Iceland leaves slaughtered whales to rot
Iceland slaughters 7 endangered fin whales, leaves half to rot
Greenpeace
has uncovered more than 170 tons of rotting whale meat in an Icelandic
dump site, just months after Iceland reopened commercial whaling and
killed seven endangered fin whales.
Another 200 tons of whale meat still remains in cold storage, unsold in
the marketplace, and awaiting testing for chemical
contamination.“Iceland claims their commercial whaling is sustainable –
but how can they justify it when they are hunting endangered species,
without domestic demand, and an over-supply of whale products in
Japan?” said Greenpeace Nordic Oceans campaigner, Frode Pleym. “Both
Iceland and Japan continue to whale in the face of domestic and
international opposition, even though there is no scientific, economic
or environmental justification for it,” added Pleym.Even as these
shocking discoveries have been revealed, the Japanese whaling fleet is
hunting 935 minke whales and 10 more endangered fin whales in the
Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary near Antarctica. In Japan too,
stockpiles of up to 5,000 tons from previous hunts sit in cold storage,
unsold.“It is no surprise that there are massive stockpiles of whale
meat, when a recent survey shows that 95 percent of Japanese people
never or have rarely eaten whale meat. It is time for all governments
to make a commitment to the whales and not an outdated, unwanted and
pointless industry,” said Greenpeace Japan’s campaign director, Junichi
Sato.On Thursday, the crew of the Greenpeace ship Esperanza will sail
to the Southern Ocean, in order to put themselves between the harpoons
and the whales.