Please help the Baby Seals like the supporters below.
Levin Leads Congressional Opposition to Canada's Seal Hunt
Joseph I. Lieberman
Resolution
American Idol Stars Make Beautiful Music for Harp Seals
Restaurants and Chefs Who Support the Canadian Seafood Boycott
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After hearing about the horrific treatment of seals at the hands of fishermen in Canada's annual seal hunt, many companies pledged to boycott some or all Canadian seafood until the hunt is finally ended. In addition to the chefs and restaurants listed below, Legal Sea Foods, Whole Foods Market, and Down East Seafoods were among the first to support the boycott. If one of these restaurants is in your town, stop by to say thank you.* If you don't see your favorite restaurants on this list, please talk to them and ask them to join the boycott.
Click on these links to see the cities in which restaurants and/or chefs have pledged to help protest the seal hunt by boycotting some or all Canadian seafood boycott:
Aspen, Colorado |
Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts |
Chicago |
Denver |
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida |
Las Vegas |
Miami |
New York City |
New Orleans |
Portland, Oregon |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
San Antonio, Texas |
San Diego |
San Francisco |
Seattle |
Silicon Valley (Cupertino), California |
Vancouver, British Columbia |
Washington, D.C.
Aspen, Colorado
Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts
Ruby Room (Chef: Jonnatan Leiva)
Bambara (Chef: Michael Haimowitz
Chicago, Illinois
312 Chicago (Chef: Dean Zanella)
Atwood Cafe (Chef: Heather Terhune)
Encore Liquid Lounge
South Water Kitchen
Denver, Colorado
Panzano (Chef: Elise Wiggens)
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Winchester Seafood (Chef: Ann Morrow)
Las Vegas, Nevada
rm seafood (Chef: Rick Moonen)
Lexington, Kentucky
Chef Anne H. Sandhu CHS CHE CWPC MBA
Miami, Florida
Pacific Time (Chef: Jonathan Eismann)
B.E.D. (Chef: Vitor Casassola)
Ginger Grove (Opening Fall 2005)
New York, New York
Artisanal Fromagerie & Bistro (Chef: Terrance Brennan)
The Art Institute of New York City (Chef: Ken Goodman)
B.E.D. New York (Chef: Vitor Casassola)
Butter (Chef: Alexandra Guarnaschelli)
Café Rosso (Chef: Rhonda Groack)
Café St. Bart's (Chef: Cirilo Delores)
City Crab & Seafood Co. (Chef: Michael Siry)
City Hall Restaurant (Chef: Henry Meer)
Danal (Chef: Kevin Cahill)
Deborah—Life Love Food (Chef: Deborah Stanton)
Dishes (Chef: Maggie Talisman)
Esca (Chef: David Pasternack)
Extra Virgin (Chef: Joseph Fortunato)
Fish (Chef: Edward Taylor)
Florent (Chef: Michael Manhertz)
Fresh (Chef: Martin Burge)
The Frying Pan (Chef: John Krevey)
The Galaxy Global Eatery (Chef: Dennis Cicero)
Grace Bar and Restaurant (Chef: Fred McKibbin)
Havana Central (Chef: Stanley Licaric)
Hells Kitchen (Chef: Jorge Pareja)
Inside (Chef: Charlie Badman)
Jefferson (Chef: Simpson Wong)
Landmarc (Chef: Marc Murphy)
Le Perigord (Chef: Joel Benjamin)
Le Pere Pinard (Chef: Laila)
Le Refuge (Chef: Pierre Saint-Denis)
Marco New York (Chef: Marco Martelli)
Park Ave. Cafe (Chef: Neil Murphy)
Park East Grill (Chef: Samuel Gattica)
Pearl Oyster Bar (Chef: Rebecca Charles)
Pig 'n Whistle on 3rd (Chef: Joseph Guiterrez)
Punch Restaurant (Chef: Sam Talbot)
Raga NYC (Chef: Tony Gaskin)
Roths Steak House (Chef: Michael Kaphan)
A Salt and Battery East Village (Chef: Mathew Arnold)
