Seal Conservation Society

1999 News Digest

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16 November 1999

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24 January 1999

Canadian Government replies to Fisheries Committee Report - The Canadian federal government tabled its official response to the "Thirteenth Report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans - The Seal Report" (see News, 7 October 1999) on 5 November. The federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Herb Dhaliwal, announced that he had accepted the report’s recommendation to appoint a panel of eminent people, reporting to him, to provide advice on a long-term strategy for the management of the country’s seal populations and that he will refer two other recommendations, the establishment of experimental seal exclusion zones and experimental seal harvests, to the panel for study. It is initially expected that the panel will be asked to consider the Committee’s findings and reports by autumn 2000 so that their advice can be considered in the development of the seals management plan for 2001.

Included in the government’s response was a statement that it was "not prepared to undertake measures that could not be supported by solid scientific data and objectives" and that it had decided to proceed cautiously on its decisions on hunting levels. On the issue of putting pressure on the United States to relax the import ban on marine mammal products, the government stated that Canadian officials are consulting with the governments of like-minded countries for a coordinated effort in this direction. For more information, see the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) web site or contact the International Fund for Animal Welfare. (Source: DFO Web Site - 5 Nov 1999) (16 November 1999)

Greenland to challenge seal product ban - It has been revealed that Greenland’s government plans to push the export of seal products on to the agenda for the November 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Seattle, USA. The government will argue that import bans on seal products, such as the one placed on harp seal pup (Phoca groenlandica) products by the European Community, are invalid under WTO rules which prohibit countries from restricting trade in products that are not endangered. Greenpeace has said that it will oppose Greenland’s stance. (Source: London Guardian - 13 Oct 1999) (16 November 1999)

Canadian judge rules hunting tapes as inadmissible evidence - A provincial court judge in Newfoundland ruled on 27 October that videotapes of the 1996 Canadian harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) hunt cannot be used in the prosecution of seven Newfoundland sealers on the grounds that the tapes do not meet evidentiary standards. The judgement is a setback to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) which shot the undercover videotapes, containing evidence of cruelty and other breaches of the Canadian Marine Mammals Act. IFAW’s Rick Smith vouched for the authenticity of the tapes and commented that the judge had not chosen to use commonly available tests to authenticate them. The lawyer for the sealers has asked for the charges against them to be dropped as a result of the ruling. For more information, contact IFAW. (Sources: National Post - 29 Oct 1999; Ottawa Sun - 29 Oct 1999) (16 November 1999)

Prince Edward Island report blames seals - A report, released at the end of October as a result of a joint effort between the P.E.I. provincial and Canadian federal governments, the Atlantic Veterinary College and the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association, concluded that the province’s fishermen blame seals for destroying their catch and nets. Rory McLellan, Director of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association, which sponsored the study, admitted that the study was not particularly objective but then claimed that it "definitely heightens the demand for a more intensive seal cull". The study asked 281 fishermen how much damage seals had caused, basing their responses on recollections of their own personal experiences in the water. Dave Gillis, a biologist with the provincial Department of Fisheries, commented that the study had not been a scientific one and that it had been known that the responses would be biased. (Source: Charlottetown Guardian - 27 Oct 1999) (16 November 1999)

Sick Cyprus sea lion transported to unknown fate - Despite protests from animal welfarists and veterinarians, and a reported last-minute attempt by police to prevent its export, the neglected Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), which had been abandoned at the Ayia Napa Marine Park in Cyprus (see News, 7 October 1999), was put aboard an Aeroflot flight to Moscow on 22 October by its Russian owners.

Controversy had surrounded the condition of the sea lion, three state veterinarians having reportedly declared that the "condition of the animal was excellent, that it was fit to travel" although two British marine biologists and a British veterinarian, James Barnett, had travelled to Cyprus to inspect the sea lion and had agreed with state vets that the sea lion was being kept in inadequate conditions and was close to death from malnutrition and disease. The British experts had provided the authorities with scientific reports on the sea lion’s condition, provided a feeding and vitamin regimen to restore its health, and volunteered to return to Cyprus and nurse it back to health if it could be confiscated and transferred to the Ocean Aquarium in Protaras, which had offered its facilities. The veterinary authorities had however continually stalled on transferring the sea lion to the Ocean Aquarium. On 11 October the visiting British MP Roger Gale called on the Cypriot President and Agriculture Minister to take steps to save the sea lion.

The Cypriot Department of Veterinary Services, and especially its Director, Pavlos Economides, has come under a great deal of criticism for its handling of the situation. The Cyprus Green Party has called for Economides’ dismissal for covering up for the owners and has urged the Agriculture Minister to investigate whether Economides was guilty of providing assurances that the sea lion was being cared for when that wasn’t the case. Alan Knight, Operations Director of International Animal Rescue (IAR) commented that he was "absolutely staggered by the lack of professionalism of the veterinary services" and that they were "totally without regard for the animal’s well-being". For more information, see the IAR web site or view the Cyprus Mail articles. (Sources: Cyprus Mail - 12, 15, 20, 23 Oct 1999; IAR Web Site) (16 November 1999)

Hearing on sea lion scarer postponed - A hearing scheduled for 2 November to discuss whether or not to permit the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to test an underwater acoustic scaring device on California sea lions (Zalophus californianus californianus) (see News, 7 October 1999) has been postponed by the Californian State Coastal Commission until 7-10 December on request of the NMFS. The NMFS wants to test the device, which has been developed to deter sea lions from following commercial sportfishing boats, on fishing boats off the coast of San Diego and Imperial Beach over a 5-month period on 109 vessel trips. Both the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) oppose the testing of the pulse power device on the grounds that use of the device could be damaging and perhaps even lethal to pinnipeds and other marine life. The Coastal Commission’s staff has said that the tests, as currently proposed, would be too dangerous to sea lions and other marine mammals and have proposed changes in the testing regime. For more information, see the NRDC web site (select 7/99 "Noise Threatens Marine Life"). (Sources: NRDC; San Diego Tribune - 2 & 3 Nov 1999) (16 November 1999)

Rules protecting Steller sea lions re-written - The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released a re-written set of rules on 15 October aimed at protecting endangered Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) from lack of food caused by fisheries (see News, 7 October 1999). Environmental organisations immediately criticised the rules - which allow the same harvest level of pollock but disperse the fisheries over time and space as well as increasing the number of no-fishing zones - as a disappointment, Paul Clarke of Greenpeace predicting that fishing vessels would congregate along the no-fishing zone boundaries to intercept fish unless the NMFS further disperses the fishing effort. Four additional no-fishing zones have been implemented around rookeries and haulouts in the Gulf of Alaska, five others have been restricted to fishing by smaller boats, and there has been an increase in the number of Bering Sea pollock seasons from four to six. U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly must approve the rewritten rules which will also go out for public comment. Barring successful opposition, the new rules could be put into action when pollock fishing resumes in January. (Sources: Anchorage Daily News - 16 Oct 1999; NOAA Press Release - 15 Oct 1999) (16 November 1999)

La Jolla’s Seal Rock reserve made permanent - The San Diego City Council voted on 1 November to designate Seal Rock and other nearby rock outcroppings in La Jolla (see News, 7 October 1999) as a permanent marine mammal reserve for harbour seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), subject to review in five years. People who disturb the seals within the reserve could be fined up to US$10,000. The Council will decide on 22 November whether or not to extend the reserve to include nearby Children’s Pool Beach. For more information, see the La Jolla Friends of the Seals’ web site. (Source: San Diego Tribune - 2 Nov 1999) (16 November 1999)

U.K. judge rules in favour of offshore marine life - The U.K. Government was defeated in court on 5 November in a landmark ruling which deemed all future offshore oil licensing to be illegal until the Government properly changes its wildlife policy and fully applies the European Union Habitats Directive. The judge’s ruling, the result of a case brought by Greenpeace arguing that cetaceans and deep water coral reefs can be harmed by oil industry activity, stated that the U.K. had clearly not applied the Habitats Directive in initiating the next round of oil licensing in the North East Atlantic, having failed to fully implement the Habitats Directive by unlawfully restricting the directive to waters only 12 nautical miles, instead of 200nm, from the coast. The Government will consider the judgement, which will impact on other marine life around the U.K. coasts, before deciding whether or not to appeal. For more information, see the Greenpeace web site. (Sources: Greenpeace Press Release - 5 Nov 1999; London Daily Mail - 6 Nov 1999) (16 November 1999)

U.S. Navy seeks permission to operate controversial sonar - The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is seeking comment, with a deadline date of 22 November 1999, on the U.S. Navy’s request to operate its Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar (SURTASS LFA) on the world’s oceans. The long-range sonar, which a large number of environmental organisations and scientists are opposing, uses an underwater sound source to locate submarines. The NMFS will decide after receiving comments whether or not to grant the Navy a "small take exemption" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, allowing the Navy to "harass" or disturb marine mammals for up to five years. Reasons for opposition to the sonar include the potential harm to marine life, the inadequacy of research carried out into the effects of the sonar on marine mammals, unjustified conclusions and classifications of ‘harm’ having been set by the Navy and the lack of time provided for public comment.

