March 27, 2008
The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today issued the following statement:
I am gravely concerned with comments made by Paul Watson, leader of the extremist Sea Shep pherd Society that he will disregard the Government of Canada's clear warning to stay outside of our waters and choose instead to threaten the safety and livelihood of Canadian sealers.
Mr. Watson's organization has been known to cause ph ysical harm and damage to property. Their flagship vessel, the Farley Mowat, proudly bears the names of fishing vessels it claims to have sunk.
Sealers in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and in the North should know that our government is standing up fo r their safety and security and will not accept such indiscriminate disregard of the law and the safety of our citizens.
Our government works hard to ensure the Canadian seal hunt is conducted in a humane, safe and sustainable manner and it add s a tremendous amount of value to those individuals who pursue it as their employment during a time when economic opportunities are limited in many remote, coastal communities. We will not be bullied or blackmailed into forcing people who depend on the sealing industry out of their livelihood based on things that are simply baseless allegations. The Sea Shepherd Society is just another organization in a long list of those trying to bully the Canadian sealing industry.
In the days ahead we wil l be monitoring the situation very carefully, and taking every step to ensure the safety of our sealers.
Joshua Zanin
Special Assistant, Communications
Office of the Minister
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
O ttawa
613-992-3474
