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On Pam Anderson and Baby Seals

6K views 43 replies 22 participants last post by  Eddie 
#1 ·
Yes sports fans, its time once again for the great Canadian Seal hunt. The Seal hunt made $14.5 million for the Canadian economy last year and helped to thin seal populations, which are believed to be to high for there own good right now. The high population of seals in the last few years has been attributed to low levels of seal predators, like killer whales and polar bears, and is thought to be a contributing factor in the decline of the cod and Atlantic salmon fisheries.

Everyone’s favorite bimbo, Pam Anderson, is speaking out against the hunt on behalf of PETA. She has asked to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the issue.

Charlie
 
#7 ·
It think it's probably gone as far off course as it will, but thanks for making light of it John.

On topic - I am not a big fan of the baby seal hunt or Pam Anderson for that matter but I do feel we can't oppose that one hunt while not opposing veal farming, or even poultry farms which are far less humane than a fast dispatch regardless of how abrupt and graphic it may be. There are possibly hundreds if not thousands of more heinous albeit less emotional things we do to less cuddly things yet we turn the other cheek on them every day.

I would rather the salmon population be so well cared for that we needed to stop the seal hunt to help us deal with the nuisance salmon that choke every river in the north atlantic. :D
 
#8 ·
SEALS ARE NOT FARMED ANIMALS

There is a big difference between wild seals and poultry or any farm raised animal

Seals are wild animal that deserve to live

Cow, chicken and pigs are breed for food and raised in farms for food, using the farm animal excuse to validate the hunt is bull......




Jocelin
 
#9 ·
Well you are certainly entitled to your opinion as am I, however I need to correct you in that I am not validating the hunt - only pointing out that there are many additional abuses of life, whether we classify it as "farm" or "wild".

For instance chickens have their beaks removed and are forced to spend their lives on wire mesh with crippled feet because they are packed so tightly in coops that they would peck each other to death and their own feces would harm them unless it could fall below their living quarters. They are injected with antibiotics to prevent them from dying from their farming practices. I only eat free ranging chicken and eggs but that is only a small gesture and doesn't solve the problem.

In contrast, the pup dies instantly. Now again, I am not saying either is right - I am in fact saying both are wrong. And I will not get into veal or a pet peeve of mine - farmed salmon... now there is a wild animal that is forced to be farmed as I am sure all of these domestic animals once were.

However the glamour set seems to focus on only one of the two, I hope that clears up my point. I admire your conviction to protecting the seals though and hope the hunt is stopped.
 
#10 ·
Jocelin,

I don’t think Juro would disagree with you on this. I think he is looking at things from PETA’s point of view. These people are ruled by raw emotion. On one hand they say that harming any animal is wrong and should be stopped. However, when it comes to picking their battles they seem to only fight for the “cute” or “glamorous” ones. You never see PETA outside of a supermarket protesting the sale of rat poison. Death caused by rat poison is infinitely crueler than being clubbed on the head. Most modern rat poison has Kumadin in it. It is a blood thinner that makes the rats bleed to death internally over an extended period of time. Has anyone seen PETA out protesting against rat poison? Rats aren’t cute or Glamorous so Pam and the crew could care less about their suffering.

Charlie.
 
#11 ·
FYI
1-95 % of the harp seal are shot by rifle and NOT clubbed. The ugly pic's of the guys using picks to club the baby whitecoats are from 20 years back.This hunt is VERY closely regulated.
2-The"whitecoats" are not allowed to be harvested.
3- Talk to any of the Coast Guard chopper pilots that do the ice patrolin th Gulf of St Lawrence about seal #'s and then say the hunt needs to be stopped.The #'s are WAY up.Even more than last year ,and I've seen the jpg's from '05
4- ask yourself why a seal is travelling 20 kms UP a SALMON river during a runwhen the friggin things hate fresh water.
5- 2 weeks ago in Nfld on one river during the smolt and herring run 200 seal were noticed in the mouth of the river.
6- 5 yrs. back there was sandbar in the estuary of the Ste Anne and salmon were blocked from going upstream. I've seen a pic of a cute seal tossing a 20lb Atlantic Salmon into the air .
7- Quite a few Newfoundland familes need this hunt to get through the year.
8- the Quebec North Shore runs have been mysteriously decimated. They just happen to run through the Strait of Belisle which is rife with Harp and Grey seal.
9- Stop this hunt and then explain to folk that guide and nurture visiting Salmon anglers why the #'s are down !


a couple of prominant stars have spoken up for People Eat Tasty Animals this year .Paul Mcartney and his wife who ventured out on the ice in their petroleum based survival suites and then were interviewed on Larry King where Mrs Paul was proud to say her boots were NON leather (RE: PETROLEUM based) So we should all use non renuable resourses for our clothes ?? and as far Pamela Anderson I tink dat Silicone is also very much peroleum based as well.


