Whale hunt gets go ahead from Icelandic government

Iceland continue with their 'scientific' whaling programme

Greenpeace today strongly criticised the Icelandic government's decision to issue quotas to hunt whales for the third year running. The government has just granted permission for 39 minke whales to be killed in the 2005 hunt. The Icelandic go-ahead comes just 2 weeks after so-called 'scientific whaling' was condemned by the International Whaling Commission at its 2005 meeting in Ulsan, Korea.

Like Japan, Iceland has been carrying out whaling under the guise of scientific research but with the meat and blubber being offered commercially. Yet there is little market for whale products in Iceland. Only a quarter of last year's catch was sold. Iceland's freezers and storage are full with up to 40 tonnes of unsold whale meat and blubber from the 2003 and 2004 hunts.

Greenpeace oceans campaigner Willie Mackenzie said, "Iceland's whaling programme doesn't make scientific or business sense and is nothing more than a very poor attempt to save face"

"The market for whale meat in Iceland is small and decreasing. At the same time domestic public opinion increasingly supports whale watching rather than whale killing. Scientific whaling brings Iceland no money, gives no answers, and could seriously damage both its tourist industry and its international reputation. Globally whales face a huge threats, such as pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, and the effects of climate change. Whaling is the one threat to whales that can be stopped immediately. Iceland should stop whaling now, and choose the truly sustainable path; whale watching".

The 2003/2004 hunts took 61 minke whales in total instead of the original quota was 500, which included 200 fin and 100 sei whales. The reduced catch is the result of a combination of whalers being refused permission to export their catches, strong domestic criticism and a markedly reduced market for whale goods in Iceland.

In 2003 Greenpeace launched a pledge asking people to consider a holiday in Iceland if whaling was stopped (1). Over 67,000 people have taken the pledge - this represents $78.8million USD in tourism value as opposed to $4million from commercial whaling at its peak. The offer presented by Greenpeace to the Icelandic government clearly shows the economic and environmental gain of choosing sustainable tourism over whaling.

Further information:
Please contact the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255

Notes:
(1)Through the Greenpeace website and other communications to our supporters, we ask people around the world to participate in protecting vulnerable areas and species through appropriate opportunities, including visiting Iceland. Read more on www.icelandwhalespledge.com