Proposed cull of 140,000 seals in Gulf of St. Lawrence draws scientific fire

[CHIMO]

Two of Canada's leading marine biologists and a conservation group say a five-year proposal to slaughter 140,000 grey seals in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is being driven by politics, not science.

“I don't support it,” said Hal Whitehead, a professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax who specializes in the study of whales. “From what I've seen of the rationale, it doesn't make much sense to me.”

Earlier this month, a federal advisory panel urged Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield to approve the cull, which would result in the killing of 70 per cent of the grey seals that feed in an area that stretches from Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula to the east side of Cape Breton.

The Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, made up of scientists and fishing industry representatives appointed by the minister, said the proposed cull is an experiment that will test indirect scientific evidence suggesting grey seals are impeding the recovery of cod stocks.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/atlantic/proposed-cull-of-140000-seals-in-gulf-of-st-lawrence-draws-scientific-fire/article2179632/

[ixion]

1. 140K seals die in order to test a theory.

:puke:

[left on green only]

2. Euphemisms aside please!

Why would the "esteemed scientists" use the neat and tidy word "cull" when the word that is really best suited to their proposed atrocity is "slaughter"! They are proposing to slaughter 140,000 seal lives that are from a moral standpoint not even remotely theirs to take. And they are proposing to do it in the lofty name of "science", as an "experiment". Have they ever indicated that they have even first asked themselves the question of "how did there get to be that many seals in the first place" and do the seal numbers constitute an actual seal overpopulation? Perhaps their vision of competition between humans and seals for the food source of Cod says more about our human overpopulation of this tiny planet than it does about any real or imagined seal overpopulation? Perhaps if we as a species had been responsible members of the world community in the first place, we never would have allowed our numbers to grow so large as to make it profitable for the greedy among us to be able to reap wealth from the slaughter of the seals? Those among us with any wisdom at all have already learned that our intervention with the balance of nature has always been a recipe for making those situations become even worse. I wish a pox upon them all for their hubris intentions and their greed.

[Nihil]

3. "would result in the killing of 70 per cent of the grey seals"

> Two of Canada's leading marine biologists and a conservation group say
> a five-year proposal to slaughter 140,000 grey seals in the southern
> Gulf of St. Lawrence is being driven by politics, not science.

No shit it's being driven by politics, not science ... and the blatantly
obvious reason is ...

> The Fisheries Resource Conservation Council, made up of scientists
> and fishing industry representatives ...

Slaughter the seals to maximise their profits while the fishing industry
is busy destroying the cod stocks!

:grr:

> said the proposed cull is an experiment that will test indirect scientific
> evidence suggesting grey seals are impeding the recovery of cod stocks.

Scum. Absolute scum.
When they get to the end of the slaughter project, they will just turn round
and say that it is "inconclusive" so let's slaughter a further 70% of what's
left ...

:argh:

Here's an idea to maintain cod stocks: Slaughter 70% of the fishermen and the
supporting land staff (including management) who are busy actively destroying
the fishery. I can guarantee that this will result in a greater recovery in
cod stocks than any sadistic rampage on seal colonies.

:mad: