News
Seals and Cod
Tuesday, 25 Feb, 2003
Late in 1998, during the "International Year of the Ocean," Mi'kmaq Elder and Chief Charlie Labrador was asked by the "International Ocean Institute" to address a major scientific conference held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The theme of the conference was "the crisis of knowledge." Following is an excerpt from Charlie's speech to the gathering of marine scientists:
"What you are telling me is you don't know how to fish...You use the word ‘technology,' but in my time there has been a decrease in everything...If something isn't done soon, there will be no more time for any of us. There has to be something better than technology. It was sad a few years ago when our seals got the blame for taking the cod. It wasn't their fault...those who harvest the earth's resources must begin putting as much back into it as they remove..."