Sea Shepherd: Ship is Surrounded by Sealers and Coast Guard

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Sea Shepherd E-News: Ship is Surrounded by Sealers and

Coast Guard

 

3/29/2004 8:00AM PST REPORT FROM THE SHIP

 

 

 

Our flagship, R/V Farley Mowat, is in the icy waters

of the Magdalen islands opposing the seal slaughter

where we have documented numerous sealing violations

on the ice by the sealing vessel Newfoundland Leader.

The Farley Mowat is surrounded by approximately 72

sealing vessels and shadowed closely by the Canadian

Coast Guard ice-breaker Amundsen which has a large

cage rigged on a derrick with which it appears they

intend to swing over the side and board the Farley

Mowat.

 

For the most current updates be sure to visit our Sea

Shepherd Moblog (mobile blog). Our moblog site is our

ship’s daily journal (i.e. ship’s log) where Captain

Watson will be sending direct updates and pictures

from the field of our observation and actions to share

with you regularly.

 

 

 

Captain Watson wrote you the following message last

night.

 

Dear Friend of Sea Shepherd,

 

The merciless mass slaughter of harp seals began today

on March 29, 2005. Over 325,000 defenseless seals will

be condemned to die by club and gun. Many will be

skinned alive – all will suffer agony at the hands of

cruel men protected by the full might and force of the

government of Canada.

 

We are here to make a statement of opposition to this

horrific mass slaughter. In the past 25 years I have

had to make difficult decisions to confront formidable

odds, and each time we have saved lives and protected

eco-systems. Once again I must make a decision that

will place my ship, my crew, and myself in harm’s way

– into the heart of darkness, the epicenter of

slaughter, the blood-stained nursery floes of the harp

seal where humanity converts innocence and beauty into

bloody corpses – surrounded by more than 70 sealing

vessels and shadowed by the defenses of the government

of Canada.

 

 

 

We will make every effort, expend all our resources,

and make whatever sacrifices we must, to reach the

seals on the ice. We intend to protect them. We intend

to be there when the killing starts, to document it

and to let the vicious sealers know that they are

being watched and that we will not go away. We intend

to be good shepherds to the ice loving seals from

Greenland.

 

Our opposition is made up of cowards. From the brutal

spiked-booted sealers who stomp through the harp seal

nursery bashing seals in the face or across their

skulls with spiked clubs, to the cold and heartless

bureaucrats who take their orders from colder and even

more heartless politicians and hide behind the excuse

of following orders.

 

 

It is inconceivable to me that these killers and

politicians cannot see what we see, feel what we feel

– that they cannot have empathy for the mothers and

their young on the ice floes and that they can

practice, condone, and defend such unspeakable cruelty

and such reprehensible slaughter.

 

 

 

We are here to save the seals and they are here to

destroy them. There can be no doubt as to which side

is right and which side is wrong, for compassionate

defense of life is a force of good and sadistic mass

destruction of life is a force for evil.

 

And for what? So some vain woman in the Ukraine can

wear a sealskin coat? Or some impotent man in China

can eat the penis of a baby seal and believe it will

make him virile? Or some misguided and selfish health

nut can buy contaminated seal oil capsules as a

supplement?

 

Can any sensitive, ecologically-aware person stand by

and ignore these crimes against nature? We cannot.

Therefore, we are forced into making difficult

decisions in our efforts to expose the killing, the

brutality, and the abject cruelty of a slaughter that

both disrupts the natural marine ecosystems and drives

us even further into the darkness as a species that

thrives and thrills to wanton killing and blood

profiteering.

 

 

 

Only the cold-hearted and the cynically-minded would

argue against the morality of our defense of the

seals.

 

And because you are not one of them, I honour your

support. The seals, my crew, and I are grateful for

having you back us in this quest to defend life on the

ice this spring.

 

Sincerely,

 

Captain Paul Watson

 

 

 

P. S. You can now follow our campaign progress on our

new Sea Shepherd Moblog (mobile blog) site.

 

 

 

Also, keep your eyes on Sea Shepherd in the News to

read media coverage of our campaign from around the

world.

 

 

 

 

 

Seal Campaign

 

 

 

Seal Campaign Home Page

 

 

 

Sea Shepherd Moblog –*new – direct updates and

pictures from the field!*

 

 

 

Support the Seal Campaign

 

 

 

Seal Hunt Facts

 

 

 

SSCS History Saving Seals

 

 

 

Seals FAQ

 

 

 

What You Can Do

 

 

 

Seal Campaign Merchandise

 

 

 

The Crew of the Farley Mowat

 

 

 

 

 

Recent Press Releases and Editorials

 

 

 

Capt. Paul Watson Answers 11 Common Questions on the

Seal Hunt

 

 

 

Canadian Fisheries Minister Goes on the Defensive

 

 

 

United Kingdom Member of Parliament Against Seal Hunt

 

 

 

Sea Shepherd Position on Current Sierra Club Elections

 

 

 

Captain Watson’s Reply to a Newfoundlander

 

 

 

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Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a registered

501©3 non-profit organization in the U.S. Founded

in 1977 by Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd’s mission

is to defend, conserve, and protect marine wildlife

and their habitats.

 

 

 

Visit our Online Store for harp seal T-shirts, pins,

and more

 

 

 

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is easy for you and it keeps our administrative costs

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and puts your contributions directly and quickly to

good use.

 

********************************************************************************

 

Thank you for your ongoing support of Sea Shepherd!

Working together we will succeed.

 

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

PO Box 2616

Friday Harbor, WA 98250

USA

Phone: (360) 370-5650

Fax: (360) 370-5651

Website: http://www.seashepherd.org/

Email: info