News
Hundreds of seals are being secretly slaughtered by Britain’s fish farming industry
Seal cubs in the UK are being left to starve to death as their mothers are slaughtered by Britain’s fish farming industry.
Hundreds of the protected animals are being secretly shot along the nation’s coast every year, yet the culling is legal.
In Scotland alone, 205 seals were killed in 2014 as farmers looked to protect their stocks of salmon and other fish.
But campaigners claim this is the tip of the iceberg as those figures are not independently verified and kills are not recorded for the rest of the UK.
Andy Ottaway, director of the Seal Protection Action Group, said: “There’s a lot of prejudice against seals and people see them as pests.
“Before we had an organised cull which was stopped by public opinion. But this is an ongoing cull that goes on all year.
“And it is leaving young pups to starve when their mothers are killed.
“People eating Scottish salmon don’t realise the price seals are paying.
The animals are a protected species under EU law but there are exceptions for killing them to protect fish or equipment.
In Scotland farmers and waterways managers need a licence to cull seals.
They have to stick to quotas and record numbers killed, but there is no such requirement for the rest of the UK.
Describing the problem of baby seals being left to die, Mr Ottaway said: “If there’s a weaning pup and its mum has been killed, it won’t go back to feed it and it starves.
“The licence in Scotland allows seals to be shot all year round which means they are shot in the breeding season.
“When the licence was introduced we asked for at least a ban during the breeding season but the Scottish government said no.
“If you’re shooting them throughout breeding season there’s a high probability you’re shooting mothers. A quarter to half of them will be with pups.”
Mr Ottaway said the scale of the slaughter was unclear in the rest of the UK.
He continued: “Around the North there are salmon rivers and we know seals are being shot there.
“There was a case in South Shields when someone was shooting seals from a boat.
“People reported him to the police and when officers turned up they had to tell them it’s perfectly legal. It’s terrible.”
Holidaymakers in Scotland have been left equally shocked by the killing.
Mr Ottaway said: “People do not realise that behind the scenes wholesale slaughter is going on.
“Visitors have been left horrified when they have been on holiday and seen seals being shot at the beach in front of them and their children.”
Figures from Scotland show a decline in kills from 459 in 2011 to 433 in 2012, 274 in 2013 and 205 in 2014.
This year the Government has authorised the deaths of up to 859 – 662 grey seals and 197 common seals.
But campaigners argue none should die and demanded companies invested in nets and acoustic deterrents.
Mr Ottaway said: “The bullet is a cheap and permanent solution for those that dislike seals and blame them for fish crashes caused by over-fishing.
“Anywhere where there is salmon netting or angling there is a likelihood of seals being ‘controlled’.”
He spoke amid global outrage at the start of the Canadian seal cull, where up to 468,000 will be hunted for their pelts.
There have been no organised culls in Britain since 1978 but fish farmers still insist they need to control them.
The Scottish salmon industry alone produces 155,000 tons of fish a year, has annual exports of more than £285million and employs thousands of people.
Scott Landsburgh, head of the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation, said: “We have championed deterrence techniques that are designed to keep seals away from our fish, and shooting is always last resort.
“When a determined seal attacks fish in our pens it can kill and damage large numbers and it is important that we do whatever we can to reduce the chances of this happening.”
But Mimi Bekhechi, of animal rights group PETA, insisted: “There is no justification for shooting beautiful animals to protect the cruel and unnecessary fish-farming industry.”
A spokesman for another campaign group, Sea Shepherd UK, added: “Typically every year over 300 seals are declared as having been shot – but this official declared number come solely from the companies and individuals who pull the triggers of the guns.
“Sea Shepherd UK is convinced the real number of seals shot greatly exceeds this official number and some conservation groups have previously claimed up to 2,000 grey and common seals are shot around Scotland’s coast.”
Source: www.mirror.co.uk
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
-
News3 months ago
Hone your underwater photography skills with Alphamarine Photography at Red Sea Diving Safari in March
-
News2 months ago
Capturing Critters in Lembeh Underwater Photography Workshop 2024: Event Roundup
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs2 months ago
Creature Feature: Swell Sharks
-
Blogs1 month ago
Murex Resorts: Passport to Paradise!
-
Gear News3 months ago
Bare X-Mission Drysuit: Ideal for Both Technical and Recreational Divers
-
Blogs2 months ago
Diver Discovering Whale Skeletons Beneath Ice Judged World’s Best Underwater Photograph
-
Gear Reviews2 months ago
Gear Review: Oceanic+ Dive Housing for iPhone
-
Blogs3 months ago
The Thrilling Encounter with Tiger Sharks at Beqa Lagoon’s ‘The Colosseum’ with Coral Coast Divers