Greenpeace does not oppose subsistence hunts for seals by native Greenlandics.
We do, however, continue to oppose commercial sealing. We understand that the
seal garments worn by Danish athletes do not represent an effort to develop a
commercial market, but rather are being displayed to promote the importance of
Greenlandic culture to the Danish peoples.
"Greenpeace does not oppose sealing which is done primarily for subsistence
purposes. We do, however, continue to oppose commercial sealing, and would
oppose any attempts by the Danish government or the Greenland government to
exploit this expression of cultural solidarity in order to develop a commercial seal
hunt. Thus, we do not support the Danish Olympic team wearing sealskins coats."
"At the time I'm sure growth was important to Greenpeace. Greenpeace was an
insignificant organisation and I found it legitimate to use a sweet animal with big
eyes."
"As a natural scientist I cannot accept that Greenpeace is opposed to whaling. One
must be allowed to harvest a renewable resource. To me, this is an important
principle, and I have taken the consequences of it by resigning."
(Leif Ryvarden, former chairman of Greenpeace Norway and Professor of Biology
at the University of Oslo. From an interview in the newspaper Dagbladet, August
2, 1991.)
"No whaling, not now, not ever."
"The 1993 minke whale harvest did not constitute a threat to the stock",
proclaimed Greenpeace spokeswoman Ingrid Bertinussen to an incredulous
Norwegian audience on Norwegian radio (NRK) on October 22, 1993. She
repeated the statement in several newspaper interviews, this time insisting that
should the harvest continue, Norway would press the quota up to an
unacceptably high level. She also stated that Greenpeace would call off boycott
campaigns against Norway in the event of the IWC granting Norway quotas.
"The history of whaling and all the IWC whaling procedures, until present,
demonstrate that there are no systems that do not deplete and thus endanger the
whale stocks. Commercial whaling will for the whaling nations only be profitable
when conducted on a large scale, which might lead to the extinction of whole
whale populations ..... Greenpeace demands that the discussion of a new
managment system - and all plans for the resumption of commercial whaling -
are halted once and for all."
GREENPEACE - GENERAL SEAL POLICY
"Over the last 20 years Greenpeace has been taking direct action to stop the
barbarous slaughter of whales. Despite David Day's misleading article,
Greenpeace's commitment to this cause is now stronger than ever. Greenpeace is
opposed to all commercial whaling and would never support any system which
would authorise quotas to kill whales, like the so-called Revised Management
Procedure, which is due for discussion at this year's international Whaling
Commission. Our objective is to ensure that the RMP can never be implemented.
Instead Greenpeace wants the commission to consider threats to whales such as
global warming and toxic pollution and to consider positive issues like the
economic benefits of whale watching."
(Peter Melchett, Executive Director, Greenpeace UK, letter to the editor, DAILY
MAIL, 19.05.94)
(Statement form Greenpeace International January 1992)
(Letter from Greenpeace to the Danish ambassy in the US, Feb. 1992)
(Wolfgang Fischer, Greenpeace Germany, leader of their seal campaign until 1987,
Bayrischer Rundfunk, January 15, 1990.)
(Greenpeace press release, Glasgow May, 1992.)
(Greenpeace Germany, 1991, position paper in connection with the 43. conference
of the International Whaling Commisson)
(Greenpeace document 1993)