The Icelandic government recently announced that they will put
their so called "scientific" whaling programme on hold and limit
this year's take to 25 minke whales. The planned take of 500
whales, including sei and fin, during a 2 year period, has been
cancelled due to a strong domestic criticism combined with the lack
of a market for whale products.
A total of 36 minke whales were caught last year when Iceland,
despite massive global protests, resumed whaling again for the
first time in 14 years. (1)
"Iceland is on the border between old and new, future and past",
said Greenpeace International Ocean Campaigner, Frode Pleym. "The
Government of Iceland should make the obvious wise decision and
cancel the entire programme. By choosing the only truly sustainable
future path, Iceland can set an example for other whaling nations
to follow and secure a future for the people of this country".
The market for whale meat is small and decreasing in whaling
nations Iceland, Norway and Japan due to changed eating habits and
the level of environmental toxins in the whale products. Iceland
still has an ample supply of whale meat left over since last year's
take and no future market is in sight.
The growing domestic opposition to whaling came as a surprise to
the Government.
The Icelandic travel industry association and the whale watching
operators have made it clear that a restart of whaling in Iceland
will damage the reputation of the nation and decrease the amount of
tourists visiting. Tourism and whale watching has become one of the
major sources of income in Iceland.
"Early indications are that eco tourism- and whale watching in
particular- , is already suffering because of whaling, said Frode
Pleym."
Last autumn Greenpeace launched an offer to the Icelandic
Government showing the clear economic and environmental gain in
choosing sustainable tourism over whaling. By taking a pledge
people worldwide pledged to consider a vacation in Iceland rather
than somewhere else if whaling was stopped. So far almost 60 000
people worldwide have taken the pledge representing over 60 million
USD in tourism value versus 4 million USD from commercial whaling
when it was last active. (2)
" The Icelandic Government has a golden opportunity to chose
living whales and eco tourism over whaling", said Pleym. "At the
IWC meeting next month, the government can announce that the two
year research programme is finished and that neither research
whaling nor commercial whaling will play part in Iceland's
future".
Onboard the Esperanza are Greenpeace activists from 17
countries. The next stop during the tour is Husavik, Icelands whale
watching center. After that the Esperanza will head for Reykjavik
where Greenpeace will participate in this years OSPAR meeting.
(3)
Read more about the Esperanza shiptour and the daily updates
from US Cyberactivist Marnee Benson onboard who by her work to
promote the Pledge and recruit pledgers "won" a trip on the
Esperanza. She will be assisting Greenpeace during the Icelandic
whaling tour. http://weblog.greenpeace.org/iceland
Take the pledge on:
http://www.icelandwhalespledge.com
Notes: (1) http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/features/details?item_id=406738&campaign;_id=(2) Through the Greenpeace website and other communications to our supporters,we ask people around the world to participate in protecting vulnerable areas andspecies through appropriate opportunities, including visiting Iceland. Read moreon www.icelandwhalespledge.com(3) This years OSPAR meeting is taking place in Reykjavik from the 28th of June to 4th of July. Historically it has focused on marine pollution. OSPAR, The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic ("OSPAR Convention") was opened for signature at the Ministerial Meeting of the Oslo and Paris Commissions in Paris on 22 September 1992. The Convention has been signed and ratified by Belgium, Denmark, the Commission of the European Communities, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Luxembourg and Switzerland.