Guest guest Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Opposing whaling is " bad " environmentalism - Oslo ------ NORWAY: June 13, 2003 OSLO - Norway defended its whale hunts but said it had scant hope of winning support at an international meeting next week for its policy on whaling. Norway resumed commercial catches of minke whales in 1993, ignoring a moratorium by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) which will hold its annual meeting in Berlin on June 16-19 to review policy. " We understand that there's political opposition (to whaling at the IWC), but it's bad environmental policy, " Fisheries Minister Svein Ludvigsen told Reuters. He predicted a tough battle to persuade the IWC that Norway's hunts, of 711 minke whales in the northeast Atlantic this year, did not threaten stocks. Norway has argued the case in vain for more than a decade. " It will be difficult to win acceptance (in Berlin) that this is the right way to manage the ecosystem, " Ludvigsen said. " All theories about managing ecosystems mean that we should be allowed to harvest " whales, he said. " I will be saddened if we do not get recognition of this in Berlin. " The IWC's scientific committee estimates that minke whales, harpooned by Norway and Japan and eaten as steaks, are relatively plentiful - unlike species including the giant blue whale which are close to extinction. Oslo reckons the IWC has been hijacked by countries seeking continued protection for all whales under what Oslo views as wrong-headed emotional arguments, such as that humans should respect the planet's biggest mammals and leave them in peace. Norway, which regards whales as just another resource like cod, says the IWC's job should be to permit harpooning whenever there are enough whales in the oceans. Story by Alister Doyle REUTERS NEWS SERVICE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.