For further information, see the U.S. Navy web site, the Ocean Mammal Institute web site or contact the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)’s Andrew Wetzler. (Sources: Federal Register 64(204):57026-57029 - 22 Oct 1999; League For Coastal Protection; NRDC; NOAA Press Release - 27 Oct 1999) (16 November 1999)

United States announces new measures to protect oceans - The United States Vice-President Al Gore announced in September that the U.S. Government is to take new action to help protect and preserve the nation’s coastal areas and the global ocean, and that the country’s "contiguous zone" would be increased from 12 to 24 miles, increasing the area within which the Coast Guard and other federal authorities can enforce legislation. At the same time the Vice-President received a report, "Turning to the Sea: America’s Ocean Future" from the cabinet, containing 148 recommendations for strengthening federal ocean policy for the 21st century, and announced that a task force will be formed to oversee implementation of the recommendations. For more information, see the Report (under "Documents of Interest"). (Source: SeaWeb Ocean Update - Oct 1999) (16 November 1999)

Jet skis banned in Marin County, California - In the first ban of its kind in California, the Marin County Board of Supervisors voted on 26 October to prohibit jet skis and similar craft from the county’s waterways, including the Pacific coast. The ban, which was enacted because of the pollution effects and threat to birds, pinnipeds and other marine life from use of the craft, will take effect a month after the decision and will be enforced by the Sheriff’s Department. Marin County joins San Juan County in Washington State as the only counties in the United States to ban personal watercraft. The International Jet Sports Boating Association said that it did not rule out suing to stop the ban from taking effect.

Meanwhile it has been reported that bipartisan legislation has been recently introduced in the U.S. Congress to partially ban jet skis from sensitive areas close to shorelines, although it is thought that Congress may not have time to pass the measure this year. For more information, contact Mark Babski, Surfrider Foundation USA. (Sources: San Francisco Chronicle - 27 Oct 1999; Surfrider Currents - Nov 1999) (16 November 1999)

New study points to increase in marine diseases - A study published in the journal Science ("Emerging marine diseases - climate links and anthropogenic factors" - Harvell CD et al.; Science 285:1505-1510) concludes that reports of diseases in the ocean are increasing and that there is an urgent need for interdisciplinary studies of such diseases. Among the examples cited in the study are apparent increases in the frequency of marine mammal mass mortalities in the North Atlantic, particularly along heavily polluted coastal areas. The authors suggest two principle causes of emerging diseases - climate variability and direct human impact, also arguing that the introduction of species, degradation of habitat and pollution may be playing a major role in the prompting of disease outbreaks. For more information, contact Drew Harvell, Cornell University. (Source: SeaWeb Ocean Update - Nov 1999) (16 November 1999)

Mitsubishi is boycotted over Mexican salt works plan - Fifteen mutual funds with US$14 billion in assets have decided to boycott Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. over its plan to build the world’s largest salt works in Baja California Sur, northwest Mexico, in partnership with the Mexican government (see News, 21 March 1999). Although the main opposition to the plan is that it would threaten the world's last undisturbed reproduction and calving area for the grey whale, the area of the proposed works is also an important breeding ground for the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi), California sea lion (Zalophus californianus californianus) and Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris). To date 750,000 people have written to Mitsubishi to protest and 34 leading scientists have joined a campaign against the project. The organisations International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and others are also trying to encourage local authorities in California to bar Mitsubishi from public works contracts and the Californian public not to buy Mitsubishi vehicles or do business with its U.S. banking subsidiary, the Union Bank of California. For more information, see the IFAW web site or the NRDC web site (select "whales"). (Sources: CNN - 7 Nov 1999; Reuters - 22 Oct 1999 & 5 Nov 1999) (16 November 1999)

California passes Marine Life Protection Act - On 10 October the Governor of California signed into law the Marine Life Protection Act, a piece of legislation designed to improve the effectiveness of the state’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) system and create "wilderness waters" - areas where oil drilling, fishing and other extractive activities will be prohibited in order to create underwater safe havens for diverse species of marine life. The new law creates a team of scientists to help state agencies prepare a master plan for the MPA system, sets science-based guidelines for site designation, and requires peer review of the plan. For more information, see the Natural Resources Defense Council web site. (Source: NRDC Web Site - 10 Oct 1999) (16 November 1999)

Legislation introduced to ban bottom trawling in the U.S. - The "Seabed Protection Act" (Bill H.R. 3059), a bill introduced in the United States by Congressman Joel Hefley, is aiming to protect sensitive marine habitats by placing a moratorium on the use of destructive mobile fishing gear such as bottom trawls in sixteen key areas in the United States considered essential for maintaining fisheries and other marine life. These areas would be closed until the Secretary of Commerce were to determine that the impact of bottom trawling and other mobile fishing gear on biodiversity, marine habitat, and productivity of fisheries was negligible. The legislation would also require the Secretary of Commerce to implement fishery management plans that encourage the use of fishing gear less destructive than bottom trawling.

The move follows scientific studies showing dramatic decreases in habitat structure and biodiversity in trawled areas, Dr. Elliot Norse of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) having equated the destruction caused by bottom trawling to that of clearcutting forests. A study co-authored by Dr. Norse concluded that mobile fishing gear causes the largest physical disturbance of the world’s seabed. Among the sixteen areas covered by the Bill are several, such as the Gulf of the Farallones, which are important pinniped habitat and feeding areas. For more information, see the MCBI web site. (Sources: American Oceans Campaign (AOC) Web Site - 13 Oct 1999; MCBI Web Site - 13 Oct 1999) (16 November 1999)

Judge rules in favour of Steller sea lions - Environmental groups working to protect the endangered Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) celebrated a landmark U.S. federal court decision on 9 July when Judge Thomas Zilly ruled that current pollock fishing regulations issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) do not protect the sea lions and violate the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. The court also found that the NMFS failed to take the measures recommended by its own scientists to protect the species and failed to prepare a comprehensive environmental impact statement assessing the impact of the pollock fishery on the North Pacific ecosystem. In his written judgement, Judge Zilly, who ordered the NMFS to re-examine the impacts of fisheries on the sea lions, wrote that the "NMFS approved changes in management measures based solely on an attempt to minimize the impact on the fishing industry, without explicitly considering what effect the changes would have on Steller sea lions".

Environmentalists are concerned however as to how soon the current regulations can be changed to provide adequate protection for the species. The fishery which began on 1 August was carried out under emergency regulations drafted by the NMFS but many feel that these do not go nearly far enough. On 16 August environmental organisations filed a motion for a preliminary injunction with Judge Zilly to block pollock trawling in all areas designated as sea lion critical habitat in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, and to adjust the 1999 autumn fishing season, starting in September, to keep the combined autumn and winter catch below 50% of last year's quota. On 16 September however Judge Zilly stated that he would not take action until he received an NMFS report on the effects of pollock fishery changes on sea lions, due out on 15 October.

The landmark decision comes a little more than a year after a lawsuit was filed by Trustees for Alaska and Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund on behalf of American Oceans Campaign, Greenpeace and Sierra Club seeking to force NMFS to take action to prevent the collapse of the North Pacific ecosystem. A peer-review panel appointed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council noted in June that commercial fishing in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska is likely the most significant human activity affecting structure and function, and that it is potentially depleting food for the endangered Steller sea lion.

For more information, contact Peter van Tuyn, Trustees for Alaska, or Gerry Leape, Greenpeace. More information is also available on the American Oceans Campaign web site. The Earth Island Institute has a letter-writing action page on the issue as part of the International Marine Mammal Project section of their web site. (Sources: AOC; Anchorage Daily News; AP; Congressional Research Service; Portland Oregonian; Reuters; SeaWeb) (7 October 1999)

Video evidence demonstrates atrocities during Canadian hunt - The organisation International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) released a video on 20 May containing footage from this year's Canadian east coast harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) hunt which it says proves that the hunt is cruel and poorly regulated. IFAW's Canadian Director, Rick Smith, commented that "It's ludicrous that a non-profit organisation is put in the position of having to be cops. But the only reason it's happening is because the real cops aren't doing their jobs". Ten hours of videotape documenting over 100 violations of the Marine Mammal Regulations and the Criminal Code were turned over to federal authorities by IFAW. The footage, which was collected in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the Iles de la Madeleine, included seals being struck but not killed until several minutes later, if at all, sealers stomping on what appear to be live seals, seals being skinned alive, and a Canadian Coast Guard ice-breaker squashing several seals in its path in its efforts to give the sealers better access to the ice floes.

With the Canadian east coast seal hunt ending in the middle of June, sealers failed to kill their entire quota of seals in 1999, with a reported total of 244,552 out of 275,000 harp seals and 201 out of 10,000 hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) being killed. IFAW called for the hunt to be stopped due to its being unprofitable, unsustainable and inhumane. The group estimated that because many seals are shot or clubbed and then escape to die beneath the ice, and because many dead seals are discarded and not properly counted, the actual kill of harp seals in 1999 was probably between 400,000 and 500,000.

