U.S. Officially Condemns Iceland's Whale Hunt 6/23/2004
From: Chris Cutter of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, 508-744-2066 or ccutter@ifaw.org, Web: http://www.IFAW.org YARMOUTH PORT, Mass., June 23 -- The United States officially condemned Iceland's whale hunt today when Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans certified Iceland under the Pelly Amendment and presented it to President Bush. The Pelly Amendment -- part of the Fisherman's Protective Act of 1967 -- is designed to impose economic and political pressure on governments and fishing fleets that do not respect international conservation efforts. IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare - http://www.ifaw.org) has pushed for certification since Iceland returned to whaling in 2003. Iceland is one of only three countries that hunts whales in defiance of an international moratorium. Iceland killed 36 whales last year and has already killed 5 minke whales since its announcement in early June to kill 25 whales this year. "IFAW commends the Administration for taking a strong stance against Iceland's decision to commence whaling and applauds President Bush for his leadership in the international protection of whales," said Della Green of IFAW. "The decision to certify Iceland under the Pelly Amendment reaffirms the United States' long-standing policy of opposing lethal research." The Pelly Amendment requires that "When the Secretary of Commerce determines that nationals of a foreign country, directly or indirectly, are conducting fishing operations in a manner or under circumstance which diminish the effectiveness of an international fishery conservation program the Secretary shall certify such fact to the President". When the President receives a certification he may direct the Secretary of Treasury to prohibit the importation of fishery or wildlife products and in the past has considered other non- economic actions such as canceling meetings, postponing talks and other diplomatic pressures. The President has 60 days to make a decision on sanctions and notify Congress, although in the past Presidents have self-extended this time period while negotiations were underway. "The lethal research whaling conducted by both Iceland and Japan is unnecessary for the management of whales, and we urge them to use non-lethal research methods. We will use all diplomatic channels to request both countries to end their respective lethal research whaling activities," said U.S. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans in a press release. The United States is a very important export market for Icelandic fishery products and economic sanctions could have a major impact on Iceland's economy. In September 2003, 23 countries, including the U.K., Germany and the U.S., signed a diplomatic demarche to the Icelandic Government, protesting strongly against the decision to resume whaling. ------ About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) Founded in 1969, IFAW is an international animal welfare and conservation organization that works to protect animals and their environments. From offices in 15 countries around the world, IFAW works to protect whales, elephants, great apes, big cats, dogs and cats, seals and other animals. To learn how to help animals, please visit http://www.ifaw.org. Note to Editors: Iceland controversially rejoined the International Whaling Commission in 2002, with a questionable "reservation" to the international moratorium on whaling. It is currently exploiting a loophole, also used by Japan, which permits the killing of whales for scientific purposes, but has announced its intention to resume full commercial whaling from 2006. Norway continues to whale commercially, after objecting to the moratorium when it was agreed in the 1980s. Iceland returned to whaling in 2003 with a plan to kill 250 whales a year - 100 minke whales, 100 fin whales and 50 sei whales. This year's quota was revised to include 25 minke whales and no fin or sei whales. Iceland kills whales as part of its study of local marine ecosystems. The scientific value of the program is debated by IFAW and other environmental groups which point to non-lethal alternatives. In addition, whale meat from the program is sold commercially in Iceland's supermarkets and restaurants. Demand for whale meat, however, is weak. Of the 35 tons of meat landed last year 23 tons are still unsold. Markets abroad are also closed, and a recent permit for export of whale meat to China has been withdrawn by the authorities in Iceland. Editors: For more information go to http://www.IFAW.org. |