Iceland has begun killing whales again. Already Icelandic whalers have set sail to begin the cruel slaughter of a I00 minke and 150 endangered fin whales this summer.
Please help us stop Iceland's Whale Killers! Thank you.
Under the Chairmanship of the United States, the IWC has entered in to a process of negotiations that could see an end to the whaling ban, not whaling. A compromise “package” has emerged that would remove the whaling ban and allow the last three whaling nations – Japan, Iceland and Norway, to resume commercial whaling.
The Faroe Islands, situated midway between Scotland and Iceland, is where whale hunts known as the ‘grind’ take place each year with entire pods of whales driven ashore and hacked to death in a bloody and cruel spectacle. The islanders kill hundreds of pilot whales
Reports from Tokyo suggest that Japan will allow the import of 65 tonnes of whale meat sent from Iceland last June. The meat, which was impounded by customes on arrival, consists of around 60 tonnes of fin whale meat from Iceland's whaling company Hvalur hf, and about five tonnes of minke meat exported by the Norwegian company Myklebust Trading.
Japan's whaling fleet has set sail once again for Antarctic waters to kill a huge number of whales for so-called 'research'. The fleet is expected to return in April of next year with a haul of 935 minke and 50 fin whales.
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".
Iceland has begun killing whales again. Already Icelandic whalers have set sail to begin the cruel slaughter of a I00 minke and 150 endangered fin whales this summer. 15 minke and six endangered fin whales have already been cruelly harpooned. Campaign Whale is launching our ‘Stop Iceland’s Whale Killers’ campaign to convince the Icelandic Government that whaling is bad for business.
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Image: The first endangered fin whale is landed at the whaling station on Iceland. The meat will be frozen and shipped to Japan as there is no market for it in Iceland, Japan, Norway and Iceland have refused to abide by an international ban on trade in whale products
Background information
Iceland was the first nation to begin a so-called ‘scientific’ whaling programme in defiance of a ban on commercial whaling introduced by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1986. Following an international boycott campaign against Icelandic fish products, Iceland stopped ‘scientific’ whaling in 1989 and walked out of the IWC in protest at the ongoing ban on commercial whaling in 1992. However, in 2002 Iceland rejoined the IWC and lodged an ‘objection’ to the whaling ban. This means Iceland can kill whales perfectly legally while defying the international ban on commercial whaling.
Iceland claims that whales are a threat to fish stocks, but it is human over-fishing that is emptying our oceans of fish, not the whales. The whalers claim renewed whale hunting will create jobs, but whales are worth far more alive than dead.
They have a choice:
Iceland has a rapidly growing whale-watching and eco-tourism industry that has been put at risk by the resumption of whaling. In 2002, over 62,000 people went whale-watching in the country. For this reason, Campaign Whale believes Iceland will lose more than it can ever gain by killing these whales.
How you can help:
Iceland’s biggest export markets for fish are in the US, UK and Germany, countries where whaling is strongly opposed. Campaign Whale is calling on leading retailers to stop buying their fish from whale killers.
Please click here for further information on the cruelty of the whaling industry.
Current situation
Iceland\'s decision to resume commercial whaling was taken by outgoing Fisheries Minister Einar Gudfinnsson, who announced in January 2009 that 100 minke whales and 150 endangered fin whales could be hunted each year until 2013.
However, since then a new government has been formed in Iceland and with it a significant shift in the whaling policy. The new administration recently announced that the whaling policy ‘will be totally reassessed with regard to sustainability and importance for (the) national economy as a whole, as well as Iceland’s international obligations and Iceland’s image’. Unfortunately, for now the whaling is set to continue and it is up to us to convince the Icelanders that whale killing is bad for business.
Watch whales, don’t kill them
Iceland has a booming tourism industry and whale watching is extremely popular. The revenue from whale watching greatly exceeds any income from whaling. Operators have already expressed alarm at the cancellation of holidays as a direct result of whaling.
Take Action
The biggest markets for Icelandic seafood are the UK, EU and US. Do you want to buy your fish and prawns from whale killers? If these countries cannot sell their seafood then there is no point in killing whales. So let’s show Iceland that whaling really is bad for business!
Listed below are actions you can take to help our campaign:
1) Pledge to avoid Icelandic seafood
Iceland depends on selling seafood to countries that are strongly opposed to whaling. We can stop the whale killers simply by refusing to buy Icelandic fish and prawns. If you agree, please scroll down this page and sign our pledge to avoid ALL Icelandic seafood products until the Country stops killing whales.
