Seal Hunt and Efforts to Fight Illegal Fishing Dominate NAFMC Meeting

The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, issued the following statement after the conclusion of the 13th North Atlantic Fisheries Ministers Conference (NAFMC) held in Malta. "The NAFMC was another opportunity for Canada to successfully advance its interests on the world stage, while playing a leadership role within the international community. "A hot topic of discussion was the proposed European Union ban on seal products. Canada’s view continues to be that this action is motivated by inaccurate information fuelled by radical anti-sealing organizations. I voiced Canadian concerns directly to my European counterparts, and was pleased to have had very vocal support from Norway, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and the Russian Federation. "Our government continues to call upon European Union countries to consider their action carefully. If extreme animal rights groups are seen to be successful, Europeans should be prepared for these groups to make their next target industries within Europe. Their vote will give credibility to organizations that are seeking to shut down all forms of animal harvesting. Canada is supportive of wild hunts that are humane, regulated and responsible. "The Ministers also discussed at length ways to get even tougher on those who engage in illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. "Last year saw serious infractions in the NAFO Regulatory Area at a historic low thanks to tough new rules brought in under our government. This success has continued in 2008, with inspections not detecting any serious infractions thus far this year. "We agreed to work together to strengthen existing rules, while determining what stronger actions can be taken by flag and port states to punish vessels and crews that choose to ignore the rules. "Our government has made the fight against overfishing a priority, and I am heartened to work with a group of Ministers who share Canada’s commitment to bring an end to illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities."