The Humane Society of the United States is pleased to announce more progress in its campaign against the Canadian seal hunt with the inclusion of new restaurant groups and grocery chains representing over 100 outlets across the country that have joined The HSUS Canadian seafood boycott to send a message to Canada that the commercial seal slaughter must end.
The chains include Ted's Montana Grill, Oceanaire Seafood Rooms, Battleground Restaurants Group, PCC Natural Markets, Vallarta Supermarkets and the Jan Companies. Ted's Montana Grill and Oceanaire are national chains with restaurants located across the United States. Lending to the cross-continental support of these two chains are four chains with strong regional followings: The Battleground Restaurant Group, Vallerta Supermarkets, PCC Natural Markets, and the Jan Companies are each dynamic regional chains located respectively in the Southeast, Southwest, Northwest and Northeast regions of the country.
Together these major companies operate well over 100 of the nation's most beloved restaurants and grocery stores including Oceanaire Seafood Rooms, Tripps, PCC Natural Markets, Newport Creamery, Vallarta, Rock-Ola and Ted's Montana Grill, which was co-founded by Ted Turner and George McKerrow.
They join the list of over 2,600 restaurants, grocery stores, hotels and casinos across the United States who also pledged support for the boycott. Other campaign participants include Legal Sea Foods, Whole Foods Markets, Trader Joe's, Wild Oats Markets and Margaritaville Cafes.
The HSUS launched the seafood boycott in March 2005 and asks consumers and restaurateurs to avoid Canadian seafood to encourage and end to the annual seal hunt. Seal hunting is an off-season activity conducted by commercial fishermen from Canada's East Coast. By boycotting Canadian seafood, The HSUS hopes to convince Canada's fishing industry to stop participating and supporting the commercial seal hunt.
To join the boycott, companies have a choice of what they want to boycott. They can pledge to boycott Canadian snow crab, or all seafood from Eastern Canada or all seafood from all of Canada until the hunt ends for good.
"We want to send a message to Canada and its fishing industry that is time to end this cruel and senseless hunt, "said Randy McAdoo, director of purchasing for Ted's Montana Grill.
"We are happy to be playing a part in the effort to bring an end, once and for all, to the annual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seal pups," said Wade Wiestling, vice president culinary development, Oceanaire Seafood Room.
Canadian government trade statistics reveal that Canadian exports of snow crabs – the primary target of the seafood boycott - to the United States have dropped by hundreds of millions of dollars in the two years since the boycott was launched. In addition to the thousands of companies that are participating in the boycott, more than 380,000 individuals have signed pledges not to buy or consume Canadian seafood.
"We are pleased to see that this campaign continues to pick up speed and that so many restaurants are taking a stand against the cruel killing of marine mammals," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "It is my sincere hope that the Government of Canada and its fishing industry will soon bring an end to this archaic slaughter. It is harming Canadian seafood sales and Canada's reputation."
Nearly two-thirds of Canadian seafood is exported to the United States, producing over $2.5 billion annually for the Canadian economy, compared to under $20 million generated each year by Canada's commercial seal hunt.
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. Well over 95 percent of the seals killed each year are under 3 months of age. The majority are killed before they have eaten their first solid meal. Many are skinned alive.
