Federal government selling sealing protest vessel

The Cape Breton Post reports the federal government is selling the anti-sealing vessel, the Farley Mowat.

The vessel, owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has sat at dock in Sydney, Nova Scotia, since it was seized by Department of Fisheries officers off the west coast of Newfoundland in April 2008.

Officers seized the ship in the Cabot Strait after a confrontation with a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker.

The captain of the vessel was arrested along with another crew member and later appeared in court to face charges of violating the Fisheries Act and Canada's marine mammal regulations for interfering with the seal hunt.

Fisheries officials said since its seizure, the ship has accrued $500,000 in berthing fees, security and other marine costs.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has filed a $487,000 statement of claim against the vessel's owner.

Paul Watson, the head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, told the Cape Breton Post that he intends to sue the Canadian government.