SEAL HARVESTING IN NAMIBIA
Seal harvesting has always been a contentious issue in the world in general and in Namibia in particular. Animal rights movements are up in arms trying to have this exercise banned but the government has stuck to its guns as they believe that the seal population might destroy the fishing industry which is of strategic importance to the Namibian economy. Animal rights activists on the other hand believe the practice is brutal and barbaric and belong to the medieval ages not the twenty first century. This paper shall try to interrogate the pros and cons of this exercise.
Seal harvesting in Namibia targets 86,000 seal pups and 6,000 adult bulls. This seal harvest takes place in three places namely, Cape Cross, Wolf Bay and Atlas Bay according to: http://www.namibiatourism.com.na/ .
Merits
Seals feed on fish and in order to protect the fishing industry which is very strategic to the economy of Namibia the ministry concerned is of the opinion (based on a research done) that the harvesting of seals is necessary lest all the fish species will be wiped out.
Seal harvesting in a small way has contributed to the alleviation of unemployment which currently sits at 49%. Seal harvesting currently employs around 81 people seasonally from July to November and about 100 people downstream in the processing plants.
According to the Fisheries Ministry seal harvesting has attracted direct foreign investment, a case in point being the Hatem Yavuz Group who specializes in seal skins export and skins processing. This investment would create employment for more than 100 people
International scientists have pointed at possible implants from seal tissue while seal heart valves for human heart surgery show promise. ( Conservation News 2010)
To sum up the direct economic value of seal harvesting are:
The provisioning of goods and services required for slaughtering seals.
The provisioning of goods and services required for processing seals into final and intermediate products
Value adding through the sale of intermediate products as inputs into further production.
The sale of the final product for consumption.
Demerits
Seal harvesting in Namibia has put the country on the radar with animal activists crying foul and some even going to the extent of taking legal steps to have the exercise banned. Namibia is the only country in the Southern hemisphere where seal harvesting is still practiced. Some of the arguments advanced by those against seal harvesting are:
The practice is brutal and barbaric and it violates the animal rights.
The legality of seal harvesting is put to question. Rules and regulations governing seal harvesting are not adhered to and currently the office of the Ombudsman in Namibia is carrying out investigations to that effect.
Over half of the species that seals eat are not fish so the premise that seal harvesting is being done to protect the fish industry is false. If anything fish eat the sick, unhealthy and slow fish thereby maintaining a genetic strength in fish.
According to Kirkman, 2006 even without seal harvesting 50% of the seal pups born during that harvesting period do not survive hence there is this argument as to why not let natural harvest take its course.
Research and figures on the ground have indicated that seal harvesting employ a miniscule number of people hence the effect on unemployment is negligible. We are talking of about 81 people during the culling season and about 100 people in the skin processing plants.
The return on seal harvesting is a drop in the ocean in comparison to high earners like mining. If anything seal watching rakes in much more than the N$1,000 000.00 realised from seal harvesting. This exercise is therefore viewed as an unnecessary evil.
Conclusion
In all fairness this seal harvesting is an unnecessary exercise which is putting Namibia on the radar for the wrong reasons. The arguments advanced by the government do not hold any water from the threats posed to the fishing industry to the creation of employment. Research has also indicated that the seal pup mortality rate from other causes is enough to let nature do the “harvesting”. The harvesting operation itself is so brutal and barbaric that it should not be allowed to continue even if the merits had outweighed the demerits.
References:
Kunneke, R. et al Sea Shepherds from South Africa and Operation Desert Seal.
Campbell, R, Knowles, T. , O’Connor, S., 2011. The economics of seal hunting and seal watching in Namibia.
Puleni 200504223 (talk) 08:33, 7 October 2012 (UTC)