Meanwhile members of the Green Party in Newfoundland, known as the Terra Nova Greens, demonstrated their support for the east coast Canadian seal hunt by wearing sealskin coats at a protest which they held in St. John's, Newfoundland, on 8 July. One of the demonstration's organisers said that they were protesting against the fact that the national Green Party remains opposed to the hunt. For more information on the Canadian east coast seal hunt, contact IFAW. (Sources: Charlottetown Guardian; St. John's Evening Telegram) (7 October 1999)

Canadian Fisheries Committee reverses decision on seal cull - On 2 June a leaked draft report of the Canadian House of Commons all-party Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans showed that the Committee rejected the idea of a widespread cull of seals on the Canadian east coast. The report stated that a cull was insupportable and that there was no scientific evidence that decimating the seal herd would revive cod stocks.

In an incredible turn-around however, the Committee re-wrote the draft report at a secret meeting to recommend that there be a major reduction in the harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) population and that the federal government assemble a panel of experts to develop a 5-year-plan that would decide on the population's "optimum number". The Committee also recommended the establishment of "seal exclusion zones", where fishermen would have the right to hunt seals year-round, in key fishing areas off eastern Newfoundland, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and other areas as deemed necessary. Also recommended by the Committee was the undertaking of "experimental seal harvests".

Among the 15 recommendations made in the report were that the federal government make better use of anecdotal evidence from sealers and fishermen, that it work to lift trade barriers preventing the export of seal products to the United States, that it develop new markets for seal products, and that it undertake a public relations campaign to explain the seal hunt and the benefits from the hunt to the public. One positive recommendation, that it should be made as convenient as possible for observers to view the hunt, was blasted by John Efford, Newfoundland's Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, who said that observers should be banned entirely from viewing the hunt.

Fisheries Minister David Anderson has 150 days in which to respond to the Committee's report, titled 'The Seal Report' and released on 9 June. New Democratic Party MP Peter Stoffer, a member of the committee, issued a dissenting opinion in the report that questioned the rationale for a seal cull, pointing out that "Scientist after scientist said the effect of a cull on the recovery of cod stocks was unknown". For more information on the Canadian east coast seal hunt, contact IFAW. (Sources: National Post; Saint John Telegraph Journal; St. John's Evening Telegram; Summerside Journal-Pioneer; Toronto Globe & Mail) (7 October 1999)

Dead seals wash up on Lake Baikal shores - Seventy eight dead Baikal seals (Phoca sibirica) were found washed up on the shores of Lake Baikal at the beginning of June. Thirty six of the corpses came ashore near the Irkutsk village of Utulik, the remainder in the town of Baikalsk, the site of the 30-year-old Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Mill. Wildlife scientists have taken water and tissue samples to be analysed but no cause of death has been identified. A similar die-off occurred in the same region in 1997. SCS Note: There is a serious problem of pollution by organochlorines and other chemical pollutants in Lake Baikal from sources such as the Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Mill and many blame these for causing disease, reproductive problems and lowered immunity in Baikal seals. For more information, contact Jennie Sutton, Baikal Environmental Wave. (Source: ENS) (7 October 1999)

Fishermen shoot at seals and divers in Scotland - On 7 July an estimated 40 seals were reported as having been shot on and around the Bell Rock, 13 miles off the coast at Arbroath, Scotland, by fishermen with an interest in salmon fishing. The incident at the remote rock might have gone unnoticed if not witnessed by a group of divers who, underwater at the time of the shooting, narrowly escaped serious injury and subsequently reported the incident to the local police. The basking seals were shot with high powered rifles by the fishermen, one of whom said that they had shot the seals to protect local salmon. For more information, contact Ross Flett, Orkney Seal Rescue. (Sources: Orkney Seal Rescue; Scottish Sunday Mail) (7 October 1999)

Seals die in captivity in the United States - Two captive seals died unexpectedly this summer in separate incidents in the United States. At the beginning of July a 10-year-old female harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), 'Eve', died at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut, several hours after surgery was performed on her to remove a potentially cancerous tumour from her jaw. Four other harbour seals remain at the aquarium. Eve's death followed that of a 16-year-old male California sea lion (Zalophus californianus californianus), 'Fin', at San Francisco Zoo at the end of June. Fin was in good health at the time and his death surprised animal keepers at the zoo. Fin had been popular with the public for his 'grin' - during training and conditioning sessions he had been taught to bare his teeth when offered food to make him look as if he were smiling. The Zoo still has one female sea lion and three adult harbour seals in its collection. (Sources: AP; San Francisco Examiner) (7 October 1999)

Group urges tourism boycott of Atlantic Canada - The International Wildlife Coalition (IWC) launched its 'Avoid Atlantic Canada' campaign in August, urging potential tourists from New England in the United States to refuse to cross Atlantic Canada's 'bloody red border' as a protest against the continuing Canadian east coast hunt of harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) and hooded seals (Cystophora cristata). The campaign, which includes TV advertisements that began at the end of September, urges New Englanders not to visit the provinces of Newfoundland, Québec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, all of which take part in the hunt. For more information, contact Dan Morast, IWC. (Sources: Charlottetown Guardian; Summerside Journal-Pioneer; St. John's Evening Telegram) (7 October 1999)

Canada to lobby U.S. government to relax seal product import ban - It was announced on 22 September that the Canadian federal government plans to lobby the U.S. Congress to allow seal products to be imported into the United States. Such imports have been banned since 1972 under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act which is currently being reauthorised by Congress. The market for the export of seal products from Canada to the United States has been estimated at as much as C$100 million per year. The move was welcomed by the Canadian sealing industry, with Tina Fagan, the Executive Director of the Newfoundland-based Seal Industry Development Council, commenting that she was looking at a 4-5 year uphill battle to get the law changed but that if successful there could be calls for an expanded seal hunt. The decision by the federal government comes after the Canadian Commons Fisheries Committee recommended earlier in the year that the government challenge the ban.

The Canadian sealing industry has in the meantime been building a customer base in Russia and Asia, with one major contract signed in September to export seal fur jackets to a Russian fur supplier, secured with the help of a C$10,000 Newfoundland provincial marketing grant. Commented the owner of the Canadian seal fur company "It's scary, but the potential is there. The female customer is looking today for short-haired furs and seal is as short as it gets." The Canadian Sealers' Association viewed the deal as the beginning of a developing international market in finished products.

In a separate development, U.S. Customs officers seized six sealskin puppets in July which were being sent by the Inuit community of Pelly Bay to a puppeteer in Rhode Island to be repaired. The import of the puppets, which elders had carved to depict a traditional legend, was illegal as they were not accompanied by a relevant permit issued under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Canadian Government officials were reported as attempting to have the puppets returned to the elders. However U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials, who now have the puppets, said that they could be held for months, while investigators forensically examine them to determine what animals were used to make them, before a decision is made whether or not to file charges. The puppets are reported to have been made from whale bone, musk ox hair, and seal skin. (Sources: Ottawa Citizen; St. John's Evening Telegram) (7 October 1999)

New initiative launched against commercial seal hunts - The group International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has launched a new initiative called World Against The Commercial Seal Hunts (WATCSH), aimed at bringing to an end commercial seal hunts world-wide, most noticeably those in Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and Namibia. WATCSH is asking politicians and animal protection groups to join and will also, among other activities, be asking stores not to stock products made from ingredients obtained from the commercial seal hunts. For further information, contact Marilyn Taylor, WATCSH coordinator. (Source: IFAW) (7 October 1999)

Fur seals re-colonise New South Wales mainland - A colony of 300 Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) and New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) has been observed on the Australian New South Wales mainland for the first time in fifty years. The non-breeding bachelor colony was found at Jervis Bay, hunting having wiped out previous mainland colonies by the 1950s. It is thought that as the seals repopulate their former range, breeding colonies may be established in the future and colonies may even be re-established in Sydney. (Source: Sydney Morning Herald) (7 October 1999)

Attempts to rescue seal in Korean war zone - A Dutch seal expert, Andries Gemmert, was reported on 30 June as assisting the Korea Animal Rescue and Management Association (KARMA) to rescue a wounded male spotted seal (Phoca largha) trapped in the heavily militarised zone, dotted with mine fields, on the border of South and North Korea. The seal, to which the rescue team was escorted by South Korean soldiers, was reported as having been trapped there for four months, and as having injuries caused by fishing net entangled around its neck. Dozens of spotted seals frequent the area each winter but usually return north to breed in March. For more information, contact KARMA at +82-351-868-2851. (Source: Cape Town Argus) (7 October 1999)

Seal pups killed by beach fire in Washington State - Two newborn harbour seal pups (Phoca vitulina richardsi) died, probably from smoke inhalation, when a blaze destroyed 60 acres of Dungeness Spit, part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, near Sequim, Washington, USA in July. The fire, which also killed an unknown number of pigeon guillemots and destroyed important grasses and brushland, is suspected as having been caused by an illegal campfire or as having been intentional arson. Another unusual fire also occurred on the refuge in the middle of June. For more information, contact the Washington Maritime NWR Complex at +1-360-457-8451. (Source: AP) (7 October 1999)

