PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3. 1982, WHITBY FREE~ PRESS. wheiby Voice of the County Town Michael Ian Burgesî The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by W s, Pubilsher . Managing Editor hitby residents for Whitby residents. Published ever.y Wednesday by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 668-6111l The Free Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby; Ont. Stop the., sealhunt, now! MICHAEL J. KNELL Community Editor MARJORIE A. BURGESS Advertlslng Manager Mailing Permit No. 460 Second Class Mail Registration No. 5351 It is savage, barbaric and proves that the cave- man is still deep in our memory. In the not too distant future the entire civilized world will once again be forced to witness the an- nual slaughter known as the seal 'hunt'. Each year, in the name of economic prosperity, the Government of Canada allows shiploads of men to brutally kill thousands of harp seal pups off the coast of Labrador. This publication admits that this is not a local issue, but it is one that should concern every decent Canadian citizen. In our opinion, this car- nage must be stopped. There are several reasons to justify halting the seal pup hunt, the majority of which are humani- tarian. However, it is our earnest belief that if this 'hunt' is not stopped soon, the harp seai will go the way of the dodo bird, the passenger pigeon and the white rhino. They will be doomed to ex- tinction. Most Canadian politicians have resisted ban- ning the hunt on the grounds that itprovides a means of livelihood for already irfipoverished Newfoundianders. Does this mean that the men who participate on this 'hunt tor a tew weeks a year can live off its proceeds? The answer is no. In the April 27, 1981, edition of the Vancouver Sun, George Woodcock reported that during the 1977 sealing season, 30.4 per cent of thesealersdld nlot earn an incorne from the hunt, another 32.9 per cent made $100 or less and only 7.4 per cent made more than $500. "In other words," Woodcock wrote, "the sealers, when they earn anything, earn only a piti- able.sum, far less than they would gain by any other known occupation in Canada, and to suggest that they depend for their living on it is to perpetuate the derogatory myth that Newfound- landers are a destitute and primitive folk whose unsavory ways of earning a living have to be tolerated by more enlightened Canadians. "The condescension of such an attitude is crushing, but it is for Newfoundlanders to recognize and to react against it." In the light of these facts, Woodcock, a renowned Canadian writer, historian, scholar, teacher and winner of a Governor-General's award for literature, questions the continuation of the hunt. "Why, if the seal hunters earn virtually nothing, do they continue to pursue the seal hunt?" he asked. "The excitement of the chase? There can hardly be much excitement, except that of sheer sadism, in skinning a live and helpless seal pup. "Machismo - the assertion of manliness?" he continues, "Again, what is there manly about the torture of creatures weaker than oneself? Habit - the dead h'and of a vanishing past?" Returns next week The seal hunt cna be stopped. If even a com- paritive handful of Canadians spoke out against this slaughter, thereby joining the international up-roar, the Canadian government could be forced to end it quickly and without fear of political reprisai. In fact, Woodcock suggests that "if 10 per cent of the whole Canadian population, or even eight per cent, showed themselves passionately enough opposed to the seai hunt, it would pro- foundly change the attitud6 of politicians in all parties, worried as they always are about the large number of marginally held seats in any Parlia- ment." In the opinion of this publication, the seal hunt \has absolutely no value, not even in economic terms. But we are in danger of losing another species of wildlife thereby further endangering the precious and delicate ecological balance of this planet. All living things have their place in nature and when one of their number is destroyed by man, a small piece of this planet dies. We would encourage ail decent Canadian citizens to join our humble protest. If you have strong feelings on this subject, write to our Mem ber of Parliament, Scott Fennell in care of the House of Commons, Ottawa. While we do not know his feelings on this particular subject, he has indicated to us his concerns for Canada's en- vironment and ecological balance. In conclusion, we would again like to quote George Woodcock for he more than adequately expresses our feelings on this subject. "Newfoundlanders and Canadian politicians as well, should be aware that the objections to the seal hunt are not aroused only by pity for the vic- tims. They are aroused also by shame that a society in the late 20th century should be so in- sensitive to its own moral health as to condone and even defend an atrocity like the seal hunt." A seal hunter from a nearby commercial sailing vessel kills an infant harp seal with a "hakapik" on a frozen ice pan off Labrador's coast. In 1978, the Canadian government allowed 180,000 of these seal pups to be slaughtered. - Photo courtesy of the Chicago Tribune. IR