A Salt and Battery West Village (Chef: Mathew Arnold)
Sezz Medi' (Chef: Angelo Sessa)
Silverleaf Tavern (Chef: Kevin Reilly)
Simply Divine (Chef: Judy Marlow)
Suenos (Chef: Sue Torres)
The Supper Club (Chef: Jason Avery)
Tavern on the Green (Chef: John Milito)
Town (Chef: John Johnson)
The Water Club (Chef: David Regueiro)
Zest (Chef: John DiGiacomo)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Portland, Oregon
Castagna (Chef: Kevin Gibson)
Red Star Tavern & Roast House (Chef: Rob Pando)
Pazzo Ristorante
Pazzoria Bakery and Cafe
Salt Lake City, Utah
Bambara (Chef: Robert Barker)
San Antonio, Texas
Las Canarias La Mansion del Rio Hotel (Chef: Scott Cohen)
Pesca on the River Watermark Hotel & Spa (Chef: Jonathan Parker)
San Diego, California
Jbar (Chef: Deborah Schneider)
Jsix (Chef: Deborah Schneider)
San Francisco, California
Blue Mermaid Chowder House & Bar (Chef: Chandon Clenard)
Cafe Pescatore
Caffe Espresso
Fifth Floor (Chef: Melissa Perello)
Grand Cafe (Chef: Fabrice Roux)
Harry Denton's Starlight Room
Kuleto's (Chef: Sharyl Seim)
Kuleto's Trattoria (Chef: John Ruane)
Postrio (Chefs: Wolfgang Puck, Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal)
Ponzu (Chef: Michelle Mah)
Puccini & Pinetti
Scala's Bistro (Chef: Staffan Terje)
Seattle, Washington
Bookstore Bar & Cafe (Chef: Tim Ferguson)
Library Bistro (Chef: Tim Ferguson)
Sazerac (Chefs: Jan Birnbaum and Jason McClure)
Tulio Ristorante (Chef: Walter Pisano)
Silicon Valley (Cupertino) , California
Park Place (Chef: Ray Valeske)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Zin (Chef: Chris Whittaker)
Washington, D.C.
Bar Rouge
Firefly (Chef: John Wabeck)
Helix Lounge
Poste Moderne Brasserie (Chef: Robert Weland)
Topaz Bar
* Special thanks to Chef Anne H. Sandhu of Sullivan University's National Center for Hospitality Studies.
The opposition to Canada's seal hunt is truly global. Our original network has been expanded by a number of other organizations. Collectively, these groups represent tens of millions of individuals worldwide.
Levin Leads Congressional Opposition to Canada's Seal Hunt
February 24, 2005
As he did during the last session of Congress, U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) again demonstrated strong leadership in protecting wildlife by organizing a bipartisan group of senators to support a resolution condemning the brutal Canadian seal hunt.
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Introduced on February 1, Senate Resolution 33 urges the government of Canada to end the commercial seal hunt. Citing a 2001 veterinary report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the resolution denounces Canadian seal hunting for failing "to comply with basic animal welfare regulations in Canada." Levin introduced a similar resolution in November 2003.
"As many as 42 percent of the seals studied were likely skinned while alive and conscious," the statement reads.
Calling the hunt "a commercial slaughter carried out by nonnative people from the East Coast of Canada," the document contests Canada's contention that the seals are responsible for depleted cod stocks.
"The consensus among the international scientific community is that seals are not responsible for the collapse of cod stocks," the resolution declares, "and because the seals consume predators of commercial cod stocks, removing the seals might actually inhibit recovery of cod stocks."
