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SHAME ON NORWAY AND JAPAN
NIGEL EATON, EDITOR
ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT will have greeted with dismay the recent news that Norwegian and Japanese vessels are continuing to flout the international moratorium on commercial whaling, and that Tesco has ignored protests to remove whalemeat from its stores in Japan.
On economic grounds alone, both these developments seem to make little sense. In the case of whale-hunting, it is increasingly recognised that, as with many large marine species, the tourist potential of whales means that they are worth far more alive than they are dead.
Most divers dream of an encounter with whales in the wild, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) reports that the number of people worldwide going whale-watching has increased by an average of 12% per year since 1991, with revenue rising annually by 18.6%.
Overall, the market is now worth more than US $1 billion a year, and annual figures for Norway and Japan show a steady increase to $12 million and $33 million respectively.
Similarly, Tesco's decision to continue to offer whalemeat in its C Two Network stores in Japan, despite hundreds of protests from customers, must be seen as ill-considered.
Although whalemeat is apparently bought as a luxury food by some Japanese consumers (albeit in steadily diminishing numbers), it seems likely that damage to the supermarket group's image worldwide could far outweigh the limited benefits of local sales.
Of course, the rights and wrongs of whale-hunting are not just a matter of money.
When it comes to questions of conscience, the least that can be said is that it is disappointing that Norway and Japan seem so slow to move with the times. As two of the world's wealthiest nations, they should be seen to set a positive example to poorer countries whose inhabitants are far more likely to depend on hunting (whether at sea or on land) as a significant source of dietary protein.
Clearly the principle of behaving as decently as circumstances allow is not on the agenda of the two governments concerned.
For more details, and to register your disapproval, go to www.wdcs.org
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