Canada charges seal-hunt protesters

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — The Canadian government filed charges Saturday against two crew members for a conservation group's ship that allegedly came too close to seal hunters during a protest of the country's annual hunt.

Canada's federal fisheries department said the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's crew broke a law that bans those without a seal-hunt observation license from coming within 985 yards of the hunt.

The incident occurred two days after the March 28 opening of the annual hunt, the largest marine-mammal hunt in the world.

Those charged were Capt. Alexander Cornelissen and First Officer Peter Hammarstedt. Cornelissen is also charged with the obstruction or hindrance of a Fishery Officer or inspector.

If convicted, the men face fines of up to $99,400 and one year in prison.

Paul Watson, president of the conservation society, said his group's vessel, the Farley Mowat, is Dutch-registered and is not subjected to Canadian regulations.

"We have the right of free passage," Watson said from his home in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. "We aren't engaged in economic activity and the vessel is registered as a yacht."

Cornelissen, reached on the vessel by satellite telephone, said he and the crew intend to return to document the hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the Labrador coast in mid-April.

Also Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in a church in Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, to pay their last respects to three seal hunters who were killed when their hunting boat capsized in icy waters last weekend. A fourth hunter with them remains still missing.

The seal-hunting industry is under pressure from animals- rights activists who believe the hunt is cruel and poorly monitored. But sealers and the fisheries department say it's sustainable, humane and provides income for fishing communities.

Fishermen sell seal pelts mostly to the fashion industry in Norway, Russia and China, as well as blubber for oil. The U.S. has banned Canadian seal products since 1972.