The resolution reflects the outrage experienced by many Americans upon learning that Canada had increased the quota of seals that hunters may club and shoot to 975,000 over the next three years. Since The HSUS launched its Protect Seals campaign in June 2003, Americans and Canadians alike have written thousands of letters of protest to then-Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Canada's Ambassador to the United States Michael Kergin, Minister of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Robert Thibault, and the Canadian Tourism Commission. In March, activists rallied against the hunt at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Christopher Dodd, (D-CT), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Durbin, Richard (D-IL), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), James Jeffords (I-VT), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Kennedy, Edward M. (D-MA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) are cosponsoring the resolution.
Agreement from Abroad
Levin and his colleagues are not the only political figures to criticize Canada's seal hunt. On November 4, 2003, conservative David Amess, M.P., read a statement to the United Kingdom's Parliament calling the killing of baby seals "cruel."
The Canadian government has "effectively declared war on seals," Amess noted in the debate over his motion to oppose the seal hunt, which was signed by 159 members of parliament. Later the same day, British Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brian announced that the United Kingdom would put pressure on Canada to ban commercial seal hunting.
International concerns center on the shocking brutality of the hunt, the unsustainable quota, and the de facto subsidization of the hunt by unwilling Canadian taxpayers. As Senator Levin described in his statement in the Congressional Record, "The images from this senseless slaughter are difficult to view but even harder to accept: skinning of live animals, some no older than 12 days, and the dragging of live seals across the ice using steel hooks.
The hunt is making Canada a pariah in the global community. HSUS marine mammal scientist Dr. Naomi Rose puts it plainly: "The Canadian seal hunt is the largest commercial slaughter of wildlife in the world. This is hardly an achievement Canada should want to be known for. It is a hunt whose quotas are not supported by science—placing the Canadian management agencies at the trailing edge of resource management practices."
What You Can Do
With a distinguished group of U.S. senators speaking on behalf of the growing number of concerned Americans, the Canadian government should act now to end the carnage. Find out how you can do your part to support the resolution.
May 11, 2005
Joseph I. Lieberman
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Dear Ms. Printy:
Thank you for contacting me with regards to your opposition to the
Canadian commercial harp seal hunt. I share your view that this type
of
policy should not be condoned.
The commercial harp seal hunt was first highlighted in the early 1970s
when groups around the world protested the brutal slaying of the
youngest
seals that are prized for their white fur. This effort led to a ban of
all seal products in the United States in 1972, with the European Union
issuing a ban on the importation of the white pelts in 1983. By the
middle of the 1980s, the low level of demand virtually ended the seal
hunt. However, recent fashion trends in Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and
China
have revitalized demand for seal pelts.
To meet this new demand, the Canadian Government recently increased
the
hunting quota by 100,000 seals, bringing the total authorized hunting
allotment to 350,000 seals. In 2004, almost 16,000 more seals were
killed
than the permitted quota allowed. 95 percent of all seals killed over
the
last five year were harp seals between twelve days and twelve weeks
old.
According to current population estimates, one in three baby seals born
this year will be killed. In addition, the Canadian government spends
millions of dollars subsidizing the hunt, even though it only employs a
few hundred people on a seasonal basis. This seems contrary to both
sound
economic policy and humane ecological stewardship.
According to the Humane Society, parliamentarians, journalists, and
scientists who observe Canada's commercial seal hunt each year continue
to
report unacceptable levels of cruelty, including sealers dragging
conscious seals across the ice floes with boat hooks, shooting seals
and
leaving them to suffer in agony, stockpiling dead and dying animals,
and
even skinning seals alive.
I support Senate Resolution 33 which was introduced by Senator Carl
Levin
(D-MI). This legislation urges the Canadian government to halt the
commercial seal hunt and will continue to press for more sensible
regulations to help rectify this situation. However, as an elected
representative of the U.S. government, I have no jurisdiction over laws
affecting Canadian environmental and animal protection policies. I
encourage you to join me in spreading awareness about this troubling
matter.
When we treat animals in a cruel and callous fashion, we compromise
our
own moral standards. I have consistently supported legislation that
seeks
to end the abuse of animals in all types of situations. Please be
assured
that I will carefully monitor this issue.
