Canada's East Coast seal hunt opens quietly
Environmental
Canada's controversial annual seal hunt opened Monday in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, where the worst ice conditions in more than two decades have nearly wiped out the herd.
Fisheries officials said they expect only a few boats from the Maritime provinces will take part in the first phase of the centuries-old hunt. About 40 boats from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are eligible, with most of the early hunting focused on the Cape Breton coast, said Fisheries Department spokesman Roger Simon.
"There are a few seals scattered from Sydney towards Canso but they are very sparse and the ice is broken and deteriorated," he said.
"What seals were in that area may be swimming back north and we know a higher proportion drowned this year. The bad ice contributed to a high rate of drowning," Fisheries Department spokesman Phil Jenkins said. "The mortality from bad ice is going to be fairly high."
The hunt is key to the livelihood of Canadian fishermen and aboriginal peoples. To protect the seal population in Canada — which now stands at about 5.5 million - fisheries officials announced a sharp reduction in the number that can be killed.
Related listings
-
LA wtnesses driest year due to global warming
Environmental 04/01/2007Los Angeles got just a half-inch of rain this month, indicating that the city was experiencing the driest rain year on record, the National Weather Service reported Sunday. The .05 inches that fell in March is more than 3 inches below the average Mar...
-
Lawsuit filed over sludge compost plant
Environmental 03/30/2007Environmentalists and Hinkley residents have filed a lawsuit to stop an open-air sewage sludge composting plant from being built near that town, made famous by the move "Erin Brockovich."The lawsuit filed yesterday against San Bernardino County alleg...
-
Ban on plastic bags likely to become law
Environmental 03/28/2007City leaders approved a ban on most plastic grocery bags after weeks of lobbying on both sides from environmentalists and a supermarket trade group.If Mayor Gavin Newsom signs the ban as expected, San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to adopt s...
Illinois Work Injury Lawyers – Krol, Bongiorno & Given, LTD.
Accidents in the workplace are often caused by unsafe work conditions arising from ignoring safety rules, overlooking maintenance or other negligence of those in management. While we are one of the largest firms in Illinois dedicated solely to the representation of injured workers, we pride ourselves on the personal, one-on-one approach we deliver to each client.
Work accidents can cause serious injuries and sometimes permanent damage. Some extremely serious work injuries can permanently hinder a person’s ability to get around and continue their daily duties. Factors that affect one’s quality of life such as place of work, relationships with friends and family, and social standing can all be taken away quickly by a work injury. Although, you may not be able to recover all of your losses, you may be entitled to compensation as a result of your work injury. Krol, Bongiorno & Given, LTD. provides informed advocacy in all kinds of workers’ compensation claims, including:
• Injuries to the back and neck, including severe spinal cord injuries
• Serious head injuries
• Heart problems resulting from workplace activities
• Injuries to the knees, elbows, shoulders and other joints
• Injuries caused by repetitive movements
For Illinois Workers’ Compensation claims, you will ALWAYS cheat yourself if you do not hire an experienced attorney. When you hire Krol, Bongiorno & Given, Ltd, you will have someone to guide you through the process, and when it is time to settle, we will add value to your case IN EXCESS of our fee. In the last few years, employers and insurance carriers have sought to advance the argument that when you settle a case without an attorney, your already low settlement should be further reduced by 20% so that you do not get a “windfall.” Representing yourself in Illinois is a lose-lose proposition.