PM Angula Meets Opponents of Govt’s Seal-Culling
By Petronella Sibeene
WINDHOEK
Prime Minister Nahas Angula on Monday met with animal rights body Seal Alert South Africa to hear their concerns about Namibia’s annual seal culling.
This year the seal culling sector has a quota of 86 000 of these fish-eating aquatic mammals.
Seal Alert SA is against Namibia’s seal culling, calling it the cruelest seal hunt in the world.
The quota of 86 000 approved by Cabinet consists of 80 000 pups and 6 000 bulls.
“They had a meeting with the Prime Minister and made their presentation on their views,” said the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr Abraham Iyambo.
While the minister described the culling method as an outstanding matter between the Namibian government and Seal Alert SA, he said another meeting is scheduled for early next month possibly to iron out some of the issues.
The meeting, to take place on August 9, will be attended by Seal Alert SA, officials from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, representatives of the fishing industry and scientists, Iyambo said.
“The meeting will deal with scientific issues and the whole culling concept,” he said.
Pups are harvested for their fur, and penises harvested from mature bulls are dried and exported to Asia, where they are prepared as aphrodisiacs for Asian men.
In the past few months, Seal Alert SA has written letters to Iyambo condemning the seal culling. Other letters, according to the minister, have also been sent to the private sector and individuals outside Namibia campaigning against the ongoing culling activities at the country’s coastal areas. Some messages circulated outside Namibia call for a ban on Namibian products.
In reference to the orchestrated international campaign on Namibia, Iyambo said: “The whole approach taken is highly ridiculous and is complete economic sabotage.”
He added: “They have ulterior motives. They are now touching on diamonds, beef and that people should not visit Namibia. These have nothing to do with seals.”
It is feared that the actions by Seal Alert SA will affect industries such as tourism. However, Francois Huge, Seal Alert SA representative, said yesterday:
“I do not want to harm Namibia. We can resolve this issue, I do not want many countries to ban Namibian products.”
Recently government slammed Seal Alert South Africa and strongly defended its annual seal harvest. Government said the harvesting was meant to preserve the ecosystem and economically benefit society.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Nangula Mbako, accused the body of rumour-mongering and falsifying information about Namibia’s seal harvest. She said Namibia upholds and respects the opinions of animal welfare and conservation organizations.
Seal harvesting, as with all living natural resources in the country, is conducted in line with the principles of sustainable utilization, as advocated by the “Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries” of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Mbako said.
But Hugo said the body was calling on Namibia to halt the seal cull because scientific data available shows that the endangered seal population has recovered to 73 percent of the 1993 level. The 2006 population is 27 percent lower than that of 1993 and further, in 2000 there was a 95 percent die-off similar to that of 1994.
“Sealers are forced to club tens of thousands of pups. This happens during their initial stampede to freedom by reaching the safety of the sea. Clubbed pups are then dragged semi-consciously to a collection site,” said Hugo.
Countries such as the United States of America, Mexico, Croatia, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Netherlands and South Africa have banned the import of Cape fur seal products.
He said government could find a sustainable way that is human to both people and seals.
Namibia inherited a colonial way of harvesting seals, Hugo claimed.
“We are not just trying to talk but we are highly concerned about the clubbing of seals in Namibia, especially nursing pups,” he said.
Iyambo said the industry sustains about 140 jobs. “We should consider the plight of people with nothing. This is controlled hunting and if it was unregulated ,then one would be concerned,” Iyambo said.
The minister said if Seal Alert SA has a better option of culling, the ministry was willing to modify its method.