I'll go back to lurking in the bottom of the pool now
Cheers
 
#12 ·
I must say that a lot of the comments here have broadened my perspective. And perhaps most of the news coverage I've followed is biased against the hunt. But from the bulk of the info I've seen:

The most prevalent way of killing seals is with a club. That's about the most chicken #### (excrement) killing method I can think of for a human to use on an animal that is totally defenseless. Often, I read, the seals are skinned alive, the carcasses left quivering on the ice. I do read that some are shot, but obviously there's a better chance for less damage to the fur if clubbing is used. Then too there's the safety factor if bullets were flying around with so many humans on the ice. And there's little question in my mind about what method the bulk of these so-called hunters would use when the factor of wasting a bullet is factored into the equation. No guys, its usually clubbing, and far too often not just one quick fatal blow to the head.

I've seen the logic applied where one states that one bad thing isn't so bad when you look at all the other bad things going on of a related nature. That's twisted logic in my humble view. To try to make light of barbaric treatment of one species by saying that other species are also being similarly treated is just not good quality thinking.

I know seals take salmon, just as the sea lions are having a field day on the salmon out west. And the problem is begging for a solution. But why do we have the salmon depletion problem now? It certainly wasn't a problem centuries ago. I thought we identified the main cause of salmon depletion. We certainly know that cessation of many netting activities has significantly increased salmon populations which should tell anyone with an open mind who has been the real culprit here. But now there's just not enough fishery resources left for us to share with seals and the other co-predators on the planet. And our population is still increasing. Maybe a good case can be made for some culling of the seals. But Gawd, do we have to be so barbaric about it!?
 
#13 ·
chromedome said:
I've seen the logic applied where one states that one bad thing isn't so bad when you look at all the other bad things going on of a related nature. That's twisted logic in my humble view. To try to make light of barbaric treatment of one species by saying that other species are also being similarly treated is just not good quality thinking.

I know seals take salmon, just as the sea lions are having a field day on the salmon out west. And the problem is begging for a solution.
Again, I have to correct your assessment as the only twist here (twice twisted in fact as I have already explained this) is what you just said...

No one is saying clubbing seals is not bad because of other mistreatment to other animals, what I said was that they are all bad and ALL should be the focus of celebrities and the general public alike.

My point is diametrically opposed to what you suggested I said. I said "equal consideration for all abuses" and you said "clubbing seals is OK because the others are mistreated too".

A fault of human nature is that the masses seem to polarize on one concept whether it is fashionable, or just easier to comprehend because of one thing or another.

About the west coast situation - as a former longtime resident of Seattle the most prominent interaction between seals and salmon is by far the Chittenden Locks in Ballard. This is a situation whereby a man-made structure created a bloodbath for salmon and the seals over generations taught their young to reside here during the runs, and they taught their young and so on and so forth.

A simple series of vertical bars narrow enough to keep seals out while allowing salmon to pass would end the massacre. Angling the bars and arranging them to direct the fish would help even more. I thought of that without much of an effort, yet the authorities insist on transporting them hundreds of miles only to have them return as fast as they can swim. They've tried fake orca and their sounds, they've tried fireworks, they've tried it all. It's all failed miserably. These feeble attempts are also largely influenced by animal rights activists who hand out pamphlets to children and visitors to try to foster amiable feelings toward the cute and cuddly seals.

Seals are cool, they abound on the Monomoy Wildlife refuge where I spend a significant amount of time each summer. I like them and for the third time, I hope the clubbing is prohibited. For the third time, I hope people stop polarizing their concerns around fashionable species and look at such abuses as a whole, particularly the celebrity set.

I am having a bit of de ja vu saying this, but I hope that clarifies my point (again).
 
#14 ·
Hmm dragging a fish around with a hook for 10-20 minutes...clubbing a seal. :redface:

We are alpha predators. Most of us just choose to play with our food and let it go. I feel if you start splitting hairs it does nothing but lose yourself credibility. I try not to forget we are involved in a blood sport and giving these PETA types any reason to show we are questioning others methods is not the united front we should be putting up.

-sean
 
#15 ·
juro said:
My point is diametrically opposed to what you suggested I said. I said "equal consideration for all abuses" and you said "clubbing seals is OK because the others are mistreated too".
I never said that clubbing seals is OK. And on review of your earlier statements I feel this is all starting to seem like a quagmire. There is activity in the area of the other abuses you mentioned. But the seals probably do get the most attention, one reason being the cuddly nature of the babies. Then too, its easier and more successful to pinpoint and go after a single abuse than to tackle the whole raft of abuses out there which is probably a reason why more activists have singled out the seals.
 
#16 ·
Interpretations of words seem to be a real problem; I should have said "you said I said" instead. However it seems you understand the point I was trying to make that all creatures deserve respect not just the 'cuddly' ones.

over and out
 
#18 ·
Salar-1

Nice to see someone w/ some facts.

