Keep up the pressure

At first I was quite dissapointed when I heard the news that the whaling quota this year is no lower than last year. However, it could have been higher and I am willing to put money on the fact that they will not kill the full 39.

From what I've been hearing it is very likely that Iceland will abandon whaling next year.

We MUST keep up the pressure. Please help us to end whaling in Iceland. Take the PLEDGE and E.MAIL the Icelandic government and tell them whaling makes no sense.

To stay informed on all our anti-whaling updates and actions you can register as a cyberactivist.

We need YOU!

--Lisa (in Amsterdam, about to leave on the Esperanza... I'll be writing for the Seamounts campaign, against bottom trawling in international waters - stay tuned)

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

Iceland plans to kill 39 minke whales this year

if you can read Icelandic click here

Comments to follow....

Greenpeace International Press release
Greenpeace UK Press release