Scottish landowner plans to release walruses into loch - Sir Charles Maclean, son of the war hero and adventurer Sir Fitzroy Maclean, has announced plans to import and release walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) into Loch Fyne in Argyll, Scotland. Maclean plans to discuss his proposals, intended to attract tourists to the loch, in detail at the next meeting in October of his gourmet dining club, the Walrus Club. Members of the club have already backed the move. The plan has received criticism from, among others, local fishermen and oyster farmers, with Scottish Natural Heritage stating that they would vigorously oppose the plans. There have only been two recorded walrus sightings off Scotland in the past 20 years, both in Shetland. (Sources: London Sunday Times; London Times) (7 October 1999)

Sea lion left to starve in Cyprus dolphinarium - The Cyprus Mail newspaper reported on 23 September that a sea lion has been left alone without food to starve to death in the now abandoned Ayia Napa Marine Park. Tourists say that they have been throwing food to the sea lion over the dolphinarium's chain-link fence to help it stay alive. They also said that they reported the situation to the authorities but to no avail. Investigations by the Cyprus Mail revealed that the owners of the abandoned dolphinarium are from Nicosia and from Georgia, Russia, and that the Marine Park has been closed since the last of four bottlenose dolphins in the dolphinarium died in 1998. (Source: Cyprus Mail) (7 October 1999)

Australia creates Macquarie Island Seal Protection Park - The Australian Federal Environment and Heritage Minister Robert Hill announced on 21 June that the government is to act to protect seals by creating a new marine park on the eastern side of the World Heritage listed Macquarie Island. Situated in the Southern Ocean over 1,500 km southeast of Tasmania, Macquarie Island is a breeding site for four pinniped species: the Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella), the sub-Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis), the New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) and the Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina). Designed to protect the breeding and foraging grounds of the pinniped colonies, the 16 million hectare park will include a 5.8 million hectare highly protected zone in which fishing and mining will be banned. Senator Hill said that the government would consider further additions to the Park on the western side of the island once the results of research currently underway are known. He also said that he had written to all the Australian State governments urging them to review the level of protection that they provide for pinnipeds in the hope that a nationally consistent effort to protect Australian pinnipeds can be established. (Source: ENS) (7 October 1999)

Study reveals American perceptions of marine mammals - The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) released on 21 June the results of a nationwide study representing the first comprehensive overview of how Americans view marine mammals. Among the findings of the study were that in general American citizens support the protection of marine mammals over commercial fishing interests, have serious concerns about captive display of marine mammals in zoos and aquariums, support the limitation of various economic activities in the ocean that harm marine mammals, and support the goals of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. For more information on the report, 'American Perceptions of Marine Mammals and their Management', written by Stephen R. Kellert, please contact Naomi Rose, HSUS. Excerpts from the study can be downloaded from the HSUS web site. (Source: HSUS) (7 October 1999)

Reports on marine acoustic pollution published - Two reports concerning the man-made noise pollution of our oceans and its impacts on marine life were published this summer. In early June the organisation Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released its report 'Sounding the Depths: Supertankers, Sonar and the Rise of Undersea Noise'. The report draws public attention to the emerging risks of undersea noise on marine mammals and other sea creatures, and recommends further studies, more comprehensive co-ordination and tougher regulations in order to reduce these risks. Among the sources of acoustic pollution covered by the report are supertankers and cargo ships, military sonar, mineral exploration and production, the Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) program, and fisheries acoustic deterrence and harassment devices. For more information, contact NRDC. A copy of the report can be downloaded from the 'Water Program' section of the NRDC web site.

On 21 July the U.S. Office of Naval Research's Marine Mammal Science Program released the report 'Proceedings of the Workshop on the Effects of Anthropogenic Noise in the Marine Environment'. The report states that undersea noise, contributed to by military, industrial and scientific activities, has increased substantially over the past 50 years. Among the report's findings are that there is evidence that sounds of high intensity may affect the ears of marine life temporarily or permanently, with loss of hearing preventing ocean organisms from detecting predators or prey and also disturbing mating and parenting processes. The report, which includes a review of current scientific knowledge along with expert opinions about the areas in which information is most needed, can be downloaded from the ONR web site. (Sources: ENN; Los Angeles Times; NRDC) (7 October 1999)

U.S. government to test acoustic harassment of sea lions - The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reported on 19 July that the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is planning to test a new pulsed power acoustic harassment technology on California sea lions (Zalophus californianus californianus). The intention of the testing is to determine whether or not the sea lions can be prevented from eating fish caught by party fishing boats by bombarding them with underwater noise and disorienting shock waves. Referring to the new technology as dangerous, the NRDC expressed great concern at the possibility of serious injury, deafness, or even death of the sea lions and other ocean wildlife in the vicinity of the test caused by the force of the noise blasts. For more information, contact NRDC. (Source: NRDC) (7 October 1999)

Turkish group sets up monk seal volunteer program - The Turkish Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) protection organisation SAD-AFAG announced on 5 June that they have launched the 'AFAG Monk Seal Volunteer Membership Program' on a national scale. Volunteers who join the program are encouraged to report sightings of monk seals and are sent a certificate together with copies of the AFAG bulletin 'The Mediterranean Voyager - Monachus monachus', the first issue of which was published in Turkish in June. The intention of the program is to spread monk seal and marine conservation awareness throughout Turkey and the program is already showing great signs of success with many volunteers joining. For more information, contact SAD-AFAG. Details of SAD-AFAG can be found on their web site. (Source: SAD-AFAG) (7 October 1999)

Councilman urges protection of seals in La Jolla - On 30 September San Diego City Councilman Juan Vargas held a press conference in La Jolla, California, calling on his colleagues in the City Council to renew the 5-year-old law enacting the Seal Rock Marine Mammal Reserve which expired on 17 September. Councilman Vargas, verbally harassed during the press conference by those opposing the protection, also called for an extension of the reserve to include the beach at the Children's Pool in La Jolla. Both areas are important haul-out sites for harbour seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) and there has been much local debate over whether the Children's Pool in particular should be left to the seals who haul out there in large numbers (see News, 15 April 1999). The local organisation La Jolla Friends of the Seals (LJFS) has meantime set up a volunteer naturalist-docent education program to allow the many visitors to the Children's Pool to observe the seals without disturbing them. Although a City of San Diego council committee has already recommended renewal, but not extension, of the reserve covering Seal Rock, the full council vote has been postponed until the end of October. For more information, contact the LJFS' Patrick Hord or Naomi King, or visit the LJFS web site. (Sources: LJFS; San Diego Union-Tribune) (7 October 1999)

Pollution of the seas remains vital issue - The third meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee met in Geneva from 6-11 September to continue deliberating a global convention governing the production, use and trade of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs, which can be transferred over long distances, can accumulate in the marine environment and have been shown to cause health problems in top-level marine predators such as pinnipeds. They include a large number of pesticides, solvents and other industrial chemicals and manufacturing by-products. On 12 August the environmental group Greenpeace called for a global halt to the production of POPs in its report 'Tip of the Iceberg'. For more information, contact Boyce Thorne-Miller, SeaWeb.

Meanwhile a study published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on 28 June indicated that the use of the toxic chemical tributyltin (TBT) as an anti-fouling paint on the hulls of an estimated 70% of the world's ships is resulting in the poisoning of oceans and contamination of marine life on a massive scale. The report stated that there is clear evidence that TBT damages nervous, immune and reproductive systems. Marine mammals, including pinnipeds, have been found to be contaminated by TBT. The issue of TBTs was debated at a meeting of the International Maritime Organisation's Marine Environmental Protection Committee in London from 27 June to 2 July. For more information, contact Sian Pullen, WWF. (Sources: ENN; London Guardian; Reuters; Sea Web Ocean Update) (7 October 1999)

Killer whales lunch on seals in the U.K. - Killer whales hunting for prey off the coast of Cornwall in south west England may be reducing Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) numbers there, according to Seaquest South West, the marine arm of the Devon and Cornwall Wildlife Trusts. It is believed that the whales, preying on seals and other marine animals, are becoming more common off the Cornish coast during the warmer weather, a pod of three orcas having appeared within the last two years. For more information, contact Stephen Westcott at Seaquest South West, Tel: +44-(0)1872-273939. At the end of July a pod of seven killer whales was also observed preying on a Grey seal in Shetland. (Sources: Aberdeen Press & Journal; Essex County News) (7 October 1999)

Scottish seal sanctuary's road sign shot at - Ross Flett, the owner of the Orkney Seal Rescue Centre based in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, expressed fears at the safety of the seals in his care and the members of his household after the centre's sign was peppered with bullets from a high-velocity rifle at the end of August. The bullets were fired through the head of the metal seal-shaped sign, a replacement for the previous sign which had been blasted by a shotgun. Last November a Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) pup was taken from a beach, clubbed to death and left hanging over a barbed wire fence at the rescue centre (see News, 22 November 1998). Ross Flett has pointed out that no-one has yet been caught or prosecuted for any of the three incidents. For more information, contact Ross Flett. (Source: Glasgow Herald) (7 October 1999)

