Plans by Norway to export 10 to 15 tonnes of minke whale products to Iceland have been condemned by UK fisheries minister Elliot Morley.
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Norway has announced that it will issue an export licence to a whaling company despite the fact that the whale stocks the blubber will come from are on an international endangered species list; Appendix 1 of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Norway and Iceland have a reservation to this listing.
Morley said: “I am appalled by Norway’s decision to resume international trade in whale products – it is a sad day for conservation and animal welfare.”
Norway’s action also undermines a 16-year moratorium on commercial whaling implemented by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
Norway is a member of the IWC but objected to the moratorium when the decision was made and is, therefore, not legally bound by it. Iceland did not lodge an objection at the time but left the IWC in 1992 in protest at continuing application of the moratorium.
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By GlobalDataIceland tried to rejoin the IWC with a reservation to the moratorium at its annual meeting in Shimonoseki, Japan, in May. The country’s delegation walked out in protest when this application was rejected.
Morley commented: “I am quite frankly astonished that Norway gave absolutely no indication of its intentions at the IWC’s annual meeting in May.
“I recognise that Norway holds a reservation to the CITES listing of these minke whale stocks on Appendix I but this proposed export sets a dangerous precedent which could unravel the hard work on conservation that CITES and IWC have contributed to.
“The proposal is in clear conflict with both IWC and CITES policies and I call on Norway to urgently reconsider her decision.”
Morley added that Norway’s action would not help create the constructive environment needed at an IWC working group meeting in October to discuss the Revised Management Scheme (RMS). The RMS would put in place management and compliance mechanisms for setting catch limits should the moratorium on commercial whaling be lifted. The UK government is opposed to all whaling, except for some subsistence whaling, but recognises the need for a robust RMS should the IWC vote to overturn the moratorium.
Morley said: “To make progress on the RMS requires a spirit of cooperation and compromise. Norway’s latest action is not likely to improve the current stalemate situation.”
