I am outraged and saddened by the report of the “slaughter” of so many of our marine mammals. DFO continue to play God with disastrous results. The cod fishery back east, the overfishing of herring stocks, the continual depletion of salmon species and steelhead populations around B.C. are but a few examples of the ongoing mismanagement and disregard for the natural marine eco system. As for the salmon farming association, they continue to make excuses for their screw-ups and dream up explanations that insults any form of human intelligence. To suggest that seals are a danger to humans is laughable. When did we ever read about a seal attack on a human? The slaughter of these marine mammals may lack the public outrage that erupted with the slaughter of sled dogs at Whistler but they are not dissimilar. The exception is that this “slaughter” was sanctioned by an inept government department. Open pen fish farming continues to impact negatively on the natural marine eco system-having yet to resolve the high concentrations of sea lice attracted to the salmon pens, the pollution created by the chemicals used to attempt to control them, the degradation of the sea bed from fish waste and morts, the ongoing threat of farmed fish diseases transmitting to wild salmon stocks, along with the escapements of farmed salmon, all of which are unresolved,and now the slaughter of marine mammals, all to protect the investment and profits of the open pen fish farming. Shame! Shame! Shame! Tony Pinder