Cataract surgery successful on California sea lion pups - Two cataract operations carried out by veterinary ophthalmologist Anthony Basher on California sea lion (Zalophus californianus californianus) pups in September were hailed as the first successful cataract surgery performed on sea lions in the USA. One pup had been found emaciated and nearly blind in one eye, the other with cataracts in both eyes, and both taken for rehabilitation to SeaWorld in San Diego, California. The pup with only the one eye affected was scheduled to be released back into the wild on 25 September with plans to release the second pup once it has demonstrated the ability to survive on its own. SeaWorld is now hoping that the techniques used in the surgery can now be used on older sea lions in its captive collection, many of whom suffer from cataract problems. (Source: San Diego Union-Tribune) (7 October 1999)

Orange seals observed in Isle of Skye - It was reported in July that people on the Scottish island of Skye had observed two brightly coloured orange harbour seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina). One photographer on the island said that on first sight the seals looked like two buoys bobbing in the water and described them as "staggeringly orange". The reasons behind the strange coloration have not yet been discovered. For more information, contact Paul or Grace Yoxon, Skye Environmental Centre. (Sources: London Times; Skye Environmental Centre) (7 October 1999)

Native Hawaiians act to protect Hawaiian monk seals - It was announced in May by the Native and Indigenous Rights Advisory Panel (NIRAP) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council that it has decided to recommend deferring use of the Native Hawaiian Communities' two Limited Entry fishing permits. Use of the permits will be deferred until it can be determined that their use will not contribute to the extinction of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi). It is thought that this may be the first time that a native group has recommended that hard fought native rights be deferred due to concern for an endangered species. A representative of NIRAP commented that the panel was compelled to act on the issue since the federal National Marine Fisheries Service had continually refused to act on requests from the Marine Mammal Commission over the past five years that commercial fisheries should be closed around French Frigate Shoals to help reduce starvation in the area's monk seals. For more information, contact former NIRAP chairman Isaac Harp. (Sources: EnviroWatch; NIRAP) (7 October 1999)

Fish oil diet benefits rescued harbour seals - The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, has successfully introduced a new improved diet to the sick and abandoned pinnipeds which it rescues and rehabilitates. The diet, which has about 50% fat content and which includes fish oil and heavy cream, has resulted in a far greater weight gain for growing pups, particularly harbour seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), therefore resulting in a shorter period between rescue and release. Several harbour seals were released earlier this summer some four to six weeks ahead of schedule. For more information, contact the Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) on +1-415-289-7325 or through the TMMC web site. (Source: San Francisco Examiner) (7 October 1999)

Area of Scottish isle to be reconsidered for protection - The Scottish Executive confirmed on 3 September that the South East Islay Skerries on the Scottish island of Islay are to be re-considered as a proposed Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for harbour seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina) under the European Community's Habitats Directive. The decision comes after a petition was presented in the legal courts by the owners of an Islay seal sanctuary against the Scottish Executive for its decision to drop the site from its list of proposed SACs. The seal sanctuary is based at the proposed SAC site and releases its seals into the site. A local landowner, Sir John MacTaggart, objects to the area being given SAC status and wants to retain the right to shoot seals in the area (see News, 21 March 1999). For more information, contact John Robins, Animal Concern, or George and Fiona Middleton, Islay and Jura Seal Action Group. (Source: Animal Concern) (7 October 1999)

Orkney island purchased to protect seal population - On 1 August the Scottish Wildlife Trust paid tribute to the mystery benefactor whose cash gift enabled them to buy the 56-hectare uninhabited island of Linga Holm, in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, as a sanctuary for Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Linga Holm is the world's third largest island-based breeding colony of Grey seals with 2,300 pups having been counted there in 1997. The Trust's Chief Executive, Steve Sankey, said that the Trust would work in partnership with local seal conservation organisations in the hope of setting up a local contact to monitor the seals' progress and give them early warning of any threats to the seals. Mr. Sankey also commented that the greatest threat faced by the seals is the regular call from some Scottish fishermen for a large-scale seal cull and said that the Trust remained opposed to the culling of seals for any reason. The Trust has launched a fundraising drive, 'Operation Seal Island', to pay for the management costs of the island, and intends to lobby the authorities to have the island designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest or as a Special Area of Conservation. For more information, contact the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT). (Sources: Aberdeen Press & Journal; Scottish Wildlife Trust) (7 October 1999)

Several instances of wandering seals reported - A number of seals have been reported as having been observed in the last few months in regions where they are rarely encountered. Among these was a sick and exhausted six-month-old female hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) which was found in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, in September, only the third hooded seal to have been observed in the islands. She was taken in by Orkney Seal Rescue but unfortunately died after only a few days. For more information, contact Ross Flett, Orkney Seal Rescue.

On the other side of the Atlantic an exhausted 5 feet long 38kg male hooded seal pup, battered by Hurricane Dennis, washed ashore at the beginning of September on the northern North Carolina coast, USA. The pup, no more than a few months old and which had been eating sand, was taken to the Virginia Marine Science Museum Stranding Center where it died soon after. For more information, contact the Museum through the Museum's web site.

Residents of South Hadley Falls, Massachusetts, USA, were surprised to find a harbour seal (Phoca vitulina concolor), given the nickname 'Dombo', 100 miles up the Connecticut River in September. Representatives of the New England Aquarium examined the tagged seal from a distance and subsequently confirmed that Dombo had been rescued by the aquarium after being abandoned by her mother and had released her off Cape Cod last October. A couple of fishermen noticed the seal a few days before it was officially reported but had not reported it as they did not want anybody to think that they were drunk. Some marine specialists say that it is one of the farthest upriver seal sightings ever on the Connecticut River, though a seal was once seen in Albany, NY, about 130 miles up the Hudson River. Dombo appeared in good health and it was intended to leave her alone. For more information, contact the New England Aquarium at +1-617-973-5200 or through the Aquarium's web site.

The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, was surprised to receive three Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi) this summer, one of which died at the start of June. Only 13 of the fur seals have been treated in the 25 years or so that the Center has been in existence and it is very unusual to have three of them at the Center at the same time. For more information, contact the Marine Mammal Center on +1-415-289-7325 or through the TMMC web site. (Sources: AP; San Francisco Examiner; Scottish Daily Mail; Springfield Union-News; The Virginian-Pilot) (7 October 1999)

Move to continue commercial fishing in Glacier Bay resisted - A U.S. House-Senate conference committee decided in May not to adopt a proposal by U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski to allow commercial and subsistence fishing to continue in the Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (see News, 31 October 1998), approving instead a more generous $26 million compensation package for those affected by the closure of the fisheries. The appropriations bill, under which the measures were debated, directed the Department of the Interior to issue final rules for the Glacier Bay program by 30 September. Commercial fishing is not permitted in any of the other U.S. National Parks. Last autumn a deal was brokered between the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Congress under which commercial fishing is to be phased out in significant parts of the National Park, with three fisheries being allowed to continue within the park for the lifetime of fishermen currently taking part in those fisheries. The park is home to several species of marine mammals, including Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi). For more information, see the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) web site. (Sources: Juneau Empire; MCBI; Seattle Times) (7 October 1999)

Navy sea lion turns up on U.S. east coast - A sea lion which disappeared in February while being used to retrieve test equipment from the ocean floor by the U.S. Navy in Virginia, USA, turned up nearly five months later in the waters off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The sea lion, one of a dozen pinnipeds trained and used by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego to fetch equipment and locate underwater mines, climbed on to a salvage vessel investigating an historic shipwreck. SCS Note: The U.S. Atlantic coast is not in the natural range of any sea lion species. (Source: AP) (7 October 1999)

Report warns of global warming effects - Widespread changes in marine life are occurring in step with rising water temperatures according to a report 'Turning Up the Heat: How Global Warming Threatens Life in the Sea' produced by the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in June. The report finds that warming global temperatures are impacting ocean ecosystems much earlier and far more broadly than many experts anticipated. One of the serious problems envisaged by the report if global warming continues is serious trouble for marine mammals in the polar regions due to decreased habitat and food, particularly for those species, such as crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus), which depend on the diminishing pack ice. The report also covers, among other problems, the long-term declines in Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) and Northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) numbers in the Bering Sea, and the detrimental effects on pinnipeds of recent El Niño events. For more information, contact MCBI's Amy Mathews-Amos. The full report can be downloaded from the MCBI's web site. (Sources: MCBI; Reuters) (7 October 1999)

Canadian fisheries body calls for 50% reduction in seals - The Canadian Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (FRCC) released a report to the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, David Anderson, on 6 May which recommended that harp seal (Phoca groenlandica), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) populations be reduced by up to 50% in specific areas. The FRCC said that the cull should start immediately, without waiting for scientific proof of the effects of seals on groundfish stocks. The Council justified its recommendation by stating that it is convinced "beyond any reasonable doubt" that the recovery of groundfish stocks, notably cod, will continue to be jeopardised if seal numbers remain at their present levels.