On another board I belong to, a local where the seal hunt takes place. Told how celebrities go in and try to stop the seal harvest. When the locals truly rely on the seal meat to survie winter. The harvest is strictly regulated. The hunt is done very humanely.
 
#21 ·
yes they are right!

And those nasty animals are the worst of all... they tear each other apart with their claws and teeth and eat each other. They've been doing that since the dawn of creation and have not changed over the years like humans, who decide they are going to jump out of the circle of life and criticize each other.

But we are only one species - let's stop the carnage! Stop all animals from eating other animals! Animals kill animals! STOP THEM!

:hihi: :chuckle:
 
#22 ·
chromedome said:
I must say that a lot of the comments here have broadened my perspective. And perhaps most of the news coverage I've followed is biased against the hunt. But from the bulk of the info I've seen:
The most prevalent way of killing seals is with a club. That's about the most chicken #### (excrement) killing method I can think of for a human to use on an animal that is totally defenseless. Often, I read, the seals are skinned alive, the carcasses left quivering on the ice. I do read that some are shot, but obviously there's a better chance for less damage to the fur if clubbing is used.
A shame to see how effective misinformation is when used to further a political agenda. Despite what the campaigners would like you to believe, the seals are shot not clubbed, and that's the way it's been for at least a decade. Whatver your opinion is on this issue, it's good to start off with facts, not propaganda
 
#23 · (Edited)
Juro, i can't believe that you are comparing killing seals to raising animals for food! Why you blankety, blank, blank. Just kidding. I was killing myself laughing thinking about you reading this and thinking "not again, and from my buddy". I thought you wrote very clearly the most tree hugger, politically correct thing on the thread yet took the most heat. It is funny that people read into things what they want and then respond emotionally.

As for hunting seals or hunting in general...Ask yourself #1. Are the numbers of said animal high or above healthy pop? Have the biologist set limits and you are within these limits? Are the animals killed humanely as possible? If the answer is yes to all the above then what is the problem? Yes it is ugly to kill such cute critters but nature can be ugly (I couldn't kill a seal pup unless my life depended on it and that just might be the position that these folks are in). We don't control nature we are a part of it. What is unnatural is thinking we are disconnected from nature. Raising animals in inhumane and cramped fashion to eat is unnatural. I am a hunter and i try to eat more wild game then production food but i don't enjoy killing at all. It is not pleasant to take a life and then butcher the animal. I am a bit tired of people who buy neatly packaged animal products thinking that they have nothing to do with the death of an animal. The only difference is that they paid someone to do their dirty work. My hope is that some of the folks that don't hunt will figure this out before they listen to activist propaganda that think we should all live in a fantasy world where nothing bad or ugly ever happens to anyone or anything (except for rats and other ugly *@!*&$*).

Cheers,

Greg
 
#24 ·
Well said brotha!

Especially the point about the neatly packaged meat. I often find myself having to defend C&R fishing. Funny how the vast majority think of it as wrong compared to catch and kill.

My response is "some people will eat chicken, beef, fish and other meats their whole lives with absolutely no knowledge of the species while other people spend much of their lives understanding as much as they can about a species and choose not to kill it".

I usually win that debate, or at least find my counterpart stymied and they often change the subject. :smokin:

Hope we can hook up this year on the water Greg!
 
#25 ·
Greg-couldn't agree more! I was just thinking today (as I swerved slightly to avoid flattening a squirrel) how the "cute factor" plays so much into how we perceive a given animal species as pest/threat or no. Most people would have no hesitation putting rat poison or mouse traps down if these critters were infesting their domicile, but cute bunnies chewing up the lawn/garden results in an ethical crisis of "kill or not to kill"....I too am a hunter, and have had a few arguments (fortunately civil ones, so far) with tree hugger friends over the issue of hunting. They always seem less averse to the idea of my hunting birds (?tastes like chicken?) than Bambi's "adulterous deadbeat dad", or even coyotes. This despite the well-documented studies showing there are too many deer in many areas of the state to be supported by the local forage (and thus the increasing allotments for doe tags, in addition to the two buck tags we get with the license), and that the coyote population is literally exploding, resulting in increasing attacks on pets and (in some states at least) small children. I always ask them- if you had to die, would you prefer a quick death by gunshot, or a slow and tortured death from starvation/illness? That always seems to get them pondering...
Flydoc
 
#26 ·
DGEL said:
A shame to see how effective misinformation is when used to further a political agenda. Despite what the campaigners would like you to believe, the seals are shot not clubbed, and that's the way it's been for at least a decade. Whatver your opinion is on this issue, it's good to start off with facts, not propaganda
Mainly, my facts come from the Humane Society of America. I don't see how you can call that a political agenda. And I doubt you'd find a more reputable reporter than the HS. Their site has recent footage showing the clubbing. One clubbing shows the seal being immobilized just enough so that the sealer can get a hook into it and drag it, squirming, off to be skinned. Where's your documentation to back up the so-called "facts" you claim to have?
 
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