When it comes to whaling, Iceland is an international outlaw. Years of global negotiations and declarations have failed utterly to end its illegal slaughter of whales. It's time to send Iceland a message it can't ignore: trade sanctions.
We can make it happen if hundreds of thousands of us speak out now.
Here's why: last December, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and other groups filed a petition to stop Iceland's rogue whaling. In response, the U.S. Commerce Secretary recently declared that Iceland is defying the international ban on commercial whaling. That declaration started the clock ticking on a 60-day period during which President Obama must decide whether or not to impose trade sanctions on Iceland.
The president should assert global leadership and impose tough sanctions, making Iceland feel real consequences at long last for its mass killing of whales.
Iceland has proven that it will thumb its nose at anything less -- and will go right on slaughtering whales for profit. In 2004, the United States denounced Iceland in the same manner -- but failed to impose sanctions -- and Iceland proceeded to ramp up its awful slaughter.
Since 2006, that nation has killed more than 200 minke whales and 280 endangered fin whales. The fin whale is the second largest whale species on earth, weighing up to 80 tons. Over the past two years alone, Iceland has exported more than 1,200 tons of whale meat, blubber and oil -- worth some $17 million -- to Japan, and has made additional shipments to Norway, Latvia and Belarus.
Iceland is not only flouting the ban on whaling, it is depleting whale populations at an alarming rate. It's practically begging to be sanctioned.
President Obama should begin by targeting imports from those Icelandic seafood companies directly tied to the whaling industry.
We can hardly assume that presidential action is a sure thing. In fact, the U.S. has never before imposed sanctions on another nation for whaling. That's why it's so important that President Obama feel a groundswell of public support if he is to take this next historic step.
We can be sure that Iceland will not end the abhorrent practice of whaling until it is forced to do so. It's time to make our voices heard inside the White House.
Tell President Obama to impose sanctions now.
There is absolutely no economic or nutritional need for whaling in Iceland or any other industrialized nation.
Does he know what species are being harvested and does he know that Hvalur hf the only company that uses whale boats capable of dealing with the larger species of whale, fin whales, humpback whales etc. has not launched one vessel this year although they still have an unused quota for a few dozen animals.
In fact Icelanders do not hunt endangered species at all. The whales that are being caught this year are minke whales that are abundant in icelandic waters and are considered by many scientists above a sustainable number for the icelandic ecosystem.
Iceland is one of the few countries that has managed its fishing grounds in a sustainable way and has had to do so in order to preserve it´s fish - stocks and whale population unlike most western democracies.
The whales that are being killed by american indians by traditional methods suffer a great deal more pain in the process than by the exploding harpoons that generally kill the animals instantly whereas traditional methods can drag on for a long time until the whale eventually dies.
Furthermore I suggest that icelandic scientists are in a better position to monitor the condition of marine life around Iceland than a hollywood actor.
Why is whaling immoral and harmful and the other meat industries are not?
The carvings and painting show the vikings (and other nordic tribes) traded whale and seal meat and oil for other goods more than a thousand years ago.
This whole "save this and that species of animals" is a complicated issue that cannot be looked at one sidedly and simplistically, and you can't just boycott and throw trade sanctions on countries just because you don't like their wildlife practices.
And above all, before we criticize other nations' wildlife policies, let's look at our own first, and if we see things there that are in need of improvement let's fix those before we pass judgement on others. It is not nice to have double standards after all.
Good work, Mr. Brosnan!
We allow Native Americans to hunt whale, honoring their culture, as long as it's government regulated. Why do we care so much when it's another country? I think President Obama has enough to worry about.
If the US tries to bully an ally of 300 thousand people into following it's emotional preference other countries might take notice. The image of the US will suffer.
Perhaps you and Brosnan together should expand your research.