2) Contact retailers
Please contact the leading UK retailers below and tell them that you do not want to buy Icelandic seafood until Iceland stops killing whales. Please also ask them to stop buying Icelandic fish and prawns from fishing boats and companies involved in whaling.
Those retailer contacts are:
Aldi Stores UK
Holly Lane, Atherstone, Warwickshire CV9 2SQ
Web site: www.aldi-stores.co.uk
Asda
ASDA House, Great Wilson Street, Leeds, LS11 5AD.
Phone: 0113 243 5435 I Customer Services: 0500 100 055
E-mail: Via website: http://www.asda.co.uk/corp/customer_service/contact_us.html
Web site: www.asda.co.uk
Budgens Stores Ltd
Musgrave House, Widewater Place, Moorhall Road, Harefield, Uxbridge UB9 6PE.
Phone: 0870 050 0158 I Web site: www.budgens.co.uk
Cooperative Group, The
PO Box 53, New Century House, Manchester M60 4ES
Phone: 0161 834 1212 I Customer Relations: 0800 068 6727
E-mail: customer.relations@co-op.co.uk I Web site: www.co-op.co.uk
Farmfoods Limited
7 Greens Road, Cumbernauld, G67 2TU.
Customer Services : 0845 4567890
E-mail: customerservices@farmfoods.co.uk I Web site: www.farmfoods.co.uk
Iceland Foods Ltd
Second Avenue, Deeside Industrial Park, Deeside, Flintshire, CH5 2NW.
Phone: 01244 830100 I Customer Services: 01244 842842
E-mail: Via website: https://www.iceland.co.uk/feedback I Web site: www.iceland.co.uk
Marks & Spencer Group Plc
Waterside House, 35 North Wharf Road, London, W2 1NW.
Phone: 020 7935 4422 I Customer Services: 0845 302 1234
E-mail: customer.services@marks-and-spencer.com I Web site: www.marksandspencer.com
Sainsbury’s
33 Holborn, London, EC1N 2HT.
Phone: 0800 636 262
E-mail: HRSS.Careline@Sainsburys.co.uk I Web site: www.sainsburys.co.uk
Somerfield Group
Somerfield House, Whitchurch Lane, Bristol, BS14 OTJ.
Phone: 0117 935 9359 I Customer Services: 0117 935 6669
E-mail: customer.service@somerfield.co.uk I Web site: www.somerfieldgroup.co.uk
Tesco
Mr. Terry Leahey
Chief Executive
Delamare Road, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire EN8 9SL.
Phone: 01992 632222 l Customer Services (grocery) 0845 722 5533
Web site: www.tesco.com
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc
Hilmore House, Gain Lane, Bradford, Yorkshire, BD3 7DL.
Phone: 0845 611 5000 I Customer Services: 0845 611 6111
Web site: www.morrisons.co.uk
Young’s Seafood
Ross House, Wickham Road, Grimsby, DN31 3SW.
Email: Via website: http://www.youngsseafood.co.uk/web/talk_prod_feedback.asp
Web site: www.youngsseafood.co.uk
3) Write to the Icelandic Embassy
Please also send your protest to the Icelandic Embassy in your country today. If you do not know the address, please visit their website at www.iceland.org
Please tell the Ambassador:
* You want Iceland to stop whaling immediately
* You will not visit Iceland or buy any Icelandic seafood products until all whaling stops
Listed below are contact details of the Icelandic Embassies in the US, UK and Germany:
The Ambassador
Embassy of Iceland, 1156 15th Street N.W, Suite 1200, Washington DC 20005-1704.
Tel.: 202-265-6653
E-Mail: icemb.wash@utn.stjr.is I Web site: http://www.iceland.org/us
Sverrir Haukur Gunnlaugsson
The Ambassador, Embassy of Iceland, 2A Hans Street, London SW1X 0JE.
Tel: 0207-259-3999 I E-mail: icemb.london@utn.stjr.is
Botschafter
Botschaft von Island, Rauchstrasse 1, 10787 Berlin.
Tel. 49.30.5050 4000 I Email icemb.berlin@utn.stjr.is
4) Please also help our campaign by:
* Making a donation
* Becoming a member
* Raising money when you search the internet
Campaign Update
To read the latest campaign updates please click here to visit the Campaign Whale News section.
Let’s show Iceland’s cruel whalers that killing whales is bad for business.
