Bi-Partisanship

Here is the reality of American political bi-partisanship.

Congressmen say sea lion hunt necessary
Sea lions are protected by federal law. But Republican Doc Hastings and Democrat Brian Baird said they will introduce a bill that would let officials from the two states, as well as American Indians, quickly obtain permits to kill a limited number of sea lions that are going after salmon in the Columbia. Michael Garrity, associate director of American Rivers, an environmental group, objects to the bill, saying dams and the degradation of salmon species' habitat is more to blame for their decline in numbers. "It seems like whenever the federal government's failures to restore these salmon become obvious, you often see relatively minor problems like sea lions scapegoated," Garrity said.

Both parties of capitalism share a common species chauvinism that is based on viewing ecosystems as 'resources'. In this case pitting species in an eco-system under destruction by capitalism, against each other claiming that the sea lions are the reason for the destruction of salmon stocks.

Not unlike those that blame the seals on the Atlantic coast for the destruction of the cod stocks when we know it is offshore industrial fisihing trawlers from Europe that have overfished the grand banks.

In the case of west coast salmon it is again a case of commercial overfishing, and environmental degradation of their spawning grounds thanks to commercial logging and mining.

The decline in the Orca population that feeds off sea mammals like the Sea Lion are in decline. The two types of Orca have a symbiotic relationship with each other and are crucial to the eco-reality of salmon stocks. Orca's that eat sea mammals provide reduction in competition for Orca's that eat salmon.

See:

Our Whales Are Missing

High Crimes On The High Sea's

After Montreal A View From the Past

Ecology=Equality

Seals

Social Ecology



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