Feature story - January 23, 2007
Greenpeace has uncovered more than 170 tons of rotting whale meat in an Icelandic dump site, just months after Iceland reopened commercial whaling and killed seven endangered fin whales. Another 200 tons of whale meat still remains in cold storage, unsold in the marketplace, and awaiting testing for chemical contamination.
"Iceland claims their commercial whaling is sustainable - but
how can they justify it when they are hunting endangered species,
without domestic demand, and an over-supply of whale products in
Japan?" said Greenpeace Nordic Oceans campaigner, Frode Pleym.
"Both Iceland and Japan continue to whale in the face of domestic
and international opposition, even though there is no scientific,
economic or environmental justification for it," added Pleym.
Even as these shocking discoveries have been revealed, the
Japanese whaling fleet is hunting 935 minke whales and 10 more
endangered fin whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary near
Antarctica. In Japan too, stockpiles of up to 5,000 tons from
previous hunts sit in cold storage, unsold.
"It is no surprise that there are massive stockpiles of whale
meat, when a recent survey shows that 95 percent of Japanese people
never or have rarely eaten whale meat. It is time for all
governments to make a commitment to the whales and not an outdated,
unwanted and pointless industry," said Greenpeace Japan's campaign
director, Junichi Sato.
On Thursday, the crew of the Greenpeace ship Esperanza will sail
to the Southern Ocean, in order to put themselves between the
harpoons and the whales.
Take Action
Tell the Bush Administration to put a stop to commercial whaling.