Report Exposes Products Driving International Killing and Trade of Whales

ANIMAL RIGHTS - VEGETARIANISM, 31 Mar 2014

Whale and Dolphin Conservation, EcoWatch – TRANSCEND Media Service

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) announced yesterday [23 Mar 2014] the release of a new report which highlights the global scale of killing and trade in whales in the twenty-first century. WDC demonstrates that consumption or utilization of whale and dolphin meat and by-products is not confined to just a few nations, as many people believe. Rather, killing and trade is taking place—in the present day—at a scale that is both shocking and unacceptable. The grim truth is that whales are killed not only for their meat but for their blubber, fatty tissue and other body parts. This appalling trade is taking place across a shocking number of countries—and it’s happening on our doorstep.

Since the moratorium on commercial whaling was introduced in 1986, more than 35,000 whales have been killed, along with hundreds of thousands of dolphins and smaller whale species, which are not covered by the moratorium. Whilst commercial demand for whale meat has greatly declined in recent decades, the whalers refuse to accept that whaling is a dying industry and continue the slaughter—adding more dead whales to those already stockpiled in industrial freezers.

Over the last couple of years, WDC has helped to expose the illegal sale of whale meat in Berlin and Copenhagen; the use of Icelandic fin whale products in dog food and beer, and even to fuel whaling vessels; the use of whale oil in skin cream on sale in Russia and the use of whale skin to infuse cocktails in an upmarket London bar.

The report, Whale for Sale: The Global Trade in Dead Whales, also documented several recent instances of ships carrying whale meat docking in various EU ports, including Hamburg, Rotterdam, Le Havre and Southampton. Unfortunately, whilst all whale and dolphin species are strictly protected under EU legislation and the EU further bans international trade in whale products, it is currently legal for whaling countries such as Iceland, Norway and Japan to trade whale products with each other and to transit these products through EU ports—so long as these products don’t actually pass through customs.

WDC wants to close this outrageous loophole in CITES regulations in order to ban all transit of whale meat and products through EU ports. WDC also calls on conservation-minded governments worldwide to work towards a better implementation of the existing legislation meant to protect whales and dolphins from exploitation and to work together to create a global network for the effective protection of small cetaceans.

Visit EcoWatch’s BIODIVERSITY page for more related news on this topic.

Go to Original – ecowatch.com

Share this article:


DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Comments are closed.