Are Salmon Farms to Blame for Seal Shootings?

A reward of £1,000 British Pounds has been offered by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for information about the death of six common seals, three of which were discovered with gunshot wounds to the head. The six seals washed up onto the coastline of the Shetland Islands, located in the North Sea off the Northeast of Scotland.

PETA said it would pay the reward after the arrest and conviction of the "person or persons responsible for this horrific crime." There are strong suspicions that all six were deliberately and illegally killed in the Bridge of Walls area on the west coast of Shetlands mainland. Two of the victims were females carrying large pups.

"Shooting a seal at any time of year is a very cruel and callous act, but June is the time when common seals are actively breeding and having their pups," said Ron Patterson, Senior Inspector for the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The SSPCA, which has legal powers to investigate crimes and report them to Scottish prosecutors, has appealed for witnesses to the shootings after launching a joint investigation with Northern constabulary. Patterson was alerted to the scene by Scottish Natural Heritage representatives, who made the grim discovery while walking the shoreline. Three of the seals had clear exit wounds to the head and the other three were too far decomposed to be able to determine the cause of death.

This is the latest in a series of seal persecution cases in Scotland. In March last year, a trawlerman from Shetland was jailed for 80 days, one of the longest recent prison terms for a wildlife offense, after he admitted beating 18 baby seals to death on a remote island in 2008.

Conservationists believe some salmon farms and fishermen are guilty of deliberately and persistently persecuting seals because they can damage fish farm cages and compete with inshore fisheries, a charge that is vehemently rejected by the industry. However, under the Conservation of Seals Act (1970), seals can be killed in Scotland and the rest of the U.K. to prevent "serious damage" to fish stock or equipment. Seals can even be killed in the closed or breeding seasons, despite the risk that dependent pups will be left to starve. It is estimated that 5,000 seals are shot in Scottish waters each year by the salmon industry.

Earlier this year, Marks and Spencer, a U.K.-based upmarket food retailer with stores in 30 countries, was the target of animal rights campaigners for knowingly purchasing their famous "Lochmuir" farmed salmon from Scottish Sea Farms, a supplier accused of shooting seals. Marks and Spencer, along with numerous other supermarket chains, are aware of the abuse to seals, yet seem to do little to stop these atrocities. Their main concern is that sales of fresh salmon are on the increase as customers turn away from red meat to healthier foods.

But U.K. polls show that the salmon-buying public wants seal-friendly products. Predator nets could be used as a non-lethal deterrent against seals; even though the industry says the nets are too expensive, over half of the survey respondents who buy salmon products say they're prepared to pay more. Andy Ottaway of the Seal Protection Action Group said, "They already think killing seals is too high a price to pay for Scottish salmon.”

Photo Credit: Scottish SSPCA