A list of all companies supporting the Protect Seals boycott is available at humanesociety.org/restaurantsforseals.org
For more information on the campaign to save Canadian seals and to sign the boycott pledge, visit humanesociety.org/protect_seals.org
List of Restaurants and Grocery Stores:
Ted's Montana Grill, Birmingham, AL
Vallarta Supermarket, Arleta, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Bakersfield, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Baldwin Park, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Burbank, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Canoga Park, CA (2 locations)
Vallarta Supermarket, Delano, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Fresno, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Lancaster, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Los Angeles, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, North Hills, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, North Hollywood, CA (2 locations)
Vallarta Supermarket, Northridge, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Oxnard, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Pacoima, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Palmdale, CA (2 locations)
Oceanaire Seafood Room, San Diego, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Sylmar, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Van Nuys, CA (2 locations)
Vallarta Supermarket, Valencia, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Victorville, CA
Vallarta Supermarket, Winnetka, CA
Ted's Montana Grill, Colorado Springs, CO
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Denver, CO
Ted's Montana Grill, Denver, CO
Ted's Montana Grill, Aurora, CO (2 locations)
Ted's Montana Grill, Littleton, CO
Ted's Montana Grill, Lakewood, CO
Ted's Montana Grill, Westminster, CO
Ted's Montana Grill, South Windsor, CT
Ted' Montana Grill, Estero, FL
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Miami, FL
Ted's Montana Grill, Jacksonville, FL (2 locations)
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Orlando, FL
Ted's Montana Grill, Tallahassee, FL
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Atlanta, GA
Ted's Montana Grill, Atlanta, GA (2 locations)
Ted's Montana Grill, Austell, GA
Ted's Montana Grill, Buford, GA
Ted's Montana Grill, Kennesaw, GA
Ted's Montana Grill, Marietta, GA (2 locations)
Ted's Montana Grill, Norcross, GA
Ted's Montana Grill, Peachtree City, GA
Ted's Montana Grill, Cumberland Mall, GA
Ted's Montana Grill, Decatur, GA
Ted's Montana Grill, Glenview, IL
Ted's Montana Grill, Naperville, IL
Ted's Montana Grill, Schaumburg, IL
Ted's Montana Grill, Bolingbrook, IL
Ted's Montana Grill, Carmel, IN
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Indianapolis, IN
Ted's Montana Grill, Indianapolis, IN
Ted's Montana Grill, Kansas City, KS
Ted's Montana Grill, Leawood, KS
Ted's Montana Grill, Wichita, KS (2 locations)
Ted's Montana Grill, Lexington, KY
Newport Creamery, Fall River, MA
Newport Creamery, Seekonk, MA
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Baltimore, MD
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Minneapolis, MN
Ted's Montana Grill, Kansas City, MO
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Asheboro, NC
Tripps Restaurant, Asheville, NC
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Burlington, NC
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Charlotte, NC
Ted's Montana Grill, Durham, NC
Tripps Restaurant, Durham, NC
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Fayetteville, NC
Tripps Restaurant, Fayetteville, NC
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Greensboro, NC
Tripps Restaurant, Greensboro, NC (2 locations)
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Hickory, NC
Tripps Restaurant, Hickory, NC
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Raleigh, NC (2 locations)
Ted's Montana Grill, Raleigh, NC
Tripps Restaurant, Raleigh, NC (2 locations)
Tripps Restaurant, Southern Pines, NC
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Wilmington, NC
Tripps Restaurant, Winston-Salem, NC
Ted's Montana Grill, Omaha, NE
Ted's Montana Grill, New York City, NY
Ted's Montana Grill, Columbus, OH
Ted's Montana Grill, Dublin, OH
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Philadelphia, PA
Ted's Montana Grill, Philadelphia, PA
Newport Creamery, Barrington, RI
Newport Creamery, Coventry, RI
Ted's Montana Grill, Cranston, RI
Newport Creamery, Cranston, RI
Newport Creamery, Greenville, RI
Newport Creamery, Johnston, RI
Newport Creamery, Middletown, RI
Café Newport, Narragansett, RI
Newport Creamery, North Kingstown, RI
Newport Creamery, Newport Mall, RI
Newport Creamery, Providence, RI
Country Inn Restaurant and Lounge, Warren, RI
Newport Creamery, Warwick, RI
Newport Creamery, Warwick Mall, RI
Tripps Restaurant, Myrtle Beach, SC
Ted's Montana Grill, Nashville, TN
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Dallas, TX
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Houston, TX
Ted's Montana Grill, Alexandria, VA
Ted's Montana Grill, Arlington, VA (2 locations)
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Danville, VA
Rock-Ola Restaurant, Newport News, VA
Tripps Restaurant, Richmond, VA (2 locations)
Ted's Montana Grill, Sterling, VA
Tripps Restaurant, Virginia Beach, VA
PCC Natural Market, Issaquah, WA
PCC Natural Market, Kirkland, WA
PCC Natural Market, Redmond, WA
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Seattle, WA
PCC Natural Market, Freemont, Seattle, WA
PCC Natural Market, Greenlake, Seattle, WA
PCC Natural Market, Seward Park, Seattle, WA
PCC Natural Market, West Seattle, WA
PCC Natural Market, View Ridge, WA
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Washington, DC
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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.
