Homie
Anti-Lefty
Here is an article from Greenpeace about Norwegian Whaling:
http://www.greenpeace.se/norway/english/9camp/4whales/wha_stop.htm
So what do you guys think about whaling, Norwegians and non-Norwegians alike?
http://www.greenpeace.se/norway/english/9camp/4whales/wha_stop.htm
Why Norway should stop whaling
Commercial whaling is against international treaties. Every year the International Whaling Commission² passes a motion which condemns Norway for continuing to hunt whales. Every year the Norwegian Government ignores that ruling.
We rightly expect other countries to stand by international treaties. There was fully justified anger when France and China and, later, India and Pakistan defied the international treaty against nuclear tests. Yet every year Norwegians go against the ruling of international body set up to protect whales.
The Government tries to explain that it is OK if they defy international treaties. They say (and they are technically right) that having "made reservations" against part of the agreement, Norway is not duty bound to stand by them. But this is an underhand move from the Government, totally unworthy of Norway’s proud internationalist tradition. It is equivalent to the opt-out held by Pakistan and India from the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. If you feel it was wrong for India and Pakistan to defy an internationally binding treaty then logically it should be wrong for Norway to continue whaling.
Norwegian commercial whaling threatens even the most endangered species of whales
The reason why the delegates to the International Whaling Commission vote year after year against the resumption of commercial whaling is not because they are misinformed or bullied or somehow stupid. It is because, like all international environmental organisations including Greenpeace, they fear that a resumption of commercial whaling around the world will lead to a free-for-all unregulated hunt similar to that which brought so many whale species to the edge of extinction in the first place. The Norwegian Government and the whaling lobby actively promote opening up an international market for whale products.
No one is arguing that it would be impossible to control the hunt in a country like Norway. But by undertaking a commercial whale hunt Norway is undermining the organisation which was set up to control whaling around the world. It is frightening to imagine the free-for-all which could occur in the ex-Soviet Union or the Far East. Even now with no legal international market, pirate whalers from these countries supply the lucrative Japanese market with whale meat from endangered species such as humpback whales have been taken. ³
There are very few of these species left in the world. Does Norway really want to be responsible for further pressure on endangered populations,which could result in their extinction from the planet?
Greenpeace is not against the exploitation of animal species for human use. But isn’t it wrong to kill more whales than you can use? Isn't it wrong to overproduce whale blubber which just rots away in warehouses because no one in Norway wants to use it let alone eat it? Norwegians rightly react against EU wine lakes and butter mountains but are busy producing a blubber mountain of their very own. Already over half a millon kilograms of blubber is stored. That is equivalent to about 1000 dead whales.The whalers themselves say that some blubber is over ten years old. Why do they keep storing it? Who would ever eat it?
Subsidising rural communities is not wrong. Maintaining traditional lifestyles is a worthwhile activity. But sometimes traditions need to be dropped for a greater good. There is an odd belief in Norway that whaling is only traditional here. Whaling has been a traditional way of life in coastal areas of many countries around the world. Britain, Germany, Denmark, Russia, all had long whaling traditions. A classic of American literature "Moby Dick" is a celebration of their tradition. However, when it became clear to these countries that whale stocks could not survive, they gave up their traditions. Not without real social and economic cost locally . Is there any special reason why Norwegian traditions should deserve special status? Is it right to dismiss the arguments of countries with equally strong and equally long whaling traditions as those of "uneducated foreigners"?
Greenpeace has a solution
There is more money in whale watching than in whale hunting. Whale tourism is on the increase. Income from whale watching around the world was a staggering 4 billion kronor ($500 million) last year. Over the past five years this figure has grown by 16% every year(4). However, the greatest benefits are bypassing Norway because of the continued whale hunt. Most tourists feel that whale watching and whale hunting are incompatible(5). Therefore Norway is missing out on a valuable source of income. At Greenpeace they have the names of thousands of supporters who have specifically said that they would consider coming to Norway both to see the wonderful nature and to watch whales. But they do not want to come while the hunt continues.
Tourism has another huge advantage. Its benefits are spread out over a larger portion of the local population. It is not just the (by now) ex-whalers who would benefit from charging for the actual boat safari. Other locals running shops, hotels, and restaurants would also benefit. This in areas where employment opportunities are desperately needed.
The whaling lobby of course reject this option. Maybe they are worried that Greenpeace do not have their interests at heart. This is understandable! However, it is hard to understand why the Government has not investigated an option which would allow it at one fell swoop to save money; to assist the local economy in important rural areas and allow Norway to meet the requirements of international law.
Greenpeace is concerned that the reason the Government fails even to investigate the possibility further is because it does not like the messenger who is promoting the idea. Greenpeace would like the Government to put aside, for the moment, any hippie preconceptions. It doesn’t matter what you or they think about Greenpeace. A good argument is worthy of proper consideration no matter who is arguing it.
Sure, there are many people around the world who have attitudes to whales which seem irrational and over-emotional to the average Norwegian. But it is wrong to pretend that all the arguments against whaling have been dealt with simply because it is possible to dismiss these emotion-based attitudes as irrational.
The Norwegian Government consistently refuses to confront our real rational concerns. Rather it prefers a tactic of focusing on and trivialising animal rights arguments(which, not surprisingly, it finds much easier to deal with) and then pretending that these are the only arguments the anti whaling movement is using. In doing so it does a great disservice to the Norwegian people who seldom hear the real reasons why the rest of the world has stopped whale hunting. They thereby rob Norwegians of their right to informed choice.
1.Public Attitudes to Whales: Results of Six-Country Survey, Gallup Organisation - published by the Canadian Circumpolar Institute and Yale University (August1992)
http://www.highnorth.no/ga-on-pu.htm
2.The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is the international body which has responsibility for the proper management of whale stocks. It was the established on the initiative of amongst others Norway and is recorgnised both by UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF SEA (UNCLOS) and UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT(UNCED) Agenda 21
3."Whales for sale": Research from University of Auckland. Published by IFAW
http://www.lycos.com/envirolink/news/stories/3125
4.A Comparative Study of Whale Watching Management: Research from University of Victoria, Canada.
http://office.geog.uvic.ca/dept/whale/chrisphd.html
5. Research carried out by the Icelandic Tourist Council. 54% of a representative sample of tourists said their decision would have been negatively affected if Iceland had been a whaling nation.
http://www.icenews.is//14jan98.html#inc
The internet adresses above were correct at the time of publication (April 99)
So what do you guys think about whaling, Norwegians and non-Norwegians alike?
There`s already several serious Norwegian whaling threads on this board.