Other recommendations made by the Council included the establishment of an experimental commercial seal hunt for up to 20,000 grey seals on Sable Island, and the creation of a limited number of experimental zones, such as bays, from which seals would be excluded. In response, David Anderson stated that he had no ideological objections to a seal cull as long as evidence could be produced to justify one, but that no such evidence had been produced. Rick Smith of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) dismissed the recommendations as "based on superstition, not science" and commented that the FRCC "would not be able to produce one credible scientific study to back up these recommendations". IFAW also called for a review of the Council's composition, asserting that membership of the Council is grossly weighted in favour of the fishing industry. The FRCC report can be downloaded from the FRCC web site (News Releases section). (Sources: FRCC; St John's Evening Telegram) (19 May 1999)

Inuit organisation steps up seal export efforts - The Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC) has launched a campaign to overturn the section of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) which bans the import of sealskins from Canada. Arguing that the MMPA is an artificial barrier to trade and having hired a Washington, D.C. lawyer to assist their efforts, the ITC has joined forces with the Nunavut government and wildlife officials in an attempt to sway the public and the U.S. Congress in favour of commercial sealing. The Nunavut Department of Sustainable Development plans to publish a book and video within the next few weeks that will explain Inuit seal hunting to the general public. SCS Note: For more information on Inuit plans to export ringed seals (Phoca hispida hispida), see News, 15 April 1999. (Source: Nunatsiaq News) (19 May 1999)

No market for seals killed in Canadian hunt - Seal carcasses and pelts were left unsold, some seal meat reportedly thrown overboard, due to a lack of demand for the products of harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) killed in this year's Canadian east coast seal hunt. The lack of demand was blamed on a processing plant in Newfoundland which decided not to buy any seals as its new tannery wasn't ready, another plant which reduced its purchases due to the development of a new product, and depressed Asian and Russian economies. As a result sealers who were not given priority by Newfoundland's biggest processing company, the Carino Company, could only obtain low prices, if any price at all, for their products. Prices for a harp seal pelt were reported as being as low as C$10, down from C$25 last year. On 27 April the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) called on the federal government to shut down the hunt immediately, saying that without viable markets the seal hunt was no more than a cull. It was reported that some sealing boats had stopped hunting early and that the drop in prices for seal pelts could result in this year's quota of 275,000 harp seals not being fully met. (Source: St John's Evening Telegram) (19 May 1999)

Newfoundland minister criticised for seal cull stance - The Newfoundland Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, John Efford, dropped his calls for a massive cull of 2 million harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) after receiving public criticism of his stance from pro-sealing interests. The Canadian Sealers' Association, among others, urged Mr Efford to stop calling for a seal cull, arguing that such a cull might destroy the sealing industry, both by flooding the markets and by generating negative publicity. During a trip to Ottawa in order to make representations to the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, Mr Efford and other members of an All-Party Committee from the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly referred repeatedly to the need for studies of seals-fisheries interactions and a 'scientific management plan' rather than calling for a cull. This was in marked contrast to John Efford's previous outspoken calls for a cull and statements such as his wish to see the entire seal population "killed and sold, or destroyed and burned".

However the Newfoundland Liberal MP Lawrence O'Brien drew applause from his colleagues on the All-Party Committee when he suggested that the harp seal population should be reduced by two thirds. In yet another turn-around, John Efford released a press release on 6 May supporting the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council's call for an immediate reduction in seal herds by 50% in selected areas. (Sources: Newfoundland Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture; Niagara Falls Review; St John's Evening Telegram) (19 May 1999)

Norwegian and Russian 1999 seal hunt statistics revealed - The 1999 Norwegian sealing season saw a reduced number of seals killed with only two vessels taking part in the Jan Mayen ('West Ice') harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) and hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) hunts. Around 5,000 seals were reported killed out of a total quota (Jan Mayen and White Sea) of 33,700 adult hooded and harp seals, although it should be noted that conversion factors are used for pups less than a year old (e.g. 2.5 harp seal pups = 1 adult harp seal) so the actual number of seals killed may be higher. A total of 3,300 hooded seal 'blueback' pups were killed. For the first time in many years there was no Norwegian participation in the White Sea ('East Ice') harp seal hunt where it had been allocated a quota of 5,000 adult harp seals out of a total quota of 31,600 shared with Russia. It is reported that Russia caught its entire share of the quota. The Norwegian sealing industry is not economically viable and is dependent on government subsidy. (Source: High North Alliance) (19 May 1999)

Grounded fishing boat threatens Hawaiian monk seals - The 95-foot longliner fishing boat Van Loi which grounded off the east coast of Kauai, Hawaii on 10 April spilled 16,000 gallons of diesel fuel into waters inhabited by the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi). In addition to the diesel clean-up operation, Coast Guard crews mounted a search for about 1,000 hooked monofilament fishing lines which were released into the ocean when the vessel grounded. There were also worries that sharks might be attracted into the area by the boat's cargo of fish which spilled into the ocean. Debris such as fishing equipment, wood, insulating foam and fishing nets washed ashore from the wrecked boat. The Acting Administrator of Hawaii's Division of Aquatic Resources commented that it may be months before the whole impact of the incident on the environment is known. (Sources: AP; Honolulu Star-Bulletin; Maui News) (19 May 1999)

Harbour seal added to Canadian endangered species list - The eastern and Arctic population of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina concolor) has been added to Canada's Species at Risk list for 1999, having been given the status 'Indeterminate'. The subspecies is one of 34 additions to the list compiled by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The Committee also examined the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and Pacific harbour seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi) populations but decided that these were not at risk. Although the Canadian federal government has promised to introduce legislation to protect and recover listed species this summer, environmental groups have criticised a recently-released policy framework for the legislation, arguing that it does not provide any assurance that the habitats of nationally endangered species will be protected. For more information, see the COSEWIC web site. (Sources: ENN; COSEWIC) (19 May 1999)

U.S. nuclear plant to prevent seal deaths - The Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire has announced that it is to build a barrier system to prevent seals from being drowned by swimming into the plant's three-mile long sea water intake pipes. It is hoped that a system of metal bars, developed with the assistance of the New England Aquarium, will be installed by September. The announcement comes in the wake of months of protest by environment groups after the National Marine Fisheries Service granted the plant an exemption that would have allowed it to kill up to 34 seals per year. Seabrook confirmed in December that more than 60 seals, including harbour (Phoca vitulina concolor), grey (Halichoerus grypus) and hooded (Cystophora cristata) seals, had been trapped and killed in the intake pipes in the last six years. The issue also received the attention of students at Peabody School in Cambridge who dedicated half the school year to devising solutions to the problem. (Sources: AP; Boston Globe) (19 May 1999)

U.S. Navy goes ahead with missile testing plan in Hawaii - The U.S. Department of the Navy decided in April to enhance its Pacific Missile Range Facility to allow testing and evaluation of missiles in the Hawaiian Islands. Activities will include construction and modification of target and interceptor launch facilities, launches of target and interceptor missiles by air, land and/or sea, construction and modification of instrumentation facilities, construction of support facilities, and transportation of missile propellant. Tern Island, an important habitat of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi), was eliminated as a site (see News, 31 Oct 1998), the greatest impact on biological resources most likely now being at Niihau and nearby Kaula. The Navy has acknowledged that traffic at Niihau may disturb Hawaiian monk seals that haul out to bask, or possibly pup, on the sandy beach areas, and have agreed to monitor the beaches for seals prior to their activities and modify these activities accordingly. For further information, see the U.S. Federal Register Vol. 64 No. 78. (23 April 1999) pp19979-19982. (Source: U.S. Federal Register) (19 May 1999)

Two vessels cause oil spills in Alaskan Aleutian Islands - The 78-foot fishing vessel Controller Bay ran aground on the rocks of Unimak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska on 8 May, spilling oil as a result. The vessel was reported as being in danger of breaking up on the rocks and as being in an area that was extremely difficult to reach and to surround with oil-catching booms. A coastguard spokesman said that he expected the Controller Bay to lose all 8,000 gallons of diesel, lubricating and hydraulic oils which it was carrying, and that an oil slick about two miles long and 50 yards wide was washing up on shore. The boat's master admitted falling asleep at the helm with the vessel on autopilot, having turned off his helm alarm as it was bothering him. In the meantime the 178-foot freighter Redfin ran aground for unknown reasons on 10 May at the entrance to Cold Bay, to the east of Unimak Island. The freighter, having leaked up to 100 gallons of lubricating oil, some of which hit beaches in the Bay, was carrying about 110,000 gallons of fuel oil, about half of which was expected to be off-loaded by other vessels in the hope that the Redfin could be refloated on the high tide. SCS Note: The Unimak Island - Cold Bay region contains some important habitat for the endangered Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). (Source: Daily News) (19 May 1999)

Elephant seal travels halfway around the world - A young Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), branded as a new-born pup on Macquarie Island, has been found 14 months later on Peter 1 Island, a tiny ice-covered rock south of the South American continent 5,000km away. University of Tasmania zoologist Mark Hindell who discovered the seal there in February said that it was the longest journey by the species that he'd ever heard of. He also said that the seal's journey has changed perceptions about the species' range and the intermixing of Southern elephant seal populations that are currently considered discrete. (Source: AAP) (19 May 1999)

Members of Hawaiian Islands clean-up team receive award - Two employees of the Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, Christine Woolaway and Priscilla Billig, have won a National Performance Review Silver Hammer Award for their contributions to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine Reef Cleanup Team. The Team pooled substantial resources to clean up derelict fishing nets from coral reefs around the islands and over 5 tonnes of marine debris was removed. The islands are important habitat for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi). For more information, contact Priscilla Billig. (Source: ENN) (19 May 1999)

