The Seal Haters have won a victory in San Diego. The National Marine Fisheries Service has given written authorization to the City of San Diego to remove the seals off the beach at La Jolla permanently under Section 109(h) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The City has apparently told NMFS they want permanent removal of the seals. No permit will be required, and removal could begin tomorrow. NMFS suggested in strong terms that if the City was planning to do the dredging during the pupping season, the seals should be gotten rid of by November 1st. The written authorization from NMFS was planned, in collusion with City officials, on September 16th in a closed meeting in Long Beach.  

This means that the last seal rookery in Southern California has been removed to make way for the convenience of more people.

According to marine mammal scientist Jim Hudnall, "The use of 109(h) to authorize the destruction of an entire seal rookery is absurd and probably illegal, but obviously in keeping with the times and the rogue nature of our current Federal and City government. The question is, what do we do about this? My suggestion: start screaming, any way you know how. Be sure you are well armed with documents for the media. I have the pertinent letters, and will give/send copies immediately as you request."

If you are interested in helping the seals of La Jolla survive, please contact Jim Hudnall of the Save-Our-Seals Coalition at 858-692-4840.

Captain Paul Watson has visited the seals in La Jolla and found them to be a remarkable experience, especially for children. "Surely," he said, "you would think that our society could spare just one patch of beach for the seals. We have taken so much from them for so long. Is there no limit to our greed and our contempt for the rights of other species?"