Posted by: Paul Newman / posted on September 15th, 2014
A formal diplomatic protest, known as a démarche, was today delivered to the Icelandic Government in Reykjavik. The top-level protest registered countries’ “strong opposition” to Iceland’s continued whaling, particularly of endangered fin whales.
The démarche also objects to Iceland’s international trade in whale products, stating: “Fin whales and minke whales are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I … and we remain extremely concerned with Iceland’s reservation, entered in 2000, for these and other cetacean species.”
The démarche was signed by the 28 EU Member States, the USA, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Mexico and New Zealand. In addition, Monaco associated with the statement.
The 35 countries called on Iceland to “respect the IWC’s global moratorium and end its commercial whaling and international trade in whale products”.
Clare Perry, Senior Campaigner for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), said: “Since 2006, Iceland’s whaling company Hvalur has killed more than 500 endangered fin whales, purely to cash in on a limited demand in Japan. This démarche highlights Iceland’s flagrant disregard for international efforts to conserve whales. We congratulate those countries that have initiated this protest and urge them and other countries to take further diplomatic efforts to bring an end to Iceland’s commercial whale slaughter.”
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