Together we can save the whales!
Thank you for your support
Save whales – don’t buy Icelandic seafood!
Iceland is killing whales again, but this time we can stop them - forever!
Iceland’s fishermen plan to kill 250 whales this summer, including endangered fin whales. The whales are struck with harpoons, fired from cannons, which explode within their bodies. They can take anything up to an hour and more to die, in agony. And this cruel slaughter has already begun!
Campaign Whale is determined to stop Iceland’s whalers. All of them are fishermen that sell their fish to retailers in the UK, US and Europe. If they can’t sell their fish they will stop killing whales – it’s as simple as that. Please help our campaign, take the pledge and don’t buy your fish from whale killers!
Please view section above for further details about our campaign to end Icelandic whaling.
I won’t buy fish from whale killers!
“I hereby pledge to avoid all Icelandic seafood products, including fish and prawns until Iceland stops killing whales. I also call upon fish retailers to stop buying seafood from whale killers and upon the Icelandic Government to stop all whaling forever.”
Pledge Instructions
Please note:
* In order to validate your pledge we need to send you an email – please reply to this email.
* Once validated your Name and Town only will be displayed on our website pledge list. Your address and contact details will NOT be listed and will be kept by Campaign Whale in accordance with data protection legislation.
Please click here to register your pledge
Spread The Word!
You can help us raise awareness about our ‘Don’t buy fish from whale killers’ pledge in a number of ways:
1) Email friends and family
2) Use the ‘Share It’ function below to promote the pledge on social networking and bookmarking sites
The Pledge List
A big thank you to everyone below who has signed the pledge!
IMPORTANT! If you have submitted your pledge, please note that your name will NOT immediately appear below. First, you have to respond to our validation email and then we manually update the list every 48 hours. Thank you for your patience.
|
Number |
Name |
Town & Country |
|
2 |
Darren Jones |
Nottingham, UK |
|
1 |
Susan Smith |
Sussex, UK |
Please also help our campaign by:
Become a Campaign Whale member
Raising funds simply by searching the internet
Thank you!
Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993 after switching to 'research' when the IWC ban on commercial whaling was introduced in 1986.
Norwegian whalers are aiming to kill 1,052 minke whales this year most of the animals killed will be the larger, and therefore more profitable, female minke whales, often pregnant.
The International Whaling Commission has called repeatedly on Norway to respect the whaling ban but every year the number of whales killed is increasing.
Norway claims whales must be culled as they are a threat to fishstocks. However, human over-fishing is to blame for dwindling stocks and this in turn is a threat to whales and the entire marine ecosystem.
By cynically exploiting a legal loophole in the whaling convention that permits scientific research on whales, Japan has slaughtered over 6,000 whales since commercial whaling was banned in 1986. The meat and other products obtained from this 'research' is sold as before.
The International Whaling Commision has passed many condemnatory resolutions against Japan's lethal research, including at this year's annual meeting in Anchorage.
A review by IWC scientists has concluded that Japan's 'scientific' whaling has not achieved its stated objectives and is not necessary for whale management.
This winter Japan aims to kill endangered humpback whales for 'research' for the first time.
Japan is now killing around 1,200 whales each year for its bogus research programmes in Antarctica and the north Pacific.
Japanese coastal fishermen kill around 20,000 dolphins, porpoises, pilot and beaked whales each year. However, since the IWC ban on whaling, one species, the Dall''s porpoise, has been the principle target of Japanese hunters.
The IWC''s Scientific Committee has repeatedly voiced concern that the Dall’s porpoise hunt is unsustainable. In 1990, the IWC passed a resolution calling on Japan to reduce the kill to at least pre-1986 levels, or between 8-10,000 per year. Although Japan introduced restrictions to reduce the kill, it quickly increased and remains to this day around double the recommendations made at that time. Approaching half a million Dalls porpoises have been slaughtered since commercial whaling was banned in 1986. This year a further 18,000 will be harpooned by Japanese fishermen as they bow-ride the hunting boats.
The Faroes cruel whale slaughter
Every year around 2,000 whales are driven ashore and cruelly slaughtered in the Faroe Islands, mid-way between the Shetland Islands and Iceland. For centuries the Faroe Islanders have hunted pilot whales, driving entire schools into killing bays, where they are speared or gaffed from boats, dragged ashore and butchered with knives. Although the Islands are a protectorate of Denmark, they have their own Government and regulations governing the pilot whale hunt or "grind" as it is known.