18 October
2006 - Iceland’s decision to resume commercial
whaling will increase the devastating human impact
on the world’s whale populations and damage their
standing internationally, Australian Minister
for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian
Campbell, said today.
“Iceland’s decision to authorise
an annual hunt of 30 minke and nine fin whales
(an internationally recognised endangered species)
is completely reprehensible,” Senator Campbell
said.
Fin whales are listed under
the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of
Threatened Species as ‘endangered’. This means
that they are ‘facing a very high risk of extinction
in the wild in the near future’.
“It is doubtful whether Iceland
will be able to export the meat. This is because
the fin whale is listed under Appendix I of the
Convention on the International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES). Iceland has a formal exemption
under CITES, but almost every other country which
is a member of CITES will be banned from importing
whale meat. Any country wishing to import whale
meat from Iceland would risk international condemnation.
“Even modern killing methods
involve an unacceptable level of cruelty. The
world no longer needs commercial whaling to meet
essential our needs; and this 19th Century practice
needs to stop now!
“Iceland must realise that their
decision to resume commercial whaling will damage
their booming whale watching industry. There are
a number of jobs in Iceland which are directly
linked to their whale watching industry, which
is reported to be Iceland’s fastest growing tourism
sector. Last year an estimated 70,000 British
visitors went whale watching in Iceland.
“Iceland left the International
Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1992, and later re-joined
in 2002 with a ‘reservation’ to the moratorium.
They believe that they are therefore not bound
by the global ban on commercial whaling.
“When Iceland rejoined the IWC
in 2002 Australia and 17 other pro-conservation
countries formally registered an objection to
Iceland’s reservation. Australia considers Iceland’s
reservation is incompatible with the object and
purpose of the Convention.
“Since Iceland re-joined the
IWC they have been conducting ‘scientific whaling’,
which is really thinly veiled commercial whaling,
just as Japan does.
“Iceland’s decision is an international
disgrace and the Australian Government will continue
to work closely with pro-conservation allies towards
a permanent ban on this archaic practice,” Senator
Campbell said.
Rob Broadfield
