The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) quietly authorized the slaughter of grey seals today on Canada's Eastern coast.

Captain Paul Watson, President and Founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, received a telephone call early this morning from a resident of Port Hood, Nova Scotia, reporting that seal pelts were being landed on the dock, supervised by DFO officers.

There was no announcement of this slaughter. Fishermen are lobbying the government to exterminate half of the estimated population of 300,000 grey seals. The government has authorized a kill of 10,000 seals.

The DFO has not yet announced an opening date for the harp seal hunt nor has it announced a kill quota for 2006.