iaink

Am I the only one who thinks its a bit odd that this mutimillionaire is sticking his nose into about the only thing that keeps many Maritimers financialy afloat? Would he be so keen to end it if it was his livelyhood?

Not sure I buy the government vet study "Oh, its OK, they really are dead, its the swim reflex" argument either though. Sure the seals are cute and fluffy, but there are 5 million of them, so how is this any different to trying make abatoirs illegal and ban leather good, after all cows have those big brown eyes too....

Just seems odd to me, (and the fact the media laps this up annoys me), Id be interested in what those who live out East and see the economic and other effects of the cull think about all this.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

dbd33

Each time I hear Paul McCartney on the radio I run to Chinatown and buy some more dog fur.

Atlantic Xpat

Well I guess as the only Newfoundland resident here I have to weigh in on this one......

Paul McCartney passed through St. John's yesterday (obviously flying on AC861 to Halifax, good job he didnt try today cos its not stopping in NL, but I digress....) and his stated aim to go observe/protest the seal hunt is big news here. Danny Williams (NL Premier) wants to meet with him to put the economic/social impact to him but I imagine that reasoned debate is not on the agenda. The opinion here of a largely rural and very much dependent on the fishery population is somewhere along the lines of 'What right does someone who comes from a far wealthier part of the world have to come here and tell us how we should or should not make a living'. McCartney is the latest in a long line of 'celebs' from Bridget Bardot to MacGyver to jump on the seal hunt bandwagon. Most of them a B list at best but thats by the by ('by)

I think there is a valid point of view that pictures of nice cuddly seals, particularly 'white coats' which are not actually culled, makes for good fund raising for Greenpeace, HSUS, Sea Shepherd society etc etc. Couple that with our preference these days not to know the gory details of food processing and rosy eyed vision of nature means that its a cause celebre. How many of us picking up that juicy steak at Loblaws want to picture the slaughterhouse/factory farming unit that it is produced in?

The fact is that the population is exploding and that the seal hunt offers a valuable income opportunity to fisherman who are facing diminishing returns from their other fisheries but ever increasing costs (particularly fuel). I think an average fishing boat can make around $40k from the hunt. Not so much when you've paid your costs and split it amongst the crew but useful income at an otherwise quiet time of the year.

The subject is not one I hold particularly strong views about either way. However having lived here a whiles I have some sympathies with the local position. The concern here is no so much that the govt (provincial or federal) will ban the hunt or that the protestors will stop it (they wont) but that a well orchestrated and financed publicity campaign will drive consumers to boycott Canadian/Newfoundland seafood sales. Not sure how valid that is (do you know where you fish fingers actually come from?) but for sure the protestors will always have a better publicity machine and more high profile activists than the hunters.

For a truly rabid frothing at the mouth view of the whole subject I recommend http://www.seashepherd.org/

AX

London7

maybe you would enjoy being skinned alive by these brutal morons?
and before you even ask do i eat meat or wear leather, thats a no!
if you educated yourself you might read that independent reports have confirmed the seals actually HELP the fish population.
sorry, but it makes me sick. and something that really irritates me about canadians, their apathy.
they should be deeply ashamed of this cull.
Do we need fur coats? i dont think so.................................

iaink

Skinned alive? I guess it depends whos information you believe. Neither side strikes me as particularly objective. I wonder how many cows, pigs etc are slaughtered without being properly humainly stunned first.

As a (vegan?) dont you think that the resources going into this would be better used to protest the much larger number of other animals exploited and abused for the sake of mankind?

Im curious about the independent reports that say seals help fish stocks, do you have a link. Having worked as an academic researcher I know all about pleasing the paymasters so Im curious about the funding and how independent they really are. I guess Im as skeptical of that as I am of the "swim reflex" twitching.

I suspect its a red herring anyway because as far as I can tell the argument about seals depleating fish stocks has not been raised this time (except by you , indirectly), it should probably be considered counterproductive by the pro hunting lobby as compared to human overfishing the seals are not the problem. Its just a straight economic exploitation argument isnt it?

Do they need a fur coat? No. But do they need the income generated by the hunt/cull if other people are stupid enough to exercise their freedom of choice to wear this dead animal rather than another sort? Its not exactly a wealthy area, so I imagine the income is gratefully recieved by those involved.

I dont wear furs, dont eat a lot of meat, but I'm not sentimental about where our food comes from, or the fact that most domesticated (farm) animals were bred for and exist for one reason and one reason only, and that "conservation" is really only supported to ensure future stocks are available for exploitation. But I think its important that this be done with as little suffering as possible and the rules enforced.

Suffering of course is extended to include having to listening to the media fest around this.

Atlantic Xpat

Sigh.
No I dont really want to be skinned alive by Brutal Morons or even Gentle Intellectuals. I also consider myself to be pretty educated and able to see more than one point of view. Something you evidently are unable to do. I suggest eating red meat cos it makes you think clearer. And of course leather belts avoid having to walk around with your trousers around your ankles at all times. Food for thought.....

iaink

To be fair so do nylon suspenders, but of course you need to get oil from somewhere for those manmade fibres.

Complicated isnt it?

dbd33

Hemp rope. Veggie daughter was big into hemp before she saw the light.

iaink

Doh, hemp, of course. The answer to so many of lifes insurmountable problems

flashman

Maybe Sir Paul will get distracted and start hugging some trees instead. After all there's plenty of em in Canada.

London7

Dorothy

Maybe all those so called "Stars" could butt out of Canadian politics unless they would like to move to Canada and commit some of their hefty bank accounts to our economy. I am so sick of idiots like Bono and Paul McCartney & Peg (his wife) coming here telling us what is wrong with our country. Get a real job and fix the problems in your own country first.

hot wasabi peas

Each time I go to Chinatown and I want to eat sum yung gai.

iaink

Ah, the last word in rational argument and debate I see

iaink

Is there no <groan> emoticon