which is the real issue.

Sustainable hunting, however cruel it may seem to you, is part of the natural order of life. The Canadians say what they are doing IS sustainable - do you have any facts to disprove that? It's their country, and I think its fair to say that they some experience in hunting, over hunting and the effects it has from their past mistakes. Is it not feasible that they may actually have got the level right this time?

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, don't see much hunting going on - hunting implies sport to me; not very sporting when your prey can't get away or isn't old enough to realise what a threat is.

Just because something is a tradition does not give it the right to be carried on regardless of a changing world. It used to traditon to bait bears for example but it doesn't happen now. Why?, because the world has changed.

The bottom line to me appears to be that mankind has over-fished the oceans to the point of crisis and yet appears to be doing very little constructively to sort the problem other than go on a bloody slaughter.

I agree that sustainable hunting is a necessity on occasions butnot at the expense of tackling the under-lying route of the problem.