The tide of public opinion is alter andinternational oppositionremains strong , but Norway ’s highly controversial whaling practice is not croak restfully .
Norway ’s Fisheries Minister , Per Sandberg , hasannouncedthey will allow whaler to kill even more whale this year , noting that “ whale meat tastes good and it is good for health” . The annual whaling quota is being increased to 1,278 common minke hulk , up from 999 animals in 2017 and 880 animals in 2016 .
" Norway has a feasible whaling industry , despite zero subsidy , and that Japan is the only market outside Norway , " Sandberg said in astatement . " That is telling . I desire to ensure that the whaling remains active . "
Minke whale arerelatively commonin the North Atlantic , especially around the Svalbard archipelago and in the Barents Sea , make them a common target for Atlantic whalers . The hunt of whales on an industrial scale start in the 17th 100 and brought many mintage to the brink of extinction . Faced with this grim realism , theInternational Whaling Commissionadopted an international memorandum to end commercial whaling from 1986 onwards .
Norway and Iceland are the only countries in the populace to discount the international memorandum and go on to commercially Holman Hunt whales . Japan also still hunt whale , but officials exact it ’s in thename of “ scientific research” . Russia has also convey an remonstrance to the moratorium .
Although the Norwegian government appears keen to revitalize the whaling industry , the majority of their citizens do not apportion this enthusiasm . AFPreports that the issue of whaling ships has plummeted from 350 in 1950 to just 11 in 2017 .
Equally , predilection are changing and the need for whale meat is dwindle down , often intend that the meat does n’t even get use up . A reportreleased in 2016 by the Environmental Investigation Agency in London showed that 113 tonnes ( 125 dozens ) of minke hulk meat were delivered to Rogaland Pelsdyrfôrlaget , the largest manufacturer of animal provender for Norway ’s fur industry , in 2014 .
“ This vicious industry is dying as requirement for hulk products in Norway evaporates , ” DJ Schubert , a wildlife biologist with the Animal Welfare Institute , allege in April 2017 . “ It is time for Norway to discard the harpoons and cease the unnecessary distress of whales and their unborn issue by interdict commercial-grade whaling – no other choice is acceptable . ”
