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The Greenpeace Foundation is a group of preservationalists, based . in Vancouver, B.C., who have been and continue to be actively involved in non-violent confrontations on such issues as the U.S. Amchitka nuclear blast, the French underground nuclear tests in the south Pacific and the Save the Whale campaign. They are a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving endangered species, the human race not withstanding inclusion.

This Year, Greenpeace will position at least twelVe volunteers on

the ice front and declare the seals protected in the name of all people who want to see the seals alive. A harmless waterproof dye will be marked on the back of each protected seal and will only come off when the seal sheds its fur at three weeks of age. The dye will neither interfere with the mother—pup relationships nor render the pups more vulnerable to predators.

On approaching the Federal Minister of Fisheries, Romeo Leblanc,

for aid and endorsement, Greenpeace was notified that they face arrest under the Seal Protection Act, if they attempt to interfere with the hunt! Mr. Leblanc has persisted in listening to scientists backed by the Norwegian sealing companies, rather than accept new

seal population data collected by David Lavigne, Ph. D., at the University of Guelph (National Geographic, Jan. 1976) using new ultra— violet aerial photogrammetry techniques.

The Save the Seal Campaign is not intended to be directly critical

of the Newfoundlanders and Madelinots who harvest an annual 25,000 pups, nor even of the hiredisealers, but of the big Norwegian sealing companies and the Federal government policy which allows the slaughter to take place. Perhaps if the people who bought the seal skin coats realized the incredible cost of the coat in addition to the price tag, they would not demand such a wasteful luxury. Very few of the sealers are sadistic and most deplore the work. They make one dollar a pelt and are lucky to gross $300 — $400 a season. In addition they must pay for room and board on ship and do not make anything until the

ship itself makes a profit. The middle maxlgets $20 a pelt and the company rakes in $150 per pelt. Of the approximately $12,000,000 made from the hunt each year, less than a million stays in Canada, the rest goes to the big sealing companies of Norway.

There are many varieties of seals. The harp seal can be identified by its black, harp—like saddle-back markings on the adults back.

Its diet consists of chiefly non—commercial fish and crustaceans. The seals which are allegedly "depleting the fish stocks" and ruining fishing nets are the grey and harbour seals. Most of the year the harp seal inhabits Canada's Arctic and Sub—Arctic waters far from

the commercial fishing grounds.

We live in an age of enlightenment and awareness, not barbarism. It is a mistake to make the seals a scape-goat for our mistakes in resource management and economic planning. Support the work of the Greenpeace Foundation and the Save the Seal Campaign. For further information contact: Keith Cossey, P.O. Box 276, Cornwall.

- Keith Cossey Clyde River