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Einar Gudfinnsson |
ACCORDING to a report in the Icelandic daily Frettabladid, 60 tons of fin whale meat have been exported to Japan from Iceland.
Kristjan Loftsson, director of the Hvalur whaling company, has been quoted as saying that the fin whale meat has been shipped, along with an unknown amount of Norwegian minke whale meat.
Mr Loftsson is said to be pleased with the price that he got for the whale meat, and that the “products” will be on sale in stores and fish markets in Japan shortly.
Officials from the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries have confirmed that an export permit has been issued for minke whale meat.
When questioned as to whether he would be issuing a new quota for fin whales, Icelandic fisheries minister, Einar Gudfinnsson said that he felt it was “too soon to say”.
This announcement comes on the heels of the decision by Gudfinnsson on May 19 to issue a commercial minke whale quota for 40 animals.
With the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) just weeks away, Sue Fisher of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) said: “This is an outrage and shows just how naďve it is to trust the whaling nations.
"We are just weeks away from the next meeting of the IWC, where countries will be asked by the chair to consider a ‘deal’ on commercial whaling with Japan that would effectively overturn the IWC’s moratorium on commercial whaling.
"This decision by the whalers to defy the will of the international community and start trading shows just what they are capable of.
"We call on all conservation-minded parties to the IWC, and the US chair in particular who will lead the negotiations to condemn this move by the whaling nations and tell them that all deals are off.”
This latest trade in whale meat flies in the face of international opinion and conservation measures.
Chris Butler-Stroud, CEO of WDCS added: “In addition to flouting the IWC ban on commercial whaling, with this export Iceland is also challenging the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the body which governs trade in animal products.
"Last year, CITES overwhelmingly voted against proposals by Iceland and Japan that sought to open the way to a renewed trade in whale products.
"The whalers are showing no signs of respect for international decisions.
"As the conservation movement has said for decades now, they cannot be trusted. For them, profit is always more important than conservation.”
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