Protest Against the Plan to Accelerate Import of Contaminated Whale Blubber
According to a February 7 report from Kyodo News, 5 organizations, including the Japan Whaling Association and the Institute of Cetacean Research, have presented a request for adjustments in the system of importing Norwegian whale meat. The Dolphin and Whale Network is firmly against this system for the following 2 reasons:
- The act of trading whale meat is against the CITES international agreement which prohibits international trading of whale meat. This trade not only ignores wildlife trading regulations, it also induces expansion of trade circulation and increase of smuggling and poaching. It also lacks consideration for environmental protection, and is a major threat to biodiversity.
- Norway is aiming to export whale blubber, which there is no demand for in Norway. There is a concern that this whale blubber is highly contaminated with poisonous chemical substances like PCB, and was reported in Norway to be unsafe to eat. Gaining profit from the trading of such contaminated matter is unacceptable.
It is feared that the international trading of whale meat will have the same impact as the trading of tuna fish in recent years, namely, increased importing by private firms and disregard of regulations by Flag of Convenience (FOC)'s vessels. This policy is far from the concept of sustainability.