Scientists call for action on Antarctic fur seals - Scientists are claiming that a booming population of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) is triggering an environmental catastrophe by polluting lakes and destroying plants in Antarctica, and believe that urgent action is required. Helen Butler of the British Antarctic Survey, who has been studying the threat, stated that culling the seals was politically unthinkable, would require a huge and costly effort, and would break the rules of the treaties which protect them. Fellow scientist Dominic Hodgson said that there are proposals to fence off sensitive areas on threatened islands, including Lynch and Signy Islands, but cannot guarantee the success of this method. Meanwhile the Survey's John Shears is spearheading plans to have the conservation status of the fur seals downgraded, this proposal to be made when the Antarctic Treaty signatory nations meet in Lima, Peru in the second last week of May. (Source: London Times) (19 May 1999)

Wandering walrus turns up in Ireland - A walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus), normally found in Arctic waters, was seen hauled out on rocks in County Mayo, Ireland for six hours in April. Lying within 100 metres of the busy coastal road and spotted as a "rock that moved", the resting walrus finally disappeared at dusk. There have been several walrus sightings at sea off County Donegal in recent winters, and a couple of walruses were reported to have been seen by surfers in Killala Bay in December. A dead walrus was found in County Kerry in January 1995. (Source: Irish Times) (19 May 1999)

Probes developed to detect toxic algae - Chris Scholin, a research scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, has developed a probe to detect toxin-producing algae. The probe, currently being tested at ten locations worldwide, works by checking for the genetic molecules of algae that produce domoic acid, a toxin that can damage the nervous systems of birds and mammals. The probes have already proved successful as an early indicator of toxic algae, perhaps most noticeably in the case of the mass mortality of sea lions (Zalophus californianus californianus) in California in 1998. SCS Note: Toxic algae has been implicated in several mass mortalities of marine wildlife worldwide. At least 62 California sea lions died in the 1998 mass mortality. (Source: Sacramento Bee) (19 May 1999)

Threat of marine life diseases highlighted - In a meeting at the University of Miami which took place on 30 April, scientists brought attention to the increased occurrence in the past five years of both new and established diseases in marine mammals such as malignant cancers, deadly viruses and re-emerging bacteria. The meeting discussed diseases such as the phocine distemper virus that has killed thousands of seals - mainly eastern Atlantic harbour seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina), leptospirosis in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus californianus), a strain of flu that affected harbour seals (Phoca vitulina concolor) in New England, and the increased incidence of unusual explosions of toxic algae and related illness. Pathologist Gregory Bossart commented that "The point is there is something happening in the marine ecosystem and it seems to be recent. This may be a red flag for us." (Sources: Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel; Palm Beach Post) (19 May 1999)

Illegal drift net fishing vessels caught in north Pacific Ocean - In a three week joint surveillance operation by Canada, the U.S., Russia, and China in April, several vessels were caught illegally fishing with drift nets off the coast of Alaska. One ship, the Russian Lobana, was found with 5.4 tonnes of coho salmon, already frozen and packaged in boxes with Japanese markings, and 58km of net. The owners and captain were subsequently fined by the Russian authorities. Another Russian vessel, the Tayfun-4, was found hauling in a drift net containing salmon and a porpoise - on board the vessel were found 1,100 salmon, 992 birds and three sharks. On 30 April the Chinese Ying Fa was caught with 5.6 tonnes of coho, chinook, and pink salmon. The Ying Fa's captain reported that he had planned to continue until he had caught 35-45 tonnes of fish. Due to their depth and size, drift nets are potentially lethal to a large number of fish species and marine mammals. SCS Note - A recent report recommended that the U.S. Congress allow the lethal removal of pinnipeds on the U.S. west coast, partly on the reasoning that pinnipeds are harming salmon and other declining fish stocks, although many feel that pinnipeds are being scapegoated for these declines (see News, 21 February 1999). (Sources: ENS; Oceanspace) (19 May 1999)

Observers attacked by seal hunters in Canada - Three international journalists from the Netherlands and Germany along with a representative of the organisation International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) were attacked on the ice floes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence by seal hunters on 23 March while attempting to observe the Canadian east coast harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) hunt. Four seal hunters from the Iles de la Madeleine attacked the group, hitting one with the handle of a hakapik (a tool used to kill seals) and another in the face with a bare fist, while also smashing a CAN$7,500 video camera. The sealers were not taken into custody and responded by accusing the group of observers of violating a 25 metre buffer zone although the group, using an electronic distance meter to maintain a legal distance from the sealers, say that they were 61 metres away from the hunt. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are reported to be investigating the incident.

The Canadian federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) used the incident to further restrict observation of the hunt and one British MP observing the hunt commented that he had 'witnessed hassle and obstruction of those seeking to witness the hunt' while another complained of the 'impediments being erected by the administration to legal and orderly observation of the hunt'. In a separate incident on 22 March two reporters were arrested after allegedly failing to maintain a 25 metre distance from sealers off northern Prince Edward Island. The reporters' case has been set over until June. The DFO is investigating several other complaints against sealers and observers, and more charges are pending. IFAW has accused sealers of filing false complaints against observers in order to get them removed from the ice. About 45 permits were issued for people to observe the 200 sealers who took part in the Gulf of St. Lawrence phase of the seal hunt. Rick Smith, director of IFAW-Canada, is expected to go to court in June in order to argue that restrictions placed on observers are illegal and a violation of charter rights.

In a separate announcement, Rick Smith stated that IFAW has collected a lot of evidence of illegal activity in this year's hunt, including video evidence of a seal being bled or skinned alive, as well as thousands of seal carcasses being abandoned on the ice despite claims that the hunt fully utilises the seals which are killed. A British journalist observing the hunt described seeing seals "still clearly alive as they were slit from throat to stomach" and recounted one incident in which three sneering sealers slashed flippers off a dead seal and threw them at him.

SCS Note: For those who wish to comment on any aspects of the Canadian east coast seal hunt, please contact Hon. David Anderson, the Canadian federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. (Sources: Charlottetown Guardian; IFAW; London Sunday People; Summerside Journal-Pioneer) (15 April 1999)

Debate on Canadian harp seal cull intensifies - The debate surrounding whether there should be a mass cull of harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) to protect groundfish stocks in eastern Canada has intensified with various organisations adding their voices to the debate. On 29 March a joint letter was written to David Anderson, Canadian federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, by 30 graduate biology students from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. In the letter the students argued that a video of cod rotting in Bonavista Bay (see News, 21 March 1999) did not provide evidence that harp seals are interfering significantly with the re-establishment of cod stocks, and also that it has not yet been determined whether harp seals actually have a positive, negative or no net effect on cod recruitment. On 30 March a letter to David Anderson from the Natural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador also argued that the evidence in the video did not support calls for a seal cull.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has meanwhile launched an advertising campaign in the Canadian Atlantic provinces and in Ottawa arguing that overfishing, not harp seals, caused the collapse of the cod stocks, that there is no evidence that harp seals are impeding the recovery of the cod stocks and that the number of harp seals currently being killed is unsustainable. For more information, contact IFAW-Canada (Tel: 1-888-500-4329 / +1-613-233-8458).

John Efford, the Newfoundland Minister of Fisheries & Aquaculture, is making a presentation of his case for a massive harp seal cull to various meetings and committees in mainland Canada, using the Bonavista Bay video as evidence. In an interview on 13 April Mr Efford suggested that Canada could feed the Third World or Kosovo refugees with the meat of two million culled harp seals. His call for a cull of harp seals has been backed up in recent weeks by Newfoundland's Irish Loop Regional Economic Development Board and Discovery Regional Development Board. John Efford has also accepted a challenge from Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to a public debate on the issue in Newfoundland at a date to be arranged. Paul Watson is currently overseeing a movie called 'Ocean Warrior', starring Woody Harrelson, Martin Sheen and Rutger Hauer, which is based on his campaigns against whaling and sealing and which will include the Canadian harp seal hunt.

The Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans is currently undertaking three days of hearings (13-15 Apr), inviting presentations and evidence from both pro- and anti-seal cull proponents with the intention of making recommendations about the hunt to David Anderson. Wayne Easter, a committee member and Anderson's parliamentary secretary, commented that "... we've been clear that any decisions should be made on sound science." David Anderson has also been quoted as saying that he will not consider increasing the number of seals killed until he receives the results of the harp seal population census carried out this spring. The completed aerial census produced more than 10,000 individual photographs, the analysis of which will probably not be completed until early in the year 2000. (Sources: Charlottetown Guardian; Halifax Chronicle Herald; Memorial University of Newfoundland ACWERN; St John Telegraph Journal; St John's Evening Telegram) (15 April 1999)

Proposal to allow sport hunting of Baikal seals - The Pribaikalsky National Park on the shores of Lake Baikal, Russia, has been reported as considering promoting the sport hunting of Baikal seals (Phoca sibirica), as well as other wild animals such as bears and bison, in order to generate income. The price to tourists for shooting one of the unique Baikal seals, known locally as nerpa, could be about $US 1,400 under a "kill or a portion of your money back" scheme operated by the park rangers who know the nerpa's habits and haulout locations. The plans have been severely criticised by local environmentalists who have been campaigning for many years for better protection for the region's wildlife. For more information, contact Jennie Sutton, Baikal Environmental Wave. (Source: London Sunday Telegraph) (15 April 1999)

Inuit to hunt ringed seals on commercial basis - The Natsiq Development Corporation, a joint venture between three Inuit economic development organisations - the Makivik Corporation (Quebec Inuit), the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation (Nunavut Inuit), and Sakku Investments (Kivalliq Inuit) - has announced plans for a commercial hunt of up to 24,000 ringed seals (Phoca hispida hispida) per year in the Canadian Arctic. The seals would largely be for export to Japan, China and Taiwan, the corporation announcing plans to market sealskins as well as processing ringed seal meat into food products and rendering fat into oil capsules for sale as a dietary supplement.