My official Senate web site is designed to be an on-line office that
provides access to constituent services, Connecticut-specific
information,
and an abundance of information about what I am working on in the
Senate
on behalf of Connecticut and the nation. I am pleased to let you know
that I have launched an email news alert service through my web site.
You
can sign up for any number of topic-specific email news alerts by
visiting
http://lieberman.senate.gov/ and clicking on the "Subscribe Email News
Alerts" button at the bottom of the home page. I hope this service is
informative and useful.
Thank you again for letting me know your views and concerns. Please
contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our
work
in Congress.
Sincerely,
Joseph I. Lieberman
UNITED STATES SENATOR
JIL:adp
Whereas on November 15, 2004, the Government of Canada opened a commercial hunt for seals in the waters off the east coast of Canada; (Introduced in Senate)
SRES 33 IS
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 33
Urging the Government of Canada to end the commercial seal hunt.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. LEVIN (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. REED, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. JEFFORDS, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. DODD, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs. MURRAY, and Mr. DORGAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
RESOLUTION
Urging the Government of Canada to end the commercial seal hunt.
Whereas on November 15, 2004, the Government of Canada opened a commercial hunt for seals in the waters off the east coast of Canada;
Whereas an international outcry regarding the plight of the seals hunted in Canada resulted in the 1983 ban by the European Union of whitecoat and blueback seal skins and the subsequent collapse of the commercial seal hunt in Canada;
Whereas the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) bars the import into the United States of any seal products;
Whereas in February 2003, the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans in Canada authorized the highest quota for harp seals in Canadian history, allowing nearly 1,000,000 seals to be killed over a 3-year period;
Whereas harp seal pups can be legally hunted in Canada as soon as they have begun to molt their white coats at approximately 12 days of age;
Whereas 95 percent of the seals culled over the past 5 years were pups between just 12 days and 12 weeks of age, many of which had not yet eaten their first solid meal or learned to swim;
Whereas a report by an independent team of veterinarians invited to observe the hunt by the International Fund for Animal Welfare concluded that the seal hunt failed to comply with basic animal welfare regulations in Canada and that governmental regulations regarding humane killing were not being respected or enforced;
Whereas the veterinary report concluded that as many as 42 percent of the seals studied were likely skinned while alive and conscious;
Whereas the commercial slaughter of seals in the Northwest Atlantic is inherently cruel, whether the killing is conducted by clubbing or by shooting;
Whereas many seals are shot in the course of the hunt, but escape beneath the ice where they die slowly and are never recovered, and these seals are not counted in official kill statistics, making the actual kill level far higher than the level that is reported;
Whereas the commercial hunt for harp and hooded seals is a commercial slaughter carried out almost entirely by non-Native people from the East Coast of Canada for seal fur, oil, and penises (used as aphrodisiacs in some Asian markets);
Whereas the fishing and sealing industries in Canada continue to justify the expanded seal hunt on the grounds that the seals in the Northwest Atlantic are preventing the recovery of cod stocks, despite the lack of any credible scientific evidence to support this claim;
Whereas 2 Canadian Government marine scientists reported in 1994 that the true cause of cod depletion in the North Atlantic was over-fishing, and the consensus among the international scientific community is that seals are not responsible for the collapse of cod stocks;
Whereas harp and hooded seals are a vital part of the complex ecosystem of the Northwest Atlantic, and because the seals consume predators of commercial cod stocks, removing the seals might actually inhibit recovery of cod stocks;
Whereas certain ministries of the Government of Canada have stated clearly that there is no evidence that killing seals will help groundfish stocks to recover; and
Whereas the persistence of this cruel and needless commercial hunt is inconsistent with the well-earned international reputation of Canada: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate urges the Government of Canada to end the commercial hunt on seals that opened in the waters off the east coast of Canada on November 15, 2004.
