But whaling has now become a symbol for many people in the
western world. The whales have become a symbol of how human
beings should treat living resources.
This led to the so-called "moratorium" which meant a five-year
total ban on all commercial whaling. During those five years
extensive biological survey were carried out which showed that
a number of whale stocks are far more plentiful than was
believed just a few years ago. Nevertheless, strong economic
and political forces are working to extend the whaling
moratorium. In certain circles, the whaling issue has become a
matter of ethics. If this attitude becomes widespread it can
become a problem for Greenland.
Greenland is part of the international community - also when
it comes to whaling. So we must cooperate and negotiate with
other countries and peoples, even if we disagree with them in
their view of whaling.
Greenland works internationally for:
Independent decision-making competence
In Greenland, we also have to make a constant effort to ensure
that our hunting meets standards of sustainable utilization,
and that we can document this for the outside world. So it is
essential for Greenland to participate in all relevant
international cooperative bodies.
On April 9th, 1992, Greenland signed a cooperative agreement
with Norway, Iceland and the Faroes on, among other aims,
common management of small marine mammals.
Greenland is constantly trying to stay at the forefront of
development. If we ourselves can demonstrate initiative and
results in relation to sustainable utilization of the living
resources, we will be in a stronger position in negotiations.
During the IWC Conference in 1990 we worked closely with
fishermen's and hunters' association KNAPK and the danish
delegates. We succeeded in getting the conference to recognize
that we in Greenland need 670 tonnes of whale meat. The next
step will be to have the quota increased in further
negotiations.
In addition, I think that leaving IWC could harm our overseas
trade. If we continued whaling after opting out, it would be
considered criminal by other countries. It would harm our
exports and decrease understanding of our need for whaling and
whale meat. So at present we have no plans to leave the IWC.
Greenland works domestically for:
The principle of sustainable utilization
- achieving acceptable quotas from the International Whaling
Commission (IWC);
- recognition that it should be possible to utilize all the
living resources of the sea, including whales, on a sustainable basis;
- to counter the view that whales are "the sacred cows of the
sea", and that whaling is unethical;
- to help to establish suitable regional bodies for management
of small cetaceans and other marine mammals;
- a more active participation from Greenland in international
organizations in connection with whaling, and on the whole in
relation to sustainable utilization of the living resources;
Here in Greenland we have a high degree of independent
decision-making competence in our management of resources - a
competence we have achieved through our good relations with
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark.
- the best possible distribution and utilization of hunting
potential;
- as accurate reporting of catches as possible:
- that the necessary resources are made available for the
development and
improvement of hunting equipment;
- intervention if hunting regulations are infringed;
- that the necessary resources are made available for
biological research.
Since science has now proved that there are enough whales, and
since it has also been demonstrated that these whales can be
utilized on a sustainable basis without endangering stocks,
opponents of whaling have now raised the ethical issue. Whales
are "intelligent" animals which is a shame to hunt. I regard
this kind of thinking as very serious problems which could
threaten our country as a fishing and hunting nation. We think
that this assessment of our whaling is itself unethical, and
that it constitutes a threat to us as a problem. The whole
question of whaling has become a question of ethics and
morality, a question of some people's attitude to other
people's attitudes.