Kevin Ibbertson

The Harp seal is knmm to be a plentiful species which inhabits the North Atlantic. In October 'and November the mature animals leaye the north- ern waters and migrate south to the pupping areas. The seals give birth to a single pup on the pack ice of the ‘ Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the northeast coast of Newfoundland.

The Harp seal is hunted throughout the , ’Ihe Eskimos take ' between ten and fifteen thousand during the Summer to provide them- selVes with food and clothing. The greatest harvest is taken during the winter months by the commercial seal

hunters, who are mainly .

after furs and blubber. 'Ihe flippers are often taken as a delicacy. ~ The carcass is also taken occasionally _ for the valuable hormones which may be extracted from it.

Because fashion in- _ . . dicates ’that white fur is more valuable than dark fur, it is the pups of‘ the Harp seal which are killed, but only when they are eight to ten days old.

At this time the slight yellow stain of the amni- otic fluid has disappeared and the fur is still fast.

Since the 1960's there has been a great contro— versy over the hunting of seals, with a great many people in favour of stopping the hunt.‘ Recently Paul Watson, an mvnonmentalist from ’ from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said: "The price per pelt collected during the , hunt is eighteen dollars which means that with the total quota for the hunt, the most to. be made from the hunt is $3.6 million. The hunt costs between five to six; . million to stage. Approxi- mately $250,000 alone are Spent in search operations to locate the herd"

In additionkhe mentioned the cost of ice breakers used to clear a. path for the sealing ships. He, also claims Canada loses ‘ $50 million annually in tourism revenue because People refuse to..,come to Canada while we permit the hmt place:

If these. statistics are true, they would seem to indicate a valid reason for stopping the hunt. Hamever, the value ’of the blubber taken is

~ not mentioned. Watson

also fails to mention the manyproducts produced frcxn the seal and the in- come resulting from the production of these products. .

In addition to the fur which is used to make hats, coats and mittens, there is the much more valuable seal oil. It is rich in fatty acids, glycerine. and alcohols. This 011 is used as a lubricant for the gear-box of auto- mdailes and other machines. It is an ingredient of many soaps, beauty creams, cosmetics, and some candies. ‘ 'I'ne glycerine is used in the production of dynamite and hundreds of pharmaceutical ‘ products. Seal oil is also found in certain computers and space exploration devi— ces. It can be found in television sets, photogra- - phic equipment, and many

; electrical appliances- j, which experience extremes of temperature,

seal oil is important as a lubricant of mechanical parts. If one could com- pute the total'value of all these produCts, it would justify the money spent by the government on the hunt. Anti—seal hunt. feeling is

illustrated in a letter

written and published in numerous newspapers in the

, .sixties by Peter Lust,

describing the hunt as . viewed from a helicopter: "From the ice below come hundreds, thousands of death cries. Tm men watch from above. 'mey look at a scene of horror - small figures covered with blood convulsing on the ground in their death throes. . Tiny bloodstained beings scream their death cries into the air, among them walk men in parkas and corduroys - long wooden sticks and knives in their hands — and committ murder after murder -- they are murdering tiny innocent, helpless seals" ' ‘ tme‘convulsing of the seals on the ice is ex— plained by Backhouse, in his book gals, who states "Clubbing is an , efficient method of killing pups, but messy, and neur- amscular activity even after «death oftai indicates life to the anxious observer"

‘S elals Not Endang

Lust also uses the word murder to describe the killing of what he calls tiny, innocent helpless seals. vegetarian, he has no right to object to the killing of an animal because it is innocent and helpless.

r, _’.'-,

if Jack thinks, rIhursday, March 12, 1981, page b

and

of cattle, sheep, lambs, chickens and other anima' ls just as helpless as the seals, are slaughtered

to feed many of the people who are protesting the hunt. The belief that ‘ seals are often skinned alive is unrealistic, as

CIfiHTNUED ON PAGE 7

Unless Lust 'is a

Every day thousands

\

. Fucultyiorum.

by Frank Iedwell, Dean of Arts

"If I were not a teacher, I would be a farmer. I would be a good farmer. I would be a scientific farmer. I would be a leader in my community.” Does that statement have a remote ring to it? If you think it does, you are right. It was the kind of idealism spoken to college students forty years ago. What I'd like to know is, does it fall on the ears of the l980's with an echo or with a quiet thud?

People feel the '80's have closed off possibility and choice. Teachers are in low demand; farming continues to 90 corporate along with everything else; and people are more and more disinclined to

lead. The times, in fact, seem to be tailored moreso to following than to leading. Either that or they are attuned to the “i would prefer not to”

inertia in response to any invitation to act.

What have the idealism of the hO's to do with the university of the '80's? It reads here that forty years does not make that much difference. Although we may no longer use the metaphor of “the farmer... the scientific farmer... a leader in my community”, the university's commitment to its community is still one of producing leaders. The contemporary

’ metaphors may be recreation director, social

worker, entrepreneur, teacher (the demand will be high by l985), and yes the farmer, still the resilient, indomitable farmer. But the buzz word is still leadership.

'The word characterizes what universities are about. It is the need to explore this potentiality in themselves that brings students to the university. In this context, they are a breed apart. As Horace said: “It is not everyone that can get to Corinth.” They have little choice than to see themselves as potential principal players on life's stage. It goes without saying that it is the university's job to prepare them for their roles therein.

The applications of such a thesis are as myriad as the colours of Joseph's coat. At the top end, they call for a special quality of leadership in university teachers. ,If a teacher does not assume the role of leader, aside from being derelict in his first responsibility, he will be as ineffecttual as a near sighted fruit fly on a geodesic dome. At

“the bottom end, they invite the mature response of

each student enrolled in the university. If a student goofs off, aside from being derelict in his duty to himself, he is a carbuncle on the rear of the commonweal. All other applications fall somewhere in between.

Be reminded that the lack of leadership has its consequences. They were never better penned than by the poet in the lines:

Was none who would be foremost

To lead such dire attack;

But those behind cried “Forward!”

And those before cried “Back!”