Iceland's whalers have belatedly been granted a quota of 40 minke whales to kill over the next few months but the government is clearly divided over the issue with Foreign Minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir warning that resuming the whale hunt could damage Iceland's "long term interests".
Japan has announced it will not kill 50 humpback whales this winter after talks with the United States have increased fears that a political deal is imminent that will lift the 22 year ban on commercial whaling.
On October 4th, Campaign Whale Director Andy Ottaway and MEP Caroline Lucas met with Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas in Brussels, handing him a 110,000 hand-signed petition calling for the EU to do more to protect whales and stop commercial whaling.
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Members of the Makah tribe of the north-west USA illegally killed a grey whale on Saturday 8th September. Although commercial whaling is banned in the United States, the Makah tribe claim they have a cultural, and Treaty right with the US Government, to hunt whales after a lapse of over 70 years.
Campaign Whale has welcomed the announcement by Fisheries Minister Einar Guofinnsson that the Icelandic Government will not permit more whaling after the current quota expires on August 31.
Town councillors in Taiji, Japan, scene of countless cruel dolphin slaughters, have revealed that schoolchildren in the area have been served dolphin meat containing dangerous levels of mercury, prompting warnings of a potential public health disaster as the country attempts to boost consumption of cetacean meat.
Iceland's whalers have belatedly been granted a quota of 40 minke whales to kill over the next few months but the government is clearly divided over the issue with Foreign Minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir warning that resuming the whale hunt could damage Iceland's "long term interests".
This will be the third year since Iceland controversially resumed commercial whaling in 2006, in defiance of a global ban. Hopes were high that Iceland might abandon whaling after the Fisheries Minister Einar Gudfinnsson suspended whaling last year due to poor demand for whale meat. Campaign Whale persuaded Iceland’s biggest retail chains to stop selling whale meat.
The Icelandic announcement is even more controversial given that the Icelandic economy is in crisis with rampant inflation and increasing interest rates.
Campaign Whale Director Andy Ottaway said today:
‘Iceland depends on fish exports to the major retailers here in the UK, the US and Europe where public opposition to the cruel slaughter of whales is strongest. We are asking the public to boycott Icelandic fish and prawns until the country comes to its senses and stops this outdated, unnecessary and cruel industry once and for all’
Campaign Whale will be contacting major fish retailers again asking for their support. Last year, after meetings with Campaign Whale, several major retailers protested strongly to the Icelandic authorities that a resumption of whaling was a serious threat to their business interests.
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Today’s announcement that Japan will not kill 50 humpback whales this winter could spell the end of the 21 year old ban on commercial whaling said a whale protection group today.
- Japan has killed almost 20,000 whales during the whaling ban, mostly under the guise of ‘research’
- Japan also kills up to 20,000 smaller whales, dolphins and porpoises each year that they claim are exempted from the IWC’s whaling ban
- The IWC is considering a compromise plan to lift the whaling ban at a special meeting in London next March. Voting could take place by the full Commission in June
- A meeting will take place in Tokyo in January where compromise proposals will be discussed to ban whaling in the southern hemisphere only. That would allow whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland to continue under authority of the IWC
On Sunday 18th November Japan's whaling fleet set sail for the Antarctic aiming to conduct the biggest single whale slaughter since commercial whaling was banned over twenty years ago. The whalers are targeting 1,035 whales for so-called ‘research’, cynically exploiting a legal loophole in the whaling convention. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has repeatedly condemned the hunt, most recently at its annual meeting held in Anchorage last May.
Japan has killed over 10,000 whales for ’research’ since the IWC banned commercial whaling in 1986. All the meat is sold commercially with the choicest cuts an extremely expensive delicacy in Japanese restaurants.
Campaign Whale Press Release
Members of the Makah tribe of the north-west USA illegally killed a grey whale on Saturday 8th September. 
Although commercial whaling is banned in the United States, the Makah tribe claim they have a cultural, and Treaty right with the US Government, to hunt whales after a lapse of over 70 years.
