11 replies to this topic

[ADMIN1]

Shame they wouldn't allow half these greenies to be shot


http://www.fishnewse...ceasefireq.html




ACTIVISTS targeted the Scottish Parliament at  Holyrood yesterday, stepping up their campaign to ban fish farmers and fishermen from shooting seals.

Dressed as seals, the protesters called for an immediate and comprehensive
ban on the deliberate killing of seals throughout Britain.

The campaigners, led by the Seal Protection Action Group (SPAG), unfurled a
banner demanding a  'Ceasefire for seals"' outside the Parliament and
handed in a letter addressed to 'Alex Salmon.'

The group claims that an estimated 5,000 seals are shot in Scottish waters
each year by fish farm and fisheries interests, a figure fiercely disputed
by the salmon farming industry.

The letter was signed by 27 conservation and animal welfare charities
including the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the World
Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), Advocates for Animals, PETA
Europe, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), Animal Aid, British Divers
Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), Animal Concern, International Animal Rescue
(IAR), Save our Seals Fund, Seawatch Foundation and Care for the Wild
amongst many others. The letter has also been supported by the Labour
Animal Welfare Society and Scottish Green Party.

Recently scientists from the Sea Mammal Research Unit revealed what they
described as a "frightening" decline in the number of common seals around
the UK coast. Under present legislation - The Conservation of Seals Act
(1970) - fish farmers can shoot seals, even during the breeding season, to
prevent 'damage' to equipment or stock.

The campaigners said that fish farmers can deter seals and other predators
by using properly maintained, tensioned nets and other devices, without
resorting to lethal methods.

"Scientific evidence now supports our view that this culture of killing
seals must stop," said Andy Ottaway, of SPAG. "We are calling for a
ceasefire for seals with immediate effect and the comprehensive protection
of our disappearing seal populations from deliberate killing before it is
too late."

David Sandison, the manager of Aquaculture Shetland, the body that
represents the islands' fish farming interests said SPAG's figures were
fundamentally flawed.

He said the industry was unfairly targetted and environmental campaigners
had no evidence to back up their claims.

"We have no basis whatsoever to believe that the 5,000 figure is in any way
underpinned by reality. I don't know where it is coming from and frankly is
wrong. There is no way that that amount of shooting of seals goes on.

"Shooting of seals is legal and from to time it has to happen. It is a
similar situation to when a fox gets into a henhouse or how the population
of red deer is controlled to preserve parts of the natural countryside.

"If you are a fish farmer ultimately you do the best you can with the
equipment you have got to protect you stock. We have extremely robust net
systems around our cages which are not likely to let predators in, but
seals can be very persistent, and when they are and get into a cage they
can cause untold damage," he said.

He added that in the industry's opinion there were many other factors for
the seal population in Scotland to fall, including the impact killer whales
have on seal numbers.

He also said that seal numbers were also falling where there were no salmon
farming interests.

The campaigners have also called on major retailers such as Tesco,
Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer to insist that seals are not shot by
their salmon suppliers. Sainsbury's, the market leaders in Scottish salmon
sales have just committed to end seal shooting as quickly as possible and
are calling on their competitors to follow their lead.

In January of this year a public opinion poll found that 75 per cent of the
Scottish public support making the killing of seals being illegal in
Scottish waters with only 12 per cent supporting fish farmers and
fishermen's right to kill them.

"Until the governments protect our seals as they surely must, we are also
calling on the public to avoid Scottish salmon unless they can be assured
that no seals have been killed. We know they support our view that dead
seals are too high a price to pay for Scottish salmon."

[mc stout]

These people are just "wasters" that have nothing better to do than cause the rest of us grief. If they were put in the position of many salmon fishermen and salmon farmers, witnessing the damage that them ugly b*stards of things do I'm sure they would gladly reach for the gun too. The problem with these people is they havn't had to earn a living and don't realise how difficult it is.  Shoot them all save millions on social welfare payments.

[Barry McCrindle]

The amount of fish we lose in the nets when we had them shot was incredible, think we had about 30 grey mullet and 3 bass in the net and we got 3 whole fish out the net, and that was it shot for 24 hours.
I have no idea where they get the idea they are declining, the amount of seals in the Clyde now is beyond a joke, considering the fact they eat their way through,(might be wrong) 10kg of fish per day, it soon puts the nonsense about quotas in it's true light, think seal population in Scotland is pushing 300,000 now, so do the sums yourselves. 

[mc stout]

I used to fish salmon along the north coast of Ireland before they banned it. We were steady steaming in and out along the net to pick the salmon out before the seals would get it. If the seal was full up he still wouldn't bugger off, he'd stay and damage any fish in the net and then sit back and watch your reaction as you got the damaged fish they must take pleasure in annoying you. I hate the f#ckers so much.

[quiet waters]

think your estimate on what they eat is on the conservative side try two to three times that in a day, roughly a box so ifyour numbers are right they eat 300,000 boxes of fish a day, and what is the average landings of whitefish per day in scotland? even on the best of days you wouldn't come close to a third of that!!!!
where did the clyde fish stocks go? i know "big jock" the kilbrannan sounds most well known seal of the 80's and 90's ate more fish than i caught on a daily basis he was enormous, his heid was aboot twice the size of ricki's, yes, that big!!!!!

[Adoration II]

could be worse it could look like ursell then the snake would shoot u

[quiet waters]

i'm bulletproof did you naw know? indestructable, captain scarlet, a puppet, naw i said puppet!!!!

as for any sneks shooting me? need to get me first shot or it wid be wamp and bite his snekkie heid off wae wan chomp laik thon bloody big crocs in that nonsense film the weans were watchin yesterday lake placid2

[restlesswave]

ah now mc stout i can`t believe you really mean that, the poor wee seals with their nice sad eyes and doggie face and them only small-i mean really how many of them juicy salmon could they really eat-one would be a big feed for ten of them!

[mc stout]

naw restless, i think u mean 10 would be moderate feed for one of them, fishermen are not to blame for the decline in salmon stocks. I never saw a seal with sad eyes, any I have seen had a cheeky grin on their ugly faces.

[westword]

.222 in the heed sorts that look 

[johntar tt10]

Well got tae gie credit where credit is due, Sneke shot a fair puckle of them afore the Polis took the guns off him, cleared the Skate of them a few times so he did, put the figure in 100's., but they are back as thick as ever

[Adoration II]

did he not get his guns back john im sure he did and ur right lot o seals about now always 4or5 around wen lifting