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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