Background image

terug

Whaling troubles

 

Whaling troubles

    
 
 
 Sigrun Davidsdottir 
 
 
  
1    Ask Icelanders about last week’s 
 announcement that their government In demand: tourists watch a minke whale in
 plans to kill 38 minke whales for Iceland where scientists have the go-ahead
 “research” purposes and they will most to kill 38 of the animals for research
 likely shrug their shoulders. Polls have 
 repeatedly shown that 70%-80% of the up in the late 1940s. Whaling was a
 island’s 268,000 inhabitants support seasonal activity and most products
 full commercial whaling, which could were exported. It amounted to roughly
 begin in 3 years’ time. 2% of the export of fish products.
2    But the decision to start limited10    But whaling in Iceland is about
 “scientific whaling” was made In demand: tourists watch a minke whale in
 hesitantly, because there is no Iceland where scientists have the go-ahead
 international, and only a small to kill 38 of the animals for research
 domestic market for whale meat, and more than the right to whale, say
 because there is concern over a clash historians. The Icelandic republic was
 between whale watching and whale founded in 1944 - the country had
 catching. been under Danish rule - and in the
3    The catch has been scaled down Icelandic mind, the battle for
 from the original programme that independence is still going on.
 proposed to catch 200 minke whales,11    “This battle is continued in the
 200 fin whales and 100 sei whales over right to whale,” explains Gudmundur
 two years. Instead, 38 minke whales Halfdanarson, professor of history at
 will be caught, starting this week. The the University of Iceland. “Icelanders
 commercial gain, it is acknowledged, don’t hesitate to fight for their cause,
 will be next to nothing, since the catch when they feel that their rights are
 will be run on scientific terms. infringed upon by foreigners. Icelandic
4    Stefan Asmundsson, commissioner politics has the tendency to be very
 for whaling, says: “The catch can in no patriotic. I think the Icelandic attitude
 way be seen as any threat to the towards whaling can only be
 Icelandic [whale] stock, which is understood in this light, since the
 estimated to comprise 43,000 minke commercial and the scientific gain can
 whales. Opposition can hardly be be disputed.”
 based on environmental reasons.12    Now, however, after decades of
5    “Without the planned catch we national agreement on the right to
 know for certain that our knowledgebase whale, the unanimity is broken by
 is not as broad as it could be. Our tourist interests. Icelanders must ask
 approach is to look at the ecosystem as whether whale catching or whale
 a whole, in this case trying to watching serves the country’s wider
 understand the role of the minke interests.
 whales,” he says.13    Husavik is a thriving fishing village
6    Konrad Eggertsson, chairman of in north Iceland, with 2,500
 the organisation of Icelandic minke inhabitants, two whale watching
 whale hunters and an active minke companies and a whale museum, run
 whale hunter until the 1985 by Asbjorn Bjorgvinsson, which can
 moratorium on small whale catching, attract up to 500 visitors daily. It is
 lives in Isafjordur, a struggling fishing estimated that whale watching brings
 village of 3,200 people. He stands to £5m a year to the economy and, during
 benefit from the catch but says that he the summer, the industry employs 100
 does not wish to see nature turned into people.
 a playground for the urban population.14    “With no markets for whale
7    “Commercial catching of minke products there is no commercial basis
 whales is of vital importance for us, for whaling, so why should Icelanders
 and should never have been banned. jeopardise the booming business of
 The stock isn’t threatened. Minke whale watching? It is much better to
 whale meat is pure health food, full of ‘harvest’ whales by whale watching,”
 good fatty acid and the best meat for says Bjorgvinsson.
 barbecue,” he says.15    The Icelandic tourist board is
8    Yet whaling, at least in its last certainly unhappy at the decision,
 years of activity, was never a major fearing that western opinion will turn
 industry in Iceland. From the 15th against a country that has in the past
 century, foreigners were whaling in promoted ecotourism.
 Icelandic waters, even running whaling16    Iceland, however, has always lived
 stations there. In 1916, Iceland banned off nature and is determined to
 whaling to protect its dwindling stocks. continue to do so. How the two
9    The ban was abolished only when interests play out will be of national
 an Icelandic whaling company was set and international significance.
  
     The Guardian