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| Banner Photography: © EIA |
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Whaling Despite
The Ban
Photography: © Greenpeace
In the last 20 years, pro-whaling countries have fought to overturn the ban on
commercial whaling. Although commercial whaling serves no pressing human need
– economically, nutritionally or culturally – the governments of
Japan, Iceland and Norway have continued hunt whales and to sell the meat commercially.
Despite international condemnation, more than 1,800 whales are killed annually
by these nations.
Japan
Since 1988, Japan has circumvented
the ban on whaling abusing a loophole in
the Whaling Convention that allows whales
to be killed for scientific purposes. Starting
with a ‘scientific’ catch of
less than 300 minke whales in 1988, Japan’s
whale hunt killed more than 1,200 great
whales in 2006 - minke, Bryde’s,
sperm, sei and fin whales. And in 2007
Japan announced that it had added 50 humpback
whales, a species protected since 1963,
to its self-allotted quota, bringing the
total catch quota to more than 1,400 whales.
Whaling in the name of science has allowed
the Japanese government to maintain a working
whaling fleet and whale meat distribution
networks, whilst mounting pressure on the
IWC to overturn the ban.
| Photography by (left to right):
© Claire Bass / EIA, © BreathtakingWhales.com,
© David Sims / EIA |
Japan’s whalers have killed more than 10,000 whales in the name of science
since the ban on commercial whaling began in 1986. Of these, more than 6,000
whales were killed in the Southern Ocean sanctuary, which was adopted in 1994
after a vote of 23 to 1 in favor by the IWC.
The meat and blubber from the animals
are sold in Japanese markets and retail outlets, and some unwanted parts are
allegedly used for fertilizer and pet food. The hunting is supported by: a grant
from Japan’s Fisheries Agency, to
the tune of around 1 billion yen each year, and proceeds from the sales of meat,
which are increasing each year as the scale of the hunt increases (around 5.8
billion yen was generated in 2003 from the sale of the ‘byproducts’).
Norway
On the basis of a legal objection filed at the time the moratorium was declared, Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993, initially catching a few hundred minke whales each year. The catch quota has increased over time, with a large increase since 2006 to 1052 minke whales, although Norwegian whale hunters actually only caught about half of that quota in both 2006 and 2007. Norway’s whalers blamed poor weather and high fuel prices for the low catch, however it is likely that the general low demand for whale meat in Norway makes it difficult for the whalers to justify such a high quota.
Whale watching is a growing industry in Iceland and increasingly, whalers are coming under scrutiny at home and abroad as a threat to Iceland’s reputation as a destination for whale watching.
In June of 2008, in defiance of an international trade ban, Iceland and Norway each sent shipments of whalemeat to Japan, the first such trade since the early 1990’s. A desperate move by these two countries to offload their unsellable meat, it was condemned by the United States and Australia. Iceland's meat became available for sale in December 2008, and Norway's meat became available for sale in March of 2009.
Iceland
Iceland rejoined the IWC in 2002 with a disputed reservation to the ban on commercial
whaling. After hunting small numbers of minke whales since 2003 for “scientific
research,” Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006 with a quota of 30
minke and nine fin whales. The move invited huge diplomatic criticism, with a
formal demarche to Iceland from 25 countries and the European Commission urging
Iceland to reconsider its decision.
In 2007, Iceland had issued permits for 30 minke whales and nine fin whales as
well as 39 additional minke whales – the final catch in a quota of 200
for research purposes. At the end of August 2007, the close of the season, only
seven of each species had been caught. The quota for 2008 was 38 minke whales.
The collapse of Iceland’s economy in late 2008 led not only to economic troubles but also to the resignation of the country’s top leadership. The outgoing administration left as part of its legacy dramatically increased quotas for minke and fin whales: 100 minke whales and 150 fin whales for 2009. Despite suggestions that the new government might revise the quotas, they remained intact throughout the season. 80 minke whales and 125 fin whales were caught over the course of the 2009 summer whaling season. Iceland’s ambitious whaling industry clearly intends to export this vast amount of meat to Japan, where a shipment was received and went on sale in late 2008.
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