Whaling
for the New Millennium
Date: 7/5/01
From: Sandy Abels, grwhales@mindspring.com
U.S. Citizens Against Whaling
Whale row embroils UK and Norway
By BBC News Online's environment correspondent Alex Kirby
Norway and the UK are embroiled in a diplomatic quarrel over the number
of whales in the North Sea. The UK government has withdrawn permission
for Norwegian researchers to count whales in its waters. Its action follows
Norway's decision last January to resume exports of whale products. Despite
an international moratorium, Norwegian whalers continue to catch hundreds
of whales in the north Atlantic each year. They are entitled to do so
under the rules of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), because
Norway
objected to the moratorium when it was agreed in the 1980s.
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Norway and Japan are
the only members of the IWC to continue whaling. Japan cites scientific
research as the justification for its hunting. For some years Norwegian
whalers have been catching minke whales, the smallest of the great whales,
which can reach 10 metres in maturity. Permission withdrawn Last year
Norway caught 487 minkes, which it says are numerous enough to support
a modest annual catch, although the IWC disputes the Norwegian population
estimates. In order to refine its estimates, Norway sought British permission
to carry out visual surveys of the numbers of whales in UK waters in the
North Sea, as far as 200 miles (320 km) offshore. Stripping the blubber
But on 27 June, the day the research should have started, London withdrew
its permission. Describing the British action as "very surprising
and disappointing", Asmund Bjordal, of the Norwegian Marine Research
Institute, said the two countries had cooperated very closely on the subject
for more than a century. He said: "It is incomprehensible for the
UK to hinder Norwegian research on common marine ecosystems and marine
resources." A senior British diplomat in Oslo met officials at the
Foreign Ministry, but the dispute remains unresolved. The High North Alliance,
a pro-whaling group based in Norway, said it understood
the Norwegians were considering dealing with it at a more senior level.
Clear opposition
Next month the IWC holds its annual meeting, which this year will be in
London. It is likely again to censure Norway for ignoring the moratorium
and continuing to kill whales. The UK's Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the British diplomat had made clear "Britain's
opposition to the Norwegian position on whaling issues". Landing
the catch It cited not only Norway's resumption of whale exports but also
its attempt to have minke whales removed from the endangered list at last
year's meeting of Cites, the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species. And Defra said Norway had decided "to increase its self-awarded
quota of minke whales. Norway, with Japan, continues to adopt a confrontational
stance in the IWC." It said the planned North Sea survey, which would
have lasted from 27 June to 7 August, was intended to provide data to
enable Norway to continue whaling, and so was not in the best interests
of whale conservation.
Whaling unacceptable
The UK's opposition, it said, "is based on grounds of sustainability,
but also on the recognition that whaling in its current form is not considered
acceptable by public opinion around the world". One official told
BBC News Online: "We do have a long tradition of co-operation with
Norway on marine research, stretching back more than a century. But given
its decision to flout international opinion, we've had to reconsider that."
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Sandy Abels writes:
About a week ago I sent out an email news story about the UK changing
their stand on the RMS. Their position had changed in support of the RMS.
Evidently their position was wrongly represented. Here is the UK Minister's
letter to the same paper.
Dear Sir,
Can I assure Marie Woolf that there has been no change in the government's
attitude to the Revised Management Scheme (RMS) for whaling (20th June).
While the Government recognises the need to regulate subsistence whaling
by indigenous people and sound scientific management allowed under the
rules
of the International whaling commission, we remain firmly opposed to commercial
whaling. Despite a constructive input we are not satisfied with the shape
of the RMS. We are also unimpressed by attempts by Norway to flout international
rules by trying to sell whale blubber on the international market, and
by the spurious justification for Japan's scientific whaling programme
conducted in defiance of a vote against the IWC. Our view remains that
we are a long way from the conditions or justification for commercial
whaling. Elliot Morley
I wish they had used stronger language and a greater commitment to stopping
the RMS. My concern lies in the language. Once they are "satisfied
with the shape of the RMS" will they vote for it? Returning commercial
whaling. I don't want our friends in the UK to feel we are bashing their
country. Al Gore was helping to write the thing and told the Norwegian
Prime Minister that he would work "in good faith" to pass the
RMS. Also, at least the media in the UK is actually writing about the
RMS and the danger that comes with it. We sure haven't heard a peep out
of the US media. Japan has been working overtime. A friend informed us
that Iceland and Morocco have joined the IWC. Panama and Peru will join
shortly. The Philippines have yet to be heard from. This isn't looking
very good. Sandra Abels U.S. Citizens Against Whaling
"Saving Our Oceans One Whale At A Time"
www.usagainstwhaling.org
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