Posted under Seal Hunt & Video
At 0700 Hours (PST) and 1100 Hours Atlantic time the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Farley Mowat was attacked by officers from two Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers the Des Groseilliers and the Sir Wifred Grenfell.
An armed boarding party took control of the Dutch registered vessel in international waters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence well beyond the Canadian twelve mile territorial limit.
Violence and intimidation both on and off the ice
Captain Paul Watson was speaking by phone with Farley Mowat communications officer Shannon Mann when he heard the voices of men screaming for the crew to fall to the floor. The men carried guns according to Mann and could be heard by Captain Watson threatening the Farley Mowat’s crew. As Captain Watson was speaking with Shannon Mann, the Satellite phone went dead and nothing more has been heard from the Sea Shepherd crew.
Canada’s federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn issued a statement on Saturday saying the government was acting in the best interests of the sealers.
A spokeswoman from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said three Australians were believed to be on board.
“We’re seeking to confirm the safety and welfare of three Australians allegedly on board the Sea Shepherd’s Dutch vessel Farley Mowat which is currently on its way to Nova Scotia,” she said.
The Candian fishermen sell seal pelts mostly to the fashion industry in Norway, Russia and China, as well as blubber for oil. The United States has banned Canadian seal products since 1972. The EU is soon to follow in banning of seal products.
