THE NECESSITY TO STOP THE CURRENT PRACTIC E.

EFFECT OF THE PET-RAISING INDUSTRY ON FISH POPULATIO N.

CONSEQUENCES FROM KILLING FISH PREDATORS. D. CONSUMPTION OF FISH BY DOMESTIC ANIMALS. E. THE PRACTICE OF REMOVING PREDATORY SPECIES. ALL OVER THE WORLD, FISHING COMMUNITIES ARE SCREAMING FOR THE HEADS OF SEALS, DOLPHINS, PELICANS AND EVEN WHALES. THE REASON FOR THIS IS GROSSLY DIMINISHED POPULATIONS OF COMMERCIAL FIS H. SIMPLY PUT, MOST OF THE WORLD'S COMMERCIAL FISHERIES HAVE COLLAPSED OR ARE IN A STATE OF COLLAPS E. THE REASON FOR THE COLLAPSE HAS BEEN A COMBINATION OF MISMANAGEMENT AND CORRUPTION WITHIN GOVERNMENTAL FISHERY DEPARTMENTS, INDUSTRIAL OVER-FISHING, INCREASING DEMAND FROM STEADILY RISING HUMAN POPULATIONS AND JUST PLAIN GREE D. 【R1】______ INSTEAD OF FACING UP TO REAL REASONS, GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS, FISHERMEN AND THE PUBLIC HAVE CHOSEN TO SCAPEGOAT OTHER SPECIES THAT RELY ON FISH FOR THEIR SURVIVAL. BECAUSE OF THIS, CANADIANS ARE ENGAGED IN A MAMSSIVE SLAUGHTER OF SEALS ON THE ATLANTIC COAST AND CLAMOURING FOR A SEA LION KILLED ON THE PACIFIC COAST. THE NAMIBIANS ARE KILLING SOME 60,000 SEALS EACH YEAR. THE JAPANESE ARE SLAUGHTERING DOLPHINS; FISHERMEN IN CALIFORNIA ARE KILLING AND MAIMING PELICANS AND CORMORANTS; AND THE NORWEGIANS, ICELANDERS AND THE JAPANESE ARE STEADILY INCREASING THEIR ILLEGAL WHALE KILLS. 【R2】______ IN FACT, IN EVERY COASTAL COMMUNITY THE STORY IS THE SAM E. KILL THE SEALS, KILL THE BIRDS AND KILL THE DOLPHINS—ANYTHING TO SAVE THE FIS H. IRONICALLY, THE DIMINISHMENT OF SEALS AND OTHER NATURAL PREDATORS IS DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTING TO A FURTHER DECLINE IN FIS H. THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT MARINE MAMMALS AND BIRDS EAT FISH AND REMOVE SICK AND WEAK SPECIES FROM THE POPULATIONS THEY PREY UPO N. IN THE CASE OF THE HARP SEAL, THE SEALS REMOVE SPECIES THAT PREY UPON COD AND THUS REDUCE PREDATORY SPECIES HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE CO D. THE FACT IS THAT THE LARGEST PREDATORS OF FISH ARE OTHER FIS H. SEALS, DOLPHINS, PELICANS AND CORMORANTS KEEP THESE POPULATIONS IN CHECK AND IN BALANC E. 【R3】______ BEFORE MODERN GLOBAL FISHING, MARINE MAMMAL AND SEA BIRD POPULATIONS WERE MUCH MORE POPULOUS THAN TODAY. THE SEAL POPULATION ON THE EAST COAST ALONE WAS CLOSE TO 40 MILLION ONLY 500 YEARS AGO. AND THERE WAS NO SHORTAGE OF FIS H. THE COD HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO ONE PER CENT OF THEIR ORIGINAL NUMBERS IN THE LAST 500 YEARS BY THE HUMAN SPECIES. LET'S PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIV E. THE WORLDWIDE POPULATION OF ALL SPECIES OF SEALS IS ABOUT 28 MILLION YET THE WORLDWIDE POPULATION OF DOMESTIC HOUSE CATS IS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 80 MILLION THE HOUSE CAT POPULATION OF THE US ALONE CONSUMES 2. 9 MILLION TONS OF FISH EACH YEAR. THIS MEANS THAT SOUTH AFRICA'S ENTIRE ANNUAL CATCH OF FISH IS ONLY 17 PER CENT OF THIS 2. 9-MILLION-TON REQUIREMENT AS SEAL CONSERVATIONIST FRANCOIS HUGO OF SOUTH AFRICA PUTS IT, 'WE ARE DESTROYING OUR INDIGENOUS NATURAL WILDLIFE TO FEED AN UNCHECKED EXOTIC DOMESTIC PET MARKET. ' 【R4】______ IT IS ALSO A TRAGEDY THAT MORE THAN 50 PER CENT OF ALL THE FISH TAKEN FROM THE SEA ARE NOT EATEN BY PEOPL E. MOST OF IT IS RENDERED INTO ANIMAL FEED FOR CATTLE, CHICKENS, PIGS AND, IRONICALLY, FOR FARM-RAISED SALMO N. IT TAKES 30 TO 50 FISH CAUGHT FROM THE OCEAN TO RAISE AND MARKET ONE FARM-RAISED SALMO N. CAPTAIN JACQUES COUSTEAU TOLD ME NOT LONG BEFORE HE DIED THAT 'THE OCEANS ARE DYING IN OUR TIM E. ' 【R5】______ WE MUST BE INSANE TO CONTINUE TO PULL THE LAST OF THE FISHES FROM THE SEA TO FED DOMESTIC PETS AND LIVESTOC K. MOST OF THESE FISH ARE THE SMALL FISHES LIKE THE HERRING AND SAND-EELS—THE VERY FISH THAT PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION OF THE FOOD CHAIN FOR THE LARGER FIS H. THE NORTH SEA SAND-EEL FISHERY ALONE HAS DESTROYED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PUFFINS AND THIS FISHERY IS EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE LIVESTOCK FEED TRAD E. IF NATIONS SIMPLY PROHIBITED THE TAKING OF FISH TO FEED LIVESTOCK AND PETS, WE WOULD EFFECTIVELY CUT THE ANNUAL REDUCTION OF FISH FROM OUR OCEANS BY MORE THAN 50 PER CENT. BUT IT WON'T HAPPEN BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH MONEY TO BE MADE FROM SELLING THESE PRODUCTS AND GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS AND POLITICIANS DO WHAT THEY ARE TOLD BY THE CORPORATIONS THAT HAVE THE MONEY AND PROVIDE THE JOBS. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS PATH HAS ONLY ONE DESTINATION—THE SILENT SEAS, FISHES OUT, WITH WHALES, SEALS, BIRDS, AND TURTLES REMOVE D. A STAGNANT STINKING CESSPOOL OF LIFELESS BRINE WILL BE OUR LEGACY.