100 Tons Of Unsold Whale Meat Sit In Reykjavik Freezers - Awaiting Testing, Icelanders Say - Reuters

[hatrack]

REYKJAVIK - Some 100 tonnes of whale meat is sitting unsold in Icelandic freezers three months after Reykjavik sparked global ire by resuming commercial hunts, a top whaler said on Wednesday.

Kristjan Loftsson, manager of whaling firm Hvalur, said the delay was because firms must first test the meat for dangerous chemicals to see if it meets food industry standards. "We have not sold any meat. First we must analyse the meat. When that's done, then there will be no problems," he said.

Loftsson and Iceland's Fisheries Minister Einar Gudfinnsson said they were confident that whaling firms would ultimately find buyers -- particularly in Japan.

Gudfinnsson told Reuters the delay in sales did not change the decision to allow the hunts. "The arguments, supporting sustainable whaling, have not changed and the decision was made in accordance with Icelandic and international laws," he said. "The future of whaling will of course depend on the sale of the meat. But whaling is a private industry and whaling companies take the financial risk, not the government."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/39761/story.htm

[sharp_stick]

1. An archaic industry

with damn near zero customers. I really fail to see why countrys like Iceland and Japan try so hard to maintain whaling fleets. There are tons and tons of whale meat going to waste yearly in Japan because nobody is buying it anymore.

[Divernan]

2. Iceland hadn't even developed reliable testing methods before killing whales!

As detailed in further snips from the linked article, neither the Icelandic government nor the corporations hunting the whales had even bothered to develop reliable methods of testing the meat for safe consumption before killing some 9 endangered species fin whales and 30 minke whales.
If they were to act responsibly, they would have (1) developed the test; (2) killed a single whale of an unendangered species to test for test meat for food industry standards; (3) limited their hunting to non-endangered species. I also question whether any reliable measurement of species is possible to determine if any of the whale species are increasing or decreasing, in terms of setting standards for "sustainable" killing of whales. Given the changing ocean temperatures and patterns of ocean "streams", the melting of icefields, the newly discovered "dead zones" of the ocean wherein no whales will be able to feed, etc., we have no idea of how endangered the various species of whale
are. When in doubt, we should err on the side of preserving the species, not destroying them.


(snips from article)
Loftsson expects a decision on when Hvalur will start marketing the meat abroad by the end of January, but said the analysis of the meat has taken longer than expected. "We must prepare and carry out testing carefully. We have never done this before and we have to do an extremely good job," Loftsson said.

Gudfinnsson said there were no laws or regulations in Japan, where Icelandic whaling firms plan to sell most of their catch, to prevent the import of whale meat. "If there is no demand for a product, then it will no longer be produced. But I believe that (the whaling firms) will be able to sell the meat, but it is their responsibility," he added.

Iceland in October bucked a 1986 ban by the International Whaling Commission by permitting the catch of nine endangered fin whales and 30 minke whales. The step prompted an outcry capped culminating in a formal protest by 25 nations including the United States and Britain.

Last week, Iceland's Baugur Group, which owns major retailers in Britain and the Nordic region, came out against whaling, saying it feared the hunts could prompt consumer boycotts of Iceland's companies abroad. Baugur cited threats by many groups to stop doing business with foreign companies owned by Icelanders as well as damage to the tourism industry.

[Benhurst]

3. Another good reason not to buy their ugly sweaters. NT

[Vogon_Glory]

4. Whale Meat Is Unsafe For Human Consumption

Whale meat is unsafe for human consumption. That's a point both anti-whaling activists and consumers alike can agree on. Since whales are by and large high on the oceans' food chains, whale meat has dangerously high concentrations of mercury, PCB byproducts, and other toxins. Whale meat is as risky or even more so than swordfish and other apex predators.

The point that whale meat is unsafe for human consumption is a point that not only ought to be emphasized in English, but also in Icelandic and Norwegian.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Oh, joy ... THREE MONTH OLD whale meat. Mmmmmmmm. nt