17 August 2007
Windhoek — Despite striking an agreement last week with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to stop distributing damning statements on the Internet criticising the country's seal harvesting, animal rights group Seal Alert SA had this week gone ballistic accusing Namibia of being in violation "of every conservation principle of sustainable utilisation imaginable".
In a hard-hitting statement e-mailed to the Economist on Thursday, François Hugo of Seal Alert South Africa said the country was in violation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation; Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution of sustainable utilisation of resources; the IUCN sustainable utilisation of seals from bountiful populations; the Convention In Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II criteria; the world ban on harvesting nursing baby seals and their imports; and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which promotes the non-consumptive use of Cape fur seals, the promotion of their conservation and protection.
"Namibia cannot pursue a policy of harvesting seals and eco-tourism. As visitor numbers to Cape Cross show visitors of between 53113 and 70427 who contribute N$2 million [who] are in fact now being defrauded due to the absence of any seals at Cape Cross," said Hugo.
This week the fisheries and marine resources ministry said it would continue harvesting seals because animal rights groups, who oppose the harvest, had failed to provide any alternative method of culling the marine animals.
The ministry held a meeting on 9 August with Seal Alert SA and other animal rights organisations including the National Council SPCA South Africa, the World Society for Protection of Animals and the Humane Society International for Animal UK.
"Seal Alert was unable to provide any alternative regarding the Namibia current method of seal harvesting. Seal Alert was informed that, seal harvesting, as is the case with all living natural resources in Namibia is conducted in line with the principle of sustainable utilisation as advocated by the code of conduct for responsible fisheries of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation," Frans Tsheehama, the ministry's permanent secretary, said in a statement.
He said after a presentation by the ministry's scientists to the animal rights organisation, there was enough evidence to prove that allegations made by Seal Alert had no bases.
"It was also agreed that Seal Alert would refrain from its campaign to tarnish the image of the Namibian government's policies of harvesting its natural resources as it is now doing by sending damaging information on Internet," Tsheehama said.
The ministry will hold another meeting with the animal rights groups after they have studied the presentation given to them by the ministry's scientists.
"You can't rape children and then say that is legal," Hugo however told the Economist this week. "There is no other alternative to clubbing baby seals to death. What we are saying is that the culling should not be done."
He blamed government scientists for the increase in the yearly quota arguing that there was no humane method to the controversial harvest.
Hugo also said he and the other animal rights organisations present at the meeting were not given the opportunity to question the scientists.
"The meeting was biased. The chairman was from the fisheries ministry," said Hugo.
Last month, at the start of the five-month hunting season, the government set a three-year total allowable catch of 6000 adult males and upped the number of pups to be killed by 20000 to 80000.
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