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Sustainable
eNews |
April 2003 |
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IWMC
World Conservation Trust |
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Sustainable Use
notes
from around the World
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While fishermen and Inuit in Canada are wishing for
renewed markets for seal pelts, fishermen's organizations in Scotland are
deploring the reluctance of their government to allow culls of the gray and
harbor seals on their coasts. A cull is a regulated large scale kill of
animals for which no known use or commercial interest exists. Culls are
done to bring populations into line with prey or other forage resources. In
the case of Scotland, approximately 110,000 gray seals and 40,000 harbor
seals have been shown, thanks to DNA analysis of their feces, to be
depleting the trout and salmon also fished by people. Anglers' groups are
demanding that these growing seal populations be controlled.
Problem is, such a cull would cost money and would be protested by
animal extremists.
We offer a couple of ideas for a solution: Although their meat and hides
are not commercially valuable for human use, these seals could be a
welcomed source of protein for animal feeds, whether pet, swine, or
poultry. Their fat and protein should not go to waste, and those who remove
them should be compensated within the world economic system. This type of
use might also apply to the by-products of harp seals, whose pelts are not
selling as well as they were formerly, being in competition with other fur
products in an overabundance situation. Seal carcasses not consumed by
people would make good food for pets, poultry and pigs. Best wishes to
anyone who can make this happen!
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The people of the Faroes have missed having the meat of baleen whales.
They haven't fished for minke or other local baleen species since the
1980s. Now, plans are underway for Norway to allow the export of minke
product to the Faroes this coming summer. Although the Faroese hunters take
950 pilot whales per year, they want some variety in their meat diet. Their
only other locally produced meat products are sheep and fish. Pilot whales
make up 30% of all meat produced in the Faroes. The Faroese, Norwegians,
Japanese and Icelanders are all exempt from CITES restrictions on trade in
minke whale products, and our Faroese friends are looking forward to this
newly restored diet opportunity.
Congratulations to Norway and the Faroes for going ahead with sovereign
courage on this project. No harm will be done, a principle will be upheld,
and local people will enjoy the result. Bon appetit!
In late February 2003 the Committee on Fisheries of the UN Food and
Agricultural Organization met in Rome. Topics discussed included promotion
of sustainable use of marine resources, and problems with illegal,
unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, and ways to correct
that situation. The FAO's COFI endorsed Japan's proposal that FAO should
convene a Technical Consultation in early 2004 to address these problems
and the problem of international management of fishing capacity. Also
discussed were recognized problems with sea turtle mortality due to fishing
and other human activities, and the contributions of fishing communities in
solving wider problems. These include reporting of ecosystem dangers,
border patrol security, and coastal clean-ups.
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Earlier in February, Indonesia, Japan and Norway announced that they had
filed a reservation to the recent CITES Appendix II listing of whale
sharks, basking sharks, and sea horses, while Iceland filed a reservation
for sharks only. The reservation was filed on grounds that there is no
scientific justification for the listing. Thus, the principle that the
various CITES appendices listings must be based on scientific evidence of
species abundance or depletion, was highlighted, and a precedent of
acceptance of political basis for listing was upset. IWMC applauds Iceland,
Indonesia, Japan and Norway for sticking to principle on this matter, for
the good of respect for the scientific community, and because such an
action upholds the principles of the Convention. We support such actions,
because science must be the basis for all wildlife and fisheries management
decisions. 
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