Unique Whale Offer to Icelandic Government

Monday, 8 September 2003, 9:47 am
Press Release: Greenpeace

Unique Whale Offer to Icelandic Government from Greenpeace

Reykjavik, Iceland 5 September 2003: The arrival of the Rainbow Warrior in Iceland today launched a public tour that will take the ship around the small North Atlantic Island. At the same time Greenpeace presented an offer to the Icelandic Government, giving them a chance to save their globally damaged reputation and the whales of the world.

“Greenpeace will be the link between people around the world and the people of Iceland who want to protect this island’s natural resources. We will encourage our supporters and the general public to actively choose Iceland as a nature based tourism destination in the future”, said Greenpeace spokesperson Frode Pleym at a press conference onboard the Rainbow Warrior in Reykjavik.

In return, Greenpeace urge the Icelandic Government to stop the current whale hunt of 38 minke whales, publicly agree that so called “scientific whaling” will not resume at anytime, under any guise and withdraw Iceland’s reservation to the international ban on commercial whaling.

“The Icelandic Government’s attempt to justify whaling “on scientific grounds” is economic suicide. Whale watching is now the heart of an even larger nature tourism industry that is exceeded in economic importance only by Iceland’s fish based industries. Already we see tourists cancelling trips to Iceland due to the whale hunt.”

The market for whale meat and blubber is not a lucrative option to declining tourism. Viability of selling the whale blubber is uncertain as the Icelandic domestic market is very small and the only potential export market in Japan remains highly questionable. (1)

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

“This clearly shows that there are no legitimate reasons for the Icelandic Government to hunt whales. The argument that it is necessary to control the minke whale stocks to safeguard cod, is pseudo science and used by the Government to gain public opinion”.

The Rainbow Warrior first sailed against Icelandic whaling on her maiden voyage in 1978 when the world's largest mammal was on the verge of extinction. Today seven of the 13 great whale species are endangered, the remainder are still recovering from former overexploitation.

The purpose of the Rainbow Warrior tour 2003 is to engage in dialogue with the people of Iceland to support and interact with the existing local pressure on the Icelandic Government. If international reaction is short lived the Icelandic Government will proceed and pave the way for a resumption of full- scale commercial whaling for export in 2006.

“We offer to work with the people of Iceland towards a future-oriented ecological society while the Icelandic Government is holding their people hostage in an unsustainable tradition. Whaling is part of Iceland’s past and Iceland’s future can only be undermined by a renewed whale hunt”, concluded Frode Pleym from Greenpeace.

Note: (1) Japanese consumer groups say studies by the National Veterinary Institute in Oslo and the Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine have found the average concentration of PCBs in north-east Atlantic minke whales to be 3.8 parts per million (ppm). The provisional regulatory standard for PCBs in marine products in Japan is much lower, at 0.5 ppm…”

Greenpeace

Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice.

Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.

Contact Greenpeace

Email - info@greenpeace.org.nz
Website - www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/
Social - Twitter
Social - YouTube
Key Issues - Agriculture
Key Issues - Oceans
Key Issues - Plastics
Key Issues - Climate

World Headlines

WORLD

Carbon Market Watch: Going For Green - Is The Paris Olympics Winning The Race Against The Climate Clock?

The 2024 Paris Olympics promises a gold-winning climate performance and to set the pace for future games. Our in-depth assessment reveals that, despite improvement, the carbon footprint of the Olympics remains far too high to be sustainable. This calls for a radical rethinking of the games.

New Zealand Defence Force: NZDF Working With Pacific Neighbours To Support Solomon Islands Election

A New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) contingent of more than 200 personnel has been providing logistical support to Solomon Islands, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as the country geared up for today’s general election.

UN News: Ceasefire The Only Way To End Killing And Injuring Of Children In Gaza

Advocating for a ceasefire is the best way to support the people of Gaza, including children in the north who are dying of hunger, a Spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.

ICHRP: US-Japan-Philippines Trilateral Summit Makes The Philippines A Battlefield For US-China Conflict

The “Independence” of the Philippines in the immediate postwar period institutionalized US military, economic and political control through unequal treaties and trade agreements.

East West Center: Environmental Journalist Alexander Kaufman Receives East-West Center’s Inaugural Melvin M.S. Goo Writing Fellowship

Award-winning writer and Huffington Post senior reporter Alexander C. Kaufman announced as the recipient of the first Melvin M.S. Goo Writing Fellowship. Supported by a generous endowment from the Melvin M.S. Goo Memorial Fund, the fellowship provides financial support to a Chinese or American journalist, author, or writer for projects that enhance understanding the United States and China.

Compassion in World Farming: Octopus Farm Must Be Stopped, Say Campaigners

Campaigners are calling on a seafood company to scrap plans to build the world’s first octopus farm in Spain as new documents reveal that – as well as ignoring animal cruelty concerns – it failed to consider the significant threats the farm would pose to wildlife, the environment and public health.

Join Scoop Pro

Submit News

Become a Member