Sealing opponent injured.

Press, 17 March 1977, Page 8

Sealing opponent injured.

NZPA-Reuter Newfoundland

A leading conservationist protesting against the annual seal hunt has been injured after handcuffing himself to a bale of pelts that then was dunked in the icy water and winched aboard a sealing ship, a Canadian Federal Fisheries spokesman has said.

The injured man was identified as Mr Haul Watson, leader of the Van-couver-based Greenpeace save-the-seals expedition. The hunt opened yesterday, with six Canadian ships and five from Norway expected to fill their quota of 97,000 pelts within a few days. A fisheries spokesman said that Mr Watson had been hauled aboard the Halifax based ship Martin Karlsen, which is hunting about 55 miles north-east of the Newfoundland town of Saint Anthony. In New York, a representative of the Greenpeace Foundation, Miss Cissy Wallace, said that Mr Watson was in a serious condition aboard the vessel. She said that other Greenpeace expedition members had reported that Mr Watson had handcuffed himself to the pelts to keep them from being haulbd aboard. A cable had been attached to the pelts, and they had been winched to the ship, dragging Mr Watson along. During the loading, Mr Watson and the pelts had been plunged into the water twice, and he had suffered a broken arm and exposure. Saint Anthony is serving as a gathering point for various groups protesting against the hunt. They are opposed by local fishermen and other residents whose livelihoods depend in part on the hunt.