Executive Decision - March/April 2008 - (Page 39)

Finance/legal with this assessment.They think this decimation of life on the seals’ birthing grounds is a lot worse than what happens in abattoirs. Even the U.S. House of Representatives–not a body known for its ability to find consensus–recently passed a unanimous resolution calling on Canada to end its commercial seal hunt. Nations around the globe–the United States included–have banned the importation of any seal products. Business leaders clearly agree. “I felt morally compelled to take a stand. It’s that simple,” says Ed Taylor, owner of Down East Seafood, a New York City-based seafood distribution company that sells seafood to more than 330 restaurants across the United States. “My company is built around the principle of sustainable, responsible marine stewardship. I think companies need to stand by their values. Canada’s commercial seal hunt is an outdated, inhumane practice. It needs to end. I’m thrilled to have a chance to help bring about its end.” “Boycotting was the last thing we wanted to do, but after all other options had been exhausted, we reluctantly concluded that short of a boycott, we’d never end the hunt,” explains John Grandy, senior vice president for the HSUS, having spent years of negotiation with the Government of Canada to no avail. There’s a growing body of evidence that the boycott is having an impact. Canadian international trade data shows that since the ProtectSeals boycott went into effect in 2005, the value of Canadian exports of snow crabs–the number one seafood export item from Canada’s chief sealing provinces–has nose-dived by over $465 million (Canadian). (When we first reported this story in 2006, snow crab exports had plummeted by $158 million Canadian dollars.) This is a 32% drop in the value of snow crab exports. For Canada as a whole, the export value for the fishing and seafood preparation industries has dropped by 26%. In Newfoundland–the main sealing province–it has dropped by 44%. “The men who participate in the commercial seal hunt earn 95% of their income from seafood and only 5% from killing seal pups. case that joining the boycott isn’t going to alienate customers. In fact, they argue, it’s likely to be looked at very favorably by customers who purchase from companies that work hard to cultivate their public image by making social responsibility a defining feature of their brand. What is the Solution? The Humane Society of the United States is advocating that the Government of Canada implement a sealing license buyout plan to ensure that the men who participate in the commercial seal hunt receive fair compensation for the small amount of income they earn participating in the slaughter. When the Government of Canada decided to ban commercial whaling, it implemented a similar buyout plan. “A buyout is a fair way forward,” says Jim Chambers, owner of Kensington, Md.-based Prime Seafood. “As the Soviets learned, reality tends to trump propaganda. No matter how often hunt advocates try to dismiss the boycott, fishermen aren’t dumb. They see that the boycott is working. I’d like nothing better than to buy seafood from a hunt-free Newfoundland.” The reasons that motivated each company to join the embargo are different. What is of interest here is that so many businesses have come on board, and in doing so they are not only helping to save the seals, they are helping to forge an interesting new model of corporate relations with consumer advocacy groups. XD TA K E AWAY VA L U E TV A TM It is the largest massacre of marine mammals on the planet. th It is scheduled to begin the last week in March until May 15. 95% of the 320,000 seals clubbed to death each year are less than three months old. Over 50% are 12 – 30 days old. The World Community is responding: Signed pledges have skyrocketed to more than 545,000 up from 280,000 two years ago. 90% of the seal killers come from Newfoundland where If forced to choose between these two income streams, we had no snow crab exports have dropped 44% since the embargo. doubt they’d give up the seal hunt to protect their seafood income,” explains Patricia Ragan, director of the ProtectSeals campaign. One thing the ProtectSeals team works hard to change is the perception that joining the boycott is controversial. Polling data from Penn Schoen shows that public opposition to the seal hunt is deep and wide, cutting across all regions of the country. Ragan and her team are able to make the compelling For more on this story, go to www.execdecision.com For more on this subject, go to www.ProtectSeals.org The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a unanimous resolution calling on Canada to end its commercial seal hunt. EXECUTIVE DECISION I March-April 2008 39 http://www.execdecision.com http://www.ProtectSeals.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Decision - March/April 2008

Executive Decision - March/April 2008 Contents Index of Advertisers Contributing Editors From the Editor's Desk Publisher's Note You Be the Judge - Unionization Thought Leader - Pitney Bowes Management - Flying High for Long-Term Results Strategies - Sovereign Wealth Funds Cover Story - In Whom Do We Trust? The Movement for Greater Accountability & Disclosure Finance/Legal - The New Boycott Model Green At Work - Transforming for Sustainability Technology - Embracing Risk Leadership - Executive Reputation Management The Global Village - China Moves to Curb Prices Economic Profile - California Gold Rush Transformations - I Can See Clearly Now, The Brain Is Gone Marketing - Effectively Using Market Research The Bottom Line - Brands: A Shrinking Advantage or Shifting Advantage? Pulse - Pandemic: Not If But When SPECIAL SECTION - Living On the Green: Luxury Golf Destinations

Executive Decision - March/April 2008

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