Exporting Will Defy International Export Treaties, Test New Administration in U.S.
Greenpeace strongly criticized the Norwegian government for lifting the ban on exports of whale
products. Just last year at the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES), over 2000 delegates from around the world voted overwhelmingly to prohibit this
specific trade. Greenpeace will be watching George W. Bush and his administration closely to
see how they will respond to Norway's blatant disregard of international conservation law.
"Norway and Japan have been pushing hard for a reopening of trade and large scale commercial
hunting of whales," said Audrey Cardwell, Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner. "This type of behavior
shows, once again, that they cannot be trusted to abide by any treaty to which the rest of the
world agrees."
The international community rejected the trade opening proposals at CITES, because it felt that
trade in whale products would most likely lead to a surge in the number of whales killed each
year. Since 1993, Norway has been ignoring international treaties by hunting whales in spite
of a global moratorium on commercial whaling.
"This is an opportunity for Bush's administration to start off on the right foot," continued
Cardwell. "An overwhelming majority of Americans are opposed to the commercial hunting of
whales, and they will be expecting him to take a firm stance against such a destructive and
illegal trade."
The exportation of whale meat is not only troubling for the whales, it is also dangerous for
would-be consumers of whale meat. Toxins such as dioxins and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)
accumulate in whale blubber. These chemicals take years to break down, and are among the most
dangerous substances known to man.
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