3 Europe Nations Move to Save North Sea Seals

BONN —  West Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands agreed on Thursday to ban seal hunting and control pollution after more than 8,000 North Sea seals died from a mysterious virus last summer.

Environment ministers of the three countries decided in Bonn to ban seal hunting on the Wattenmeer salt marshes off their North Sea coasts and to step up pollution control, a West German Environment Ministry statement said.

The three nations also agreed to create a maritime park to protect the seals that survived the virus, which still has not been identified. The park will be at the mouth of the River Elbe, officials said.