Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica

A Disastrous Year for Whales

MASSACHUSETTS, United States, Mar 3 2002 (IPS) - Norway's decision to increase its whale catch limit in 2002 means it will be a dangerous year for these cetaceans, warns IFAW. Japan and Norway are expected to join forces to press for lifting the moratorium on whale hunting.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), has criticized Norway's decision to increase the number of whales it will kill this year to 674, the biggest Norwegian whale catch since the international moratorium on whaling came into effect in 1986. Last year, Norway's catch limit was 552.

“2002 could be a disastrous year for whale conservation,” said IFAW President, Fred O’Regan. “Despite international efforts to control whaling and protect whales, Norway is continuously pushing to kill as many whales as it can and is now preparing to trade internationally with Japan. We are now drifting dangerously close to a revival of the commercial whaling industry, which once threatened to wipe out the great whales.”

The International Whaling Commission is slated to meet in May, and Norway and Japan are widely expected to insist once again on ignoring the moratorium on whale hunting.

If you would like to take part in the campaign to protect the world's whales, including those found in Latin America's coastal waters, connect yourself to: www.ifaw.org