Not much appetite for the whale

From Frode....

No Icelandic media has really been questioning the Government policy
on whaling before Morgunbladid started doing it after the
UK-Germany-France demarche last week. On Friday the report on whaling
and economics came and the newspaper is in between the lines clearly
asking the question "why continue"?

>From today's editorial comment:

"Not much appetite for the whale"

(...)

The prospects of profit in whaling appears to be quite limited.
Whereas the prospects in whale watching, offered by a growing number
of companies around the country, is much greater.

No doubt, some scientific conclusions can be obtained from the
scientific whaling, but the question has to be raised, what purpose
does it serve, if it is clear that whaling can in fact not become
profitable in the foreseeable future. The cost of sacrifice due to the
whaling is actually quite high, too. Iceland has got into trouble with
its neighboring countries, as exemplified by recent incidents. The
general public in our most important markets, to which we sell fish
and lamb meat is opposed to whaling. That does not help the marketing
of these products.

Isn't it getting timely for the Icelandic government to ask itself
what purpose it serves to insist and continue to shoot whales? What
business interests are at stake? What interests does it harm. Is it
realistic to embark on a information campaign abroad in order to
respond to media campaigns by conservation NGOs, which are opposed to
whaling? What is the political cost in our relations with our
neighboring states and trade partners? And what is the importance of
the political interests which are being soothed domestically."

ENDS