This Fin whale is the first kill by Iceland and marks the resumption to commercial whaling for the country.
The demarche condemns the decision to resume commercial whaling, and the unilateral way it was carried out, saying:
"Similarly, Iceland has set its quota using criteria that have not been presented to or reviewed and approved by the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) Scientific Committee.
It deeply concerns us that the Icelandic Government awards itself a quota that has not been approved according to the applicable international provisions, before any possible effects on whale populations have been properly assessed and peer reviewed by those bodies recognised as competent to manage whale resources."
The demarche also highlights that fin whales are classified as 'endangered' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and that fin whale trade is prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Iceland has started a "review" of the CITES listing, but its government is apparently not willing to even wait for their own scientists to weigh in before it starts stock piling fin whale meat.
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Demarche text:
We, the Governments of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, The Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, The Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom and The United States of America, together with The European Commission are extremely disappointed that the Icelandic Government has decided to resume commercial whaling in Icelandic waters, in spite of the internationally agreed moratorium.
Furthermore, we are very concerned that Iceland is considering the taking of nine fin whales, which have been classified as 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and are listed under CITES Appendix I, together with thirty common minke whales. We do not agree with this proposed action, adding as it does to the current catches of common minke whales under the research plan, which Iceland has been implementing since 2003.
At the 22nd Animals Committee meeting of CITES - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - which took place in Peru, only last July, Iceland's proposed inclusion of the central stock of North Atlantic fin whales in the periodic review was agreed. Nevertheless, the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries has now set its own catch limits, without awaiting the outcome of this review.
Similarly, Iceland has set its quota using criteria that have not been presented to or reviewed and approved by the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) Scientific Committee. It deeply concerns us that the Icelandic Government awards itself a quota that has not been approved according to the applicable international provisions, before any possible effects on whale populations have been properly assessed and peer reviewed by those bodies recognised as competent to manage whale resources.
We would wish to point to the significant economic and social benefits which accrue to Iceland arising from its growing whale-watching industry and express the view that the decision to commence commercial whaling could seriously undermine those benefits. We are of the opinion that the decision to commence commercial whaling sends a wrong signal with regard to Iceland's growing whale watching industry.
We call upon Iceland to respect the moratorium and halt its commercial whaling operations. We believe that commercial whaling quotas determined and prosecuted in the absence of any agreed management system undermines the proper functioning of the IWC.
We repeat our countries' opposition to this operation and urge the Government of Iceland to reconsider its position and reverse this unnecessary decision, and to abandon its current operations. We remind Iceland that 19 countries registered a formal objection with the United States Government (as the depository country for the instrument of adherence to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling) to Iceland's Reservation on commercial whaling when they rejoined the IWC in 2002.