However, the US Government had to jointly apply for a whaling quota with the Russians at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to even obtain a quota for the Makah as many governments argued there was no need for the Makah to hunt whales for subsistence after 70 years. Many countries still do not recognise the right of the Makah to kill whales for 'cultural' reasons, and the hunt has been suspended since 1998 after a legal ruling went against the government for allowing the Makah the right to hunt whales without conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment. In 1999, the Makah killed a young, female 'friendly' gray whale provoking outrage amongst anti-whaling groups. They have not been allowed to kill a whale since.
The whalers were arrested by the Coast Guard and the tribe has condemned the illegal kill, claiming it was the actions of a minority. A tribal statement expressed the hope that these actions would not harm the image of the tribe 'a law abiding people'. However, Campaign Whale believes the Makah have given up their 'right' to kill whales, after a lapse in whaling of 70 years, and the US Government is to blame for allowing the resumption of a defunct hunt in the first place
The pacific grey whale was almost exterminated through commercial whaling but the US Government controversially removed it from its endangered species list claiming it has recovered after protection from whaling to around 15,000-18,000 animals in the north-eastern Pacific. However, recent scientific evidence suggests this conclusion is wrong and that the pre-whaling population size has been considerably underestimated.
Although commercial whaling is banned in the United States, the Makah tribe claim they have a cultural, and Treaty right with the US Government, to hunt whales after a lapse of over 70 years.Town councillors in Taiji, Japan, scene of countless cruel dolphin slaughters, have revealed that schoolchildren in the area have been served dolphin meat containing dangerous levels of mercury, prompting warnings of a potential public health disaster as the country attempts to boost consumption of cetacean meat.
Tests on samples of short-finned pilot whales have found mercury levels 10 to 16 times higher than those advised as safe by Japan’s Health Agency. In some cases the mercury levels were higher than those recorded in a mass poisoning outbreak responsible for the deaths of 1,700 people since the 1950s. Mercury poisoning can damage the nervous system and internal organs and is known to be particularly dangerous to pregnant women.
Campaign Whale welcomes the announcement by Fisheries Minister Einar Guofinnsson
that the Icelandic Government will not permit more whaling after the current quota expires on August 31.Iceland resumed commercial whaling last October in defiance of an international moratorium on commercial whaling introduced by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1986.
The government set a quota of 30 minke whales and nine fin whales, listed by the IUCN-World Conservation Union as an endangered species, but whalers have only killed seven minke whales and seven fin whales to date. However, more minke whales are likely to be killed this month for ‘research’.
Tues 19th June 2007: Press Release: No embargo
Campaigners call on major UK Supermarkets to help save 600 whales
Campaign Whale and the Marine Connection today launched a campaign calling on supermarket giants Tesco and Sainsbury’s to stop buying Icelandic fish products in protest at the country’s resumption of whaling. Iceland resumed commercial whaling last October and their whalers have already killed 7 endangered fin whales and two minkes out of a quota of almost 70 whales, including 30 minkes for so-called ‘research’.
In January 2006, the world was captivated by efforts to save a northern bottlenose whale which swam up the river Thames in the centre of London. Bottlenose whales like the Thames whale (right) are known as ‘small’ cetaceans (whales) even though they can grow as large as minke whales at around 10 metres in length.
However, attitudes to these wonderful animals are very different in Japan where coastal fishermen slaughter tens of thousands of smaller whales, dolphins and porpoise every year.
In May 2007, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Anchorage Alaska, upheld the international ban on commercial whaling. Japan is still killing thousands of whales for ‘research’ in defiance of the ban each year. Sadly small cetaceans, such as the Baird’s beaked whales are not even discussed.
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I7th April 2007
In an interview with Reuters, Icelandic Prime Minister Haarde has hinted that whaling might stop for economic or other reasons. However, Iceland has just notified the International Whaling Commision that they intend to kill another 39 minke whales ''for research'' this year. Iceland argues that whales are a threat to fishstocks. This is nonsense. Human over-fishing is responsible for declining stocks, not whales or seals, and this poses a threat to entire ocean ecosystems.
Campaign Whale is calling on major fish retailers in the UK EU and US to review their fish buying policies and switch to sustainable sources, but exclude countries that kill whales and seals.
Please see our don't buy your fish from whale killers campaign section for further information on how you can help