A pilot hunt is planned to take place this summer with seals shipped to Newfoundland for processing until a plant can be built in the Arctic, construction of which will begin in the spring of 2000 at the earliest. The announcement comes after an earlier tentative agreement between Qikiqtaaluk Corporation and a Chinese organisation (see News, 23 November 1998) did not come to fruition after the Chinese withdrew from the deal for unknown reasons.

The final agreement between the development organisations was signed on 31 March as part of the celebrations for the creation of the new territory of Nunavut. On 29 March the Premier-Elect of Nunavut, Paul Okalik, called at his first press conference for the Canadian government to try and persuade the United States to change the Marine Mammal Protection Act in order to allow the export of seal products to that country. (Sources: Congressional Research Service; ENS) (15 April 1999)

Scottish Conservative Party joins calls for seal cull - Further to the earlier announcement by the Scottish National Party that it favours control of seals around the Scottish coasts (see News, 21 March 1999), the Deputy Environment Spokesman of the Scottish Conservative Party, Alasdair Hutton, stated at the end of March that his party's leaders favour the introduction of seal culls to protect the country's fish stocks. The Scottish Labour Party responded by reiterating its opposition to seal culling on the grounds that there is no scientific evidence to justify such a policy, the U.K. Sea Mammal Research Unit agreeing that such evidence is lacking. SCS Note: Elections for the new Scottish parliament are due to take place on 6 May 1999. (Source: Glasgow Herald) (15 April 1999)

Scientist warns of threat to Southern elephant seals - The Argentinian marine mammal scientist, Claudio Campagna, who has studied the Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) population at Peninsula Valdes in Argentina for 20 years, has warned that overfishing is threatening the survival of the population. Expressing concern about the ever-increasing volume of squid caught by commercial fishermen at the seals' feeding grounds along the edge of the continental shelf, Dr. Campagna was quoted as saying "My worry is that people won't pay attention to a population that appears to be doing well, but instead wait until it becomes an emergency situation and saving them is too late." He urged national and international governing bodies to commit themselves to the creation of offshore ocean refuges and to manage fisheries on the high seas in order to protect the seals and prevent their numbers from plummeting. (Source: ENN) (15 April 1999)

Unusual seal strandings in the United States - A young female Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) which was rescued in Alaska on 17 March suffering from skin disease is currently being rehabilitated by the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. It is unusual for female Northern elephant seals to travel as far north as Seward. The Center is hoping to attach a tag to the seal to allow her to be tracked by satellite on her release when she is expected to migrate southwards. For more information contact Mike Castellini.

At the beginning of April the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut released a 250kg adult male hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) back to sea, the first adult of the species that they had rescued and rehabilitated. The hooded seal, approximately 5 years old, washed up emaciated and sick on 6 February, was treated for worms, minor cuts and a high white blood cell count, and gained 100kg while at the Aquarium. For more details contact: David St. Aubin, Director of Research & Veterinary Services at the Mystic Aquarium.

Further south on the U.S. Atlantic seaboard, it was reported on 8 April that a "quite emaciated" harbour seal (Phoca vitulina concolor) had eluded capture by wildlife officials in lower South Carolina, an area where the species is rarely seen. The seal has been spotted in recent weeks on beaches at Kiawah and Seabrook islands. (Sources: Anchorage Daily News; Charleston SC Post & Courier; Providence RI Journal Bulletin) (15 April 1999)

San Diego council rejects plan to dredge Children's Pool - San Diego City Council voted 6-3 on 29 March to reject a proposal to dredge the beach at Children's Pool, La Jolla. The beach there has historically been a popular swimming area but a build-up of sand in recent years has resulted in an increase in the number of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) hauling out there (see News, 21 March 1999) and the beach has been closed since 1997 due to seal faecal contamination. The Council instead ordered that barriers, most likely using ropes and traffic cones, be built in order to protect the seals on the beach from human harassment and that further study be carried out on the effects of the seals' waste on water quality. Arguments against the dredging included that there was no assurance that it would result in the seals moving away, that the seals should be allowed to stay anyway, and that dredging could possibly destroy the beach. (Sources: AP; Los Angeles Times) (15 April 1999)

Canadian harp seal hunt gets under way - The annual east coast Canadian harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) hunt has begun. In a similar situation to last year, strong winds and lack of ice have concentrated the Gulf of St. Lawrence harp seal herds in waters off the north shore of Prince Edward Island. On 18 March it was reported that between 10 and 15 ships from the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island carrying eight-man crews were expected to start hunting that day. Very little local opposition to the hunt is expected, with one Prince Edward Island resident expressing concern regarding the apathy of most Canadians towards ending the hunt. This year's harp seal quota is for 275,000 seals. (Sources: CBG-AM; CBHT-TV; Charlottetown Guardian; St. John Telegraph Journal) (21 March 1999)

Finnish fishermen call for seal hunt - Fishermen in Finland, particularly those in the Pohjanmaa (Ostrobothnia) region, have called for a seal hunt, arguing that the seal population is too large and that the seals are behaving abnormally by approaching fishing boats and causing damage to catch and fishing equipment. The Pohjanmaa Fishermen's Association has called for improved compensation for damage, a regulated hunt performed by experts, and an improvement in fishing equipment to withstand seal predation. SCS Note: Scientific research published in 1997 calculated that the level of hunting that the Baltic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and Baltic ringed seal (Phoca hispida botnica) populations could sustain was close to zero. The Baltic grey seal population is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Baltic ringed seal as Vulnerable. (Source: M2 Communications) (21 March 1999)

Mass mortality of sea lions off Mexican coast - The decomposing bodies of over 200 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus californianus) were found at the end of February near the island of San Jorge in the northern part of the Mexican Gulf of California. The Mexican environmental authorities have been unable to determine the cause of the deaths after initial autopsies. An exceptionally large number of grey whale mortalities have also occurred in Mexico since January. Environmental groups have complained that the authorities are not carrying out an adequate investigation of the mortalities, and have also suggested that chronic pollution is to blame for the deaths. At least four mass mortalities of marine mammals have been recorded in Mexico since 1993. An official with the Environment Ministry in Baja California Sur recently stated that the sea lion deaths may have been caused by Natural Killer 19, a fluorescent chemical containing cyanide which is used by drug smugglers to mark drop-off points in the water.

The mortalities have occurred at a time when environmental organisations are opposing plans by Mitsubishi Corp. to build a massive saltworks in Laguna San Ignacio within Mexico's El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve. The Reserve is a world heritage site and the world's last undisturbed reproduction and calving area for the grey whale as well as an important breeding ground for the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi), California sea lion and Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris). There is great concern that the building of the saltworks would destroy habitat and change the characteristics of the lagoon by, for example, discharging large amounts of brine into the lagoon's waters and by physical disturbances. Several NGOs are combining forces in order to push for the sanctuary to be registered as a high-risk "World Heritage in Danger" site. Environmentalists also filed a criminal complaint on 10 March against an existing saltworks further north in the reserve for causing the recent high numbers of grey whale, sea turtle and fish deaths there by the discharge of brine laced with heavy metals. (Sources: AP; BBC Online; Edmonton Journal; Kyodo; La Jornada; Reuters) (21 March 1999)

Fur seals killed at South African gannet colony - In a controversial decision, the South African Department of Sea Fisheries has decided to cull 20 of the estimated 30 South African fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) feeding around the island of Malgas in order to protect fledglings in the island's Cape gannet colony from predation. Scientists have estimated that about 6,000 chicks, about 10% of the total born, are being killed by the seals during the birds' breeding season from September to March. The stated intention is to shoot fur seals while they are actually seen to have a bird in their mouth. It is thought that the seals are finding it easier to kill the birds than to go fishing in deeper waters, shallow-water fish stocks having been eroded by over-fishing. The operation, which has come under fire from animal welfare supporters, was planned for the first week of March. (Source: Cape Town Cape Argus) (21 March 1999)

Russian harp seal cull fuelled by EU buyers - The annual cull of thousands of harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) pups in Russia's White Sea began at the start of March, encouraged by demand in the European Union (EU) for their white pelts. Although there is currently a ban on the importation of harp seal 'whitecoat' furs and products into the EU, Mark Austen of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said that his organisation had hard evidence that the ban is not being enforced and that seal pup products are entering western Europe from R