- Target:
- Keith Ashfield & the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council
- Region:
- Canada
- Website:
- www.ifaw.org
A key study published in the science journal Nature ("Transient dynamics of an altered large marine ecosystem", September 2011"), by Canadian scientists using the DFO's own data, totally refutes Ashfield, the DFO and the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. The latter insist on slaughtering 70,000 - 140,000 grey seals (using machine guns and incinerators), as they blame the grey seals for slowing the cod recovery. This slaughter would cost $35 million dollars when the DFO is already facing cutbacks.
Why is the government taking such a foolish action? Possibly to distract the East coast fishers (who do vote) from the real agenda: deregulation of the East Coast fishing industry.
Such a policy would be very unpopular on the East Coast of Canada, as it would likely would likely lead to the destruction of the independent fishing industry. However, if the Harper government can distract the small fishers with 'support' in the form of a massive grey seal slaughter, they hope to escape a voter back-lash in the next federal election.
But the data shows that the cod (and other groundfish stocks) are recovering in the same areas the grey seals have higher populations, proving the grey seals are not holding back the cod recovery. The cod collapsed decades ago due to over fishing, and are only now starting to recover. Destroying the grey seals will only destabilize a tenuous Grand Banks ecosystem, actually threatening the cod recovery.
The proposed grey seal slaughter is only about politics, and has nothing to do with science.
We, the undersigned, call on the government of Canada to refrain from any cull on grey seals; any such slaughter can't improve the cod recovery, and instead could only threaten the cod recovery. The Fisheries Resource Conservation Council support for the slaughter is a shameful political sham, and has nothing to do with science.
Withdraw any and all proposals for this cruel and wasteful slaughter, or we the undersigned will promote a massive boycott of East Coast tourism as a form of protest.
As well, we the undersigned will do all we can to defeat the Federal Conservative party in the next Canadian federal election.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Stop the Disastrous Grey Seal Cull petition to Keith Ashfield & the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council was written by Amy Shields and is in the category Government at GoPetition.