Early this year, Greenpeace was tipped off that Canada was being used as a trade route for endangered fin whales. We learned that about a dozen containers of fin whale meat in Iceland’s commercial hunt had landed in the Port of Halifax, was shipped by CN rail across the country to Port Metro Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert, and then sent off to its final destination – Japan. The shipment of fin whale meat through Canada should never have happened. And since hearing the news, tens of thousands of people have signed a petition urging the Canadian government to ensure the only way endangered fin whales come anywhere near our country is by swimming along our coasts.
The petition names were compiled and are being delivered to relevant federal ministers, MPs and other parties involved in the transport urging them to help stop the trade in endangered whales by committing to refuse any future fin whale meat shipments. Today we paid the head office of Port Metro Vancouver a visit with a whale (of course) and shipping container replica full of the petition names to request that, as a port that expressed its lack of support for the trade of fin whales, they publicly commit to not allow future shipments of endangered whale meat.
We were greeted by the media and government affairs advisor at Port Metro Vancouver who stated that their response is still the same as the letter they sent Greenpeace and woud not agree to commit to refuse future shipments. We think that they need more encouragement. To tweet at Port Metro Vancouver, click here.
Future shipments of endangered fin whale could happen any time. Iceland has already hunted over 80 fin whales this year. The meat sits in storage awaiting transport to Japan. But fewer and fewer ports and countries are interested in participating in Iceland’s trade in endangered species.
In September, the EU led an international demarche against Iceland’s commercial whaling. The EU, its 28 Member States and the governments of the US, Australia, Brazil, Israel, New Zealand, Mexico and Monaco, all publicly declared their opposition to the country’s commercial hunt and trade of fin and other whales. So what’s up with Canada?
While Canada has been an advocate internationally for a stop to the illegal trade in endangered species like elephants, it has been relatively silent on this issue. When asked why it did not deny the shipment of endangered fin whales, it said that it lacked the authority. Either Canada needs to get to know its own laws or it was choosing to ignore them, because it most definitely has the authority to refuse shipments.
Fin whales are listed under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which means that their trade is prohibited. Canada is a signatory to CITES and has adopted CITES’ protections under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). While CITES allows for an exemption for shipments in-transit through a country, Canada did not chose to adopt this exemption under WAPPRIITA. WAPPRIITA prohibits the unlicensed transport of products deriving from protected animal species between provinces. In short, such shipments would need a special permit in order to be able to be shipped across Canada. There was no evidence that the previous containers of fin whale meat had a permit and therefore, they should not have been allowed to be transported through the country.
Fin whales are protected under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, and designated under the IUCN. Surely Canada must agree that being complicit in the trade of this species is detrimental to its recovery and counter to the intent of listing it under SARA. Over 65 thousand Canadians want to see the government and those parties involved stop allowing the trade of endangered whales through Canada. Will they listen?
Greenpeace will continue to campaign for an end to commercial whaling and work to ensure our oceans are safer and healthier for whales by pushing for an end to destructive fisheries that cause bycatch or injury of whales; by reducing the threat of pollution and other negative impacts from offshore oil and gas exploration, drilling and mining; by reducing other forms of pollution; and by setting aside sanctuaries in our oceans to allow whales to recover and adapt to changing marine ecosystems due to climate change.
Greenpeace is calling for the creation of the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary as part of a global network of ocean sanctuaries covering 40% of the oceans, many of which include whale breeding, feeding and migrations areas. To support the creation of ocean sanctuaries, find out more information here.