Seal hunt ends with “thin ice” incidents

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2005:

HALIFAX, ST. JOHNS–Sealers on the Labrador Front were
expected to complete their 2005 quota of 319,500 seal pelts, the
most in 50 years, in early May. The first phase of the 2005
Atlantic Canada seal hunt, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, killed
107,000. Another 103,000 were killed along the Labrador Front by
April 18.
The Sea Shepherd flagship, the Farley Mowat, tried to
monitor the Labrador Front killing, but was pushed away from the ice
by a storm that delayed the opening of the second phase of the hunt
for three days, and was obliged to give up the pursuit on April 15.
Confused by the delay, the Boston Globe on April 12
published a fabricated article about the Labrador Front opening by
freelance Barbara Stewart. Following an extensive apology and
retraction, the Globe published a long pro-sealing commentary by
indigenous sealing industry spokespersons Kirt Ejesiak and Maureen
Flynn-Burhoe.

Earlier, the Sea Shepherds videotaped the Gulf of St.
Lawrence killing. On April 1, six Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
crew members were beaten by sealers, while 11 Sea Shepherd crew were
arrested for allegedly being too close to the sealers.
Among the injured and arrested was Sea Shepherd board member
Jerry Vlasak, M.D., of Los Angeles. Vlasak was removed from the
board by a vote of the other members on April 21. Amid controversy
about remarks he made in 2003 that seemed to endorse killing
vivisectors, Vlasak allegedly said similar about sealers in an
interview with CBC radio.
Then, reported the CBC, “The Sea Shepherds were involved in
a torrent of death threats that were delivered by phone this month
against Newfoundlander sealer Ren Genge,” whose crew attacked Vlasak
and the other Sea Shepherds. “An April 2 posting on a blog on the
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s website identified Genge’s name,
mailing address, phone number and even the name of his wife.”
Watson had the information removed from the society’s website.