American Idol Stars Make Beautiful Music for Harp Seals
May 27, 2004
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Here's something to sing about: All 12 American Idol finalists, including winner Fantasia Barrino, have come out in support of Canada's harp seals, more than 300,000 of whom have been slaughtered this season on the ice floes off Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Just a day before the 19-year-old Barrino was selected as the latest American Idol, the finalists appeared together onstage for a rehearsal of the program finale, which aired live on Wednesday, May 26. Backstage after the rehearsal, the 12 contestants not only posed for photographs displaying the hip, jet-black "Club Sandwiches Not Seals" polo shirts, but also signed a letter to Donatella Versace, asking the famed designer to discontinue the use of seal fur in the Versace line.
The letter read, in part, "I join millions of people who are appalled by the brutality and unsustainability of this pointless hunt. By using seal fur in your designs, you are endorsing the seal hunt. I simply cannot wear Versace until I can be assured there is no seal fur in your collections."
"We see this as a sure indication of just how strong the opposition to Canada's seal hunt is: Every single finalist on America's most-watched television show is willing to go on record against the hunt and the use of seal fur," said Dr. John Grandy, The HSUS's senior vice president for Wildlife Programs. "These young people are tomorrow's superstars, and they don't want seals killed for fur nor do they want to wear seal fur."
The American Idol finalists join a growing list of celebrities who have donned HSUS-designed apparel created specifically to help end the brutal commercial seal hunt in Canada, which plans to kill nearly one million young seals over a three-year period. Paris Hilton, for instance, has been seen sporting our "Club Sandwiches Not Seals" sweatshirt. Likewise, Shannon Elizabeth, Christina Applegate, Nicole Richie, and Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys have publicized our campaign.
Now you can add not only Barrino to that list, but also the other American Idol finalists: Diana DeGarmo, Amy Adams, Camile Velasco, George Huff, Jasmine Trias, Jennifer Hudson, John Stevens, Jon Peter Lewis, La Toya London, Leah Labelle, and Matthew Rogers. Even two of the show's judges got into the act: singer Paula Abdul and producer Randy Jackson were also photographed with the shirts.
Join the Crowd
You don't have to be a celebrity to make a difference for seals. Send your own letter to Donatella Versace and request that she make her fashion more compassionate by ending the use of seal fur. Make these points in your letter:
· The hunt is cruel. The seal pups are clubbed or shot, both of which cause great pain. Observers report that Canada's animal welfare regulations are not being followed or enforced. Hunters have been observed skinning many seals while the animals are still alive and able to feel pain.
· The hunt targets very young animals. Canadian government figures show that during the 2002–2003 hunting season, 96.6% of the reported 286,238 seals killed were between 12 days to 12 weeks old.
· The number of seals killed is unsustainable and growing. The Canadian government has provided no scientific evidence that the seal populations of Labrador and Newfoundland can withstand the quota, which allows hunters to kill nearly a million seals over three years.
· The government does not control the hunt adequately. The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which is charged with overseeing the hunt, doesn't punish hunters who kill seals inhumanely or who exceed the quota. It has been accused of ignoring the abuse of animals and rewarding the overkilling with even higher quotas.
· Seals are being scapegoated for the declining cod fishery. Scientific evidence doesn't back up the government's claim that seals are eating too many cod. Even the government's own scientists have pointed to over-fishing as the real culprit in the crash of the cod industry. There's also reason to believe that killing off seals might even worsen the cod stock's condition.
· The seal hunt is misrepresented to the public. Claims that the hunt is part of the indigenous cultures of Labrador and Newfoundland are a cloak for this commercial industry. With 11,185 commercial sealing licenses issued in 2001, this cannot be considered a local cultural event. It's commerce, just like any other industry.
Send your letter (if you live in the United States, postage will be $0.80) to:
Donatella Versace
Versace
S.P.A. Headquarters
Via Manzoni, 38
Milan ITALY 20121
