October
17, 2006 - In Iceland, the whale watching industry
contributes more to the national economy than
commercial whaling did before it was put on hold
in the '80s. Yet now after 17 years, Iceland has
officially resumed commercial whaling.
The Icelandic Fisheries Ministry
has issued a permit to hunt 39 whales for commercial
purposes. Nine of these are endangered fin whales
- proving claims that the hunt is sustainable
are not true. An old Icelandic whale processing
factory is also reportedly being put back into
service.
Norway used to be the only country
openly conducting commercial whaling. Japan currently
conducts a large yearly hunt using the pretence
of "scientific whaling" to keep its
industry alive. Since 2003, Iceland has also engaged
in so called "scientific whaling".
The question of why?
Kristjan Loftsson, managing
director of the Icelandic whaling company, is
said to be "pleased" about receiving
the hunt permit. But the question remains: why
kill whales? Why try to revive a dying industry
with a long history of deception and mismanagement?
There is an excess of unwanted
meat in Iceland, Norway and Japan. In Iceland,
they haven't even sold the meat from earlier "scientific"
hunts. There is just not much of a market for
the meat.
A Gallup poll, commissioned
by IFAW and released last month, found "Only
1.1 percent of Icelanders eat whale meat once
a week or more, while 82.4 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds
never eat whale meat." Not very optimistic
numbers for a business venture.
Iceland has a choice
Most Icelanders are environmentally
conscious and are in favor of using marine resources
in a way that preserves them for future generations.
Iceland's whale watching industry is known around
the world and brings in more revenue than whaling
possibly could. Yet, the Fisheries Ministry has
done a favor for a very small interest group,
and granted a permit for commercial whaling.
This permit should be revoked
before the first whale is killed!
What do you think?
Iceland is a stunning, pristine
land that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists
each year, many of them to go whale watching in
the clear arctic waters. Would you seriously consider
taking a vacation in Iceland rather than somewhere
else if the Government of Iceland stopped whaling?
