Norway reopens whale products exports

The whaling lobby hailed the the annoucement by Fisheries Minister Otto Gregussen as a breakthrough for the normalization of the industry. But the conservationist organizations Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Greenpeace deplored the decision. Foreign Minister Thorbjoern Jagland said the decision represented a "new direction" in Norwegian whaling policy. "Our decision is based on recommendations from the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission. This is a resonable environmental policy, and we have no reason to believe that there will be international reactions," said Jagland. Norwegian whalers in 2001 will be allowed to catch 549 piked whales out of an estimated total population of 140,000 animals. Japan is the main market, but Iceland and Peru are also importers of Norwegian whale products. The exports, according to the government, would not be in violation of the Conventoin on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The Norwegian WWF organization was surprised and dismayed by the government's annoucement. "I would not have believed that the government could be so stupid," said WWF spokesman Bjoern Tore Bjoernsvik. Greenpeace expressed disappointment, saying that the government based its decision to allow whale exports on its lack of fear of U.S. sanctions instead of conservationist consideratoins.

(dpa)