The Urban Kitchen Group and restaurateur Tracy Borkum have teamed up with The Humane Society of the United States ProtectSeals campaign to end the Canadian commercial slaughter of seals.
Restaurateur Borkum has pledged not to purchase seafood from Canada for any of The Urban Kitchen Group companies until Canada permanently ends the seal hunt.
"It is inconceivable to me Canada condones this senseless slaughter of baby seals," said Borkum. "I will do all I can to help bring this hunt to an end. I am appealing to the fishing community in Canada to end this practice. "
Tracy Borkum and the San Diego-based Urban Kitchen Group operate Kensington Grill, Chive, Laurel and Urban Kitchen Catering. The Laurel Restaurant and Bar is consistently ranked as one of San Diego's finest dining spots.
"We are very pleased to have the support of restaurateur Borkum and The Urban Kitchen Group," said Pat Ragan, director of The HSUS ProtectSeals campaign. "Their commitment and high visibility will further highlight the urgent need to stop this archaic and cruel slaughter."
By encouraging restaurants, chefs and consumers to boycott Canadian seafood, The HSUS intends to convince that country's fishing industry to stop participating in and supporting the commercial seal hunt.
The Urban Kitchen Group joins more than 3,000 restaurants, grocery stores, hotels and casinos across the United States who have pledged to support a boycott of Canadian seafood until the government-sanctioned hunt is stopped. Other campaign participants include Legal Sea Foods, Whole Foods Markets, Trader Joe's, Wild Oats Markets, Margaritaville Cafes, Ted's Montana Grill and Oceanaire.
Restaurateur Borkum and the Urban Kitchen Group, well-known for their compassion and community service, worked with the California Restaurant Association during the recent wildlife fire disaster in San Diego to prepare and deliver food to evacuee centers, firefighters and police officers.
Facts:
- The HSUS launched the campaign against Canadian seafood in March 2005.
- Seal hunting is an off-season activity conducted by commercial fishermen from Canada's East Coast.
- Restaurants, seafood distributors and grocers participating in the ProtectSeals campaign pledge to avoid Canadian snow crab, or all seafood from Eastern Canada, or seafood from all of Canada until the hunt ends for good.
- Nearly two-thirds of Canadian seafood is exported to the U.S. producing $2.5 billion annually for the Canadian economy, compared to well under $20 million generated each year by the commercial seal hunt.
- Canadian government trade statistics reveal that Canadian exports of snow crabs – the primary target of the seafood boycott - to the U.S. have dropped by hundreds of millions of dollars in the two years since the campaign was launched.
- In addition to the more than 3,000 of companies that are participating in the campaign, more than 490,000 individuals have signed pledges not to buy or consume Canadian seafood.
- Canada's commercial seal hunt is the world's largest slaughter of marine mammals, with more than one million seals killed in the past three years.
For more information on the campaign to save Canadian seals and to sign the boycott pledge, please visit humanesociety.org/protectseals.
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization – backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at humanesociety.org .
