We could suggest biological grown food, as something to feed the tourists...

This is really one of the stupidest things I've ever read. He makes it sound as if the ONLY food out there is whale...

Brian,

The article you refer to does of course note is that St. Kitts would rather harvest it's own marine living resources to feed it's people and tourists than import fish from the USA.

From the FAO:
http://www.fao.org/fi/fcp/en/KNA/profile.htm

"Government recognizes the important role that fisheries play in the development of the country. This is evident in national efforts for strengthening fisheries management capabilities.

The future of fisheries development depends on:

(a) the ability to provide the necessary tools for exploitation of underutilized fisheries resources;

(b) the provision of infrastructure for marketing/processing and boat repairs; and

(c) sustainable use of all marine resources."

"Imports of fish and fishery products greatly exceed local production. It is expected that demand will increase with further development of tourism and increase in population."

------

Perhaps your fundraising group would find more favour in St. Kitts and Nevis were you to stop being so rude and patronising?

Perhaps instead of telling St. Kitts that you're only interested in aiding the development of it's tourism industry if they toe your line on the whaling issue, you could actually do something positive for their fisheries industry development as well?

The article shows how out of touch whaling proponents really are. Just check out the NY Times article titled, "The Resumption Of Whaling Hurts Iceland Tourism".

And it's no good blaming Greenpeace when people vote with their wallets.

Andrew,

- Tourism apparently increased in Iceland post their resumption of scientific whaling several years ago. Some UK newspaper was running a similar story about the tourism decrease, and included a graph showing this information. The increase in tourism was despite fundraising groups trying to tell their potential donors that Iceland's whaling was of a commercial nature, anyway. I happily predict that tourism will increase in Iceland in coming years (as will revenues from commercial whaling).

- Do you guys seriously think offering financial incentives to people of sovereign nations will make them toe your line on whaling? What does your pledge say, anyway? "I would seriously consider taking a vacation in Iceland rather than somewhere else if the Government of Iceland stopped whaling." You think that will convince them? You offer them "consideration", where on the other hand the sustainable use of marine resources has proven over the years to be of huge value to Iceland - the majority of it's export revenues are obtained in accordance with this principle.

- You guys and your mates have abused small developing nations of selling their souls to Japan for aid (which in cases such as St. Kitts they desire in order to develop their fisheries industry for the benefit of their people). Perhaps you should take a closer look at these official development assistance programmes in small developing nations. Perhaps you might see that respect and understanding for the will of these people and co-operation with them to help achieve mutually favourable outcomes are better ways to build friendly relations with these people and governments than coercion through hollow promises of financial incentives.

- What is the problem with St. Kitts and Nevis considering consumptive use of all their marine resources, anyway? From an environmental perspective, Greenpeace surely has no problems providing that such use is on a conservative, sustainable basis, no? Why don't you try to co-operate with people to bring about mutually agreeable outcomes?

- My outstanding question: what does Greenpeace have to lose by working towards a compromise that would achieve sustainable whaling? Can it be expressed in financial terms?

David,

If their intent was to say they need to kill whales so they don't eat the fish that they want to feed to their tourists, that's even funnier.

While they're at it, they better kill the birds that might eat the grain and kill the monkeys that might eat the bannanas and kill the bigger fish that might eat the smaller fish ad nauseum.

--b

Why's it funny Brian? A mate of mine came to Tokyo last weekend on his 1 week Japan holiday, and was more than happy to sample some of the local cuisine.

And, the idea of sustainable consumptive use is to harvest marine resources on at sustainable levels (see: RMP), not exterminate all other predators.

It's not particularly promising when misrepresentation of your opponents' arguments is the only way one thinks one can score points, is it...

dave@tokyo [from NZ]is mates of NZ'dr Glenn Inwood the Japanese IWC delegation media advisor. He is one twisted SOB making his 30 pieces of silver sucking up to his Japanese masters. He spends much of his time posting their propoganda on every blog he can.
dave
www.stopwhaling.co.nz

Dave,

Your continuous ad hominem attacks are gratefully noted.

Your silly nonsense will stick in the minds of wavering readers, who will wonder why it is that you attack me (without basis) and not the ball.

d@t I will continue to attack you while you continue to expound the Japanese propoganda to find favour with the large Japanese organisation you work for [ Is it a finance co. or a bank? - can't find your actual name-yet]. But then its not hard to find out what some of them really think! like " When Japanese whaling delegate Tadahiko Nakamura was asked if he was concerned about the survival of the whales and would he like to have his children and grand-children see the whales.
His answer was shocking. "No," he said. "My duty is to my family, my country, and my company and that duty is to make as much profit as I can for them today. I am not concerned with future generations. They will have to find ways to survive just as we must find ways to survive today."
He was then asked if he was concerned that the whales would go extinct. "They may go extinct but that is not my concern. My concern is to realize the maximum profit from them before they do."
You claim dave that you don't know him! Its funny his photo was taken with the Japanese IWC delegation! Would you care for a copy?