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The recent pie throwing assault on Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea by a member of the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) cannot be tolerated says the president of the PEI Fishermen’s Association.
“This action was a physical assault on a Minister of the Crown,” said Mike McGeoghegan, “not slapstick comedy. It demands full accountability under the Criminal Code of Canada. This is an intolerable incident.”
The over-abundance of seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is of serious concern to the Canadian fishing industry. Scientific estimates put the harp seal population at some six million animals, while the permanent grey seal population approximates 400,000 animals. Both populations continue to grow.
PETA and other animal rights groups campaign for an end to the Canadian seal harvest while fishermen complain of decimated fish stocks, gear damage and dwindling incomes. “Animal rights groups are grossly misleading the public about the cumulative effects of the growing seal population and the nature of the harvest,” says McGeoghegan. “Their propaganda ignores the findings of independent veterinarians regarding the harvest and ignores the decimation of other species by massive seal populations. Stunts such as the pie incident are done only for purposes of publicity and fund raising from a misinformed public,” he said.
“The PEIFA supports Minister Shea in her efforts to expand markets for seal products around the world and encourages her to move toward a cull of the grey seal population to protect the future of the Atlantic Canadian fishery,” says the PEIFA president.
