Four Aging Whaleships - Time for the museum!
Posted by Dave (in Ireland)
I've just been reading a very interesting article has appeared on the BBC News website:
"The four ageing steamships lined up by the quay at Reykjavik harbour don't look like anything special. But they are among the last survivors of an industry which was once worth huge amounts of money to nations like the US and Britain - and which brought some of the largest animals on the planet close to extinction."
The article covers the recent Icelandic hunt for fin whales - and the current situation:
"...the meat from those animals sits in deep freezes. The owner of the Hvalur company, Kristjan Loftsson, says it needs to be tested for PCBs and other contaminants. Then it will be possible to sell it for export to Japan."
The article goes on to say that Prime Minister Geir Haarde is taking a pragmatic approach, but saying that the future depends on whether buyers could be found for the fin whale meat. If that doesn't happen, there may be no justification for issuing new whaling quotas. However, whalers like Kristjan Loftsson might not easily accept that his whaling vessels could become historical artifacts of Iceland's history.
More here: Icelandic whalers await quota decision
Comments
Save the whales. Everyone should be on board for this. What is the world comming to.
Posted by: Dan | April 28, 2007 12:45 AM