News In Brief
| Ottawa
Canada says seal hunt to go on despite foes
Canada's seal hunt will go ahead this year despite opposition by environmentalists, Fisheries Minister Pierre de Bane said Wednesday. Environmentalists have asked Britain and the United States to boycott Canadian fish to protest the hunt. Mr. De Bane denounced the campaign.
''Those who resort to lies and blackmail are the most despicable criminals I can think of and seeing them trying to destroy the livelihood of our fishermen is another crime they will have to bear,'' he said.
De Bane said the hunt would go ahead on a much-reduced scale this year. Officials said about 56,000 seals were killed last year, although prices were much lower than before. Ottawa has pledged to compensate the fishermen for the price drop.
