Seal Slaughter

[Guest Anonymous]

its along the same lines as the pretty cute little skipping bunnies with thier lovely long whiskers are actually flaming vermin, worm n flea infested destructive vermin. Same can be said about baa heads. In an island culture where the folk who have fishing and the sea in thier blood the seals will always be the enemy never mind how big or round the eyes or cutsie the face is , truth is they are vermin to fishing orientated people p.s. i dinna have access to a rifle

[skaterboy]

never mind seal huggers theres plenty more I counted 14 on the beach in tangi voe on papa the other day, and plenty more in the water.

[Guest Anonymous]

never mind seal huggers theres plenty more I counted 14 on the beach in tangi voe on papa the other day, and plenty more in the water.

 

and you only got 6 ????

[skaterboy]

no enough ammo

[skaterboy]

no enough ammo

[DARRON SMITH]

I agree we dee fleabee seals are a pest and since they got the protection order have come to be far ower mony o dem

same as bonxies and black backs even da auld mally is commin aboot da doors.

da auld men telt me years ago u widna ever see a bonxie doon oot o da hill

noo i widna pit it past dem tae tak da very een oot o a bairn in da garden.

 

seals need to be kept doon on in a controled manner

 

its a shame dir been shot while foo o young? yeah

 

will i sleep da night? yeah....

 

and for da record I hate guns and widna ever hae wan...

[zebbidy]

http://www.t-arty.com/images/designslarge/iclubseals.jpg

[Guest Anonymous]

no enough ammo

 

if dats aa you need ................

[Seaflech]

its along the same lines as the pretty cute little skipping bunnies with thier lovely long whiskers are actually flaming vermin, worm n flea infested destructive vermin. Same can be said about baa heads. In an island culture where the folk who have fishing and the sea in thier blood the seals will always be the enemy never mind how big or round the eyes or cutsie the face is , truth is they are vermin to fishing orientated people p.s. i dinna have access to a rifle

 

Really? What exactly have they done to bother you? You say that they are vermin, but for what reason? Yes we are an island culture but we have moved a long, long way from a group of fisher folk with a yoal or a sixareen trying to sustain a family.

Tell us, fleabee, what exactly it is about the seals or rabbits that bothers you so much and makes it OK for us to get rid of animals simply because they kinda get in our way.

[Ghostrider]

^^ Rabbits eat an astonishing amount of grass and agricultural crops where there is any concentration of them. And anywhere two rabbits manage to establish a residence, becomes over-run before that year is out the way they can and do breed.

 

They can also destroy grazing land between the holes they dig and the spoil from them being spread over the surface. Take a look at any established rabbit infested area, saturation point is when 50% of the area is occupied by holes and spread spoil and the other 50% grass is permanently close cropped by them all. They then have the monopoly of that land, the owner either has to abandon it and give it over to them, or destroy them.

 

Fishing may no longer be a necessity for survival for everyone, but there are still plenty who prefer to spend time during the summer months working inshore from small boats catching sillocks, piltocks, ollicks or whatever for their and their family's consumption, and why shouldn't they? Folk always have, and there's fish still there, why should they have to leave everything to the wildlife and either make a trip in to the toon or wait until a van comes round and pay inflated prices for poorer quality, when its available for time invested plus expenses virtually on their doorstep 24/7/365.

 

One seal eats 4-6 kilos of fish daily, thats quite a pile of fish when multiplied by 365, but leaving that aside as arguably *if* all their fish, seal etc "conservation" measures are working like they should, there *should* be plenty of fish for everyone. The issue is more one of competition, seals spend more time inshore in summer, therefor they are competing directly with anyone gyaan aff for a few for the pot. Its been a long held belief (rightly or wrongly) that the presence of seals quite apart from what they ate inshore, also had the effect of scaring off fish from the general vicinity. The older generation, now dead, most of whom had in their youth relied on the sea to make their living and ensure their survival, only ever had one stock answer to anyone making mention of seals working close inshore...."needna try fur a fish dere fur a start den...."

 

I'm not condoning shooting seals, but I'm not going to condemn anyone who does either. I can fully understand how somebody who's been trying to fish on usually good grounds to get a few for the pot, and come away without even one bite, but had to put up with the grinning faces of a seal or two popping up around them for the duration, could feel justified in taking out a few. Just in the same way as someone with land, who had their neep rig cleaned by rabbits feels justified in giving every pair of pointy ears or bobbing white tail they see the full effects on the business end of a 12 bore.

[MitzyMu]

I can only echo other's thoughts on this. Commen seals are protected by law all year round, greys will also come under this ruling later in the year, so no punishment will be severe enough in my book

Shetland has a rich heritage and world renown for our wild life, our family and friends envy us having such riches on our doorstep !!!

Another example of arragance and disregard for the creatures, some pregnant so more lives lost for what ???? Lets hope whoever perpretated this will get their cumuppance, not only the loss of seals but Shetland in the news for all the wrong reasons again

[EM]

...so no punishment will be severe enough in my book

Really? If that is truly your view (and I have my doubts), you must surely be a scary nutter. I wish people could get a sense of proportion and avoid such over-reaching pronouncements.

[MitzyMu]

Thanks for that EM. I really am quite a balanced person who values all life particulally when it is wasted. I am also entitled to my opinion and don't appreciate personal insults. That's not what I would have thought Shetlink is about. Blatently breaking the law does get my goat though. Have a good day !!!!

[bresail]

So we are back to blaming the seals for eating all the fish.

Are they the animals that destroy the the seabeds and overfish?

Are they the animals that fish from the bottom of the foodchain?

Do they fish for the pleasure of watching something die?

Do they fish out of greed?

Should poachers be shot?

Inshore fishing has improved all over the world because we humans clear huge areas of the oceans and drive the remaining fish inshore.

We put lots of fish farms as snackbars for seals.

We also kill Dunters for eating the mussels from the ropes.

Yet we kill undersea life by using cupro products to protect the salmon.

We land illegal fish secretly.

Maybe BP could blame the seals for biting through their pipelines.

Yes the seals and the other sea creatures have lots to answer for.

If the villains who killed the seals are caught they should receive a hefty custodial sentence and their gun licence revoked for life.

I fish for food, I also eat rabbits and have eaten whale, snakes, monkey, turtles and dolphin.

I do not kill for pleasure.

Regards,

Rex.

[EM]

I am also entitled to my opinion and don't appreciate personal insults.

Take umbrage if you wish, but I fail to see how your opinion (if it is true, and as I said, I doubt it) is not worryingly unpleasant. To say that "no punishment will be severe enough" would mean that such people could be tortured, cut into bits etc etc., and you'd consider it deserved justice. If that is not nutty, what is?

 

I do not think that people should be going about killing seals. In my opinion the best way to reduce such activity is not to recomend ultra extreme punishment, but to engage in strategies more likely to work. I have done so, have you?