MaximsNews Network

UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com, UN/ - 30 March 2007 -- Thousands of harp seal pups are assumed to be dead in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence due to the lack of ice floes, which mother seals require to give birth and nurse their pups successfully according to the IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) that has been undertaking daily surveillance flights over the region.

"There is wide open water and almost no seals. I only saw a handful of adult harp seals and even fewer pups, where normally we should be seeing thousands and thousands of seals," she said.

The ice conditions this year are among the worst on record.

Scientists have recorded below average ice conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off Newfoundland for the past nine out of 11 years.

In 2002, 75 percent of harp seal pups born in the Gulf died due to lack of ice before the hunt even began.

This year, the ice conditions appear to be even worse than in 2002 and scientists with IFAW are concerned that pup mortality will be extremely high.

"It's highly likely that this year we could have close to 100 percent pup mortality in the Gulf of St. Lawrence due to the poor ice conditions caused by rising temperatures," said Dr. David Lavigne, IFAW's science advisor, who recently co-authored a report on the impacts of global warming on harp seals.

Experts with Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), which monitors the harp seal population and sets targets for annual commercial seal hunt in Canada, have also acknowledged the increase in seal pup mortality this year.

It is cited as one reason why the Canadian government has yet to announce the total allowable catch (TAC) or official start date of the this year's hunt, which is due to begin any day.

"It would be reckless for the government to allow the hunt to proceed this year, given the high pup mortality that has apparently occurred," said Fink.

"We may not be able to save these seals from the effects of global warming, but the Canadian government can save the survivors from being hunted. I can only hope that they will do the right thing and cancel the hunt," she said.

The Canadian government has permitted nearly one million seals to be killed in the past three years.

The government quotas have continually exceeded the number of seals that can be safely removed without causing the population to decline.

Last year, the TAC was set at 335,000 seals (far above the estimated sustainable level of 250,000) and the total number of seals reported killed was over 354,000 - exceeding the legal limit by 19,000 animals. Of the 354,000 seals killed last year, 98 percent were under three months of age.

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) was founded in 1969 and it works around the globe to protect animals and habitats, to promote practical solutions for animals and people. Contact: Katie McConnell, Tel: 508-648-3584, kmcconnell@ifaw.org

~~~~~ MaximsNews.com, An Independent Voice from the U.N., provides commentary and analysis from leading world figures: King Abdullah II (Jordan), HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein (Jordan), Sir Brian Urquhart, Hans Blix, Amb. Richard Holbrooke, Anwar Ibrahim, Bianca Jagger, Dr. Nafis Sadik, Shashi Tharoor, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Noeleen Heyzer, Kerry Kennedy, Ian Williams, Stephen Schlesinger, Sen. Timothy E. Wirth, Marc Morial, Amb. Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), Amb. Pierre Schori (Sweden), Amb. William H. Luers, Susan Roosevelt Weld, Rory Kennedy, Mehri Madarshahi, J. Michael Adams, Gloria Feldt, Jeffrey Laurenti, Rodney D. Smith, Rory O'Connor, Genevieve Stamper, Max Stamper and others.

REACH THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

FOR BANNER ADS, contact: ElsieHillman@MaximsNews.com

TO SUBMIT YOUR PRESS RELEASES, contact: TomHerkins@MaximsNews.com

MaximsNews Network® LLC is a Global News Network reaching over 30,000 in the International Community. It is associated with MediaChannel.org and Globalvision News Network, global news and media information services with more than 350 news affiliates in 135 countries. MaximsNews®LLC is in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and the Better World Fund. Established in 1999.

The views expressed are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MaximsNews® LLC.