Source: The International Harpoon, No. 2, October 21,1997

Good Lord!

Life is full of surprises, and here’s one for the books. Of all the Challenges we’ve ever issued, none has ever been responded to formally, and only once did someone respond at all — the Animal Welfare Institute — without mentioning our name. Now we have a response from WWF International to our Monday challenge, in which we called on Greenpeace and WWF to jump on the Canny Compromise bandwagon, and put their anti-whaling campaigns «quietly to bed».

SO HERE WE GO. Please note that all words, exclamation marks, etc. in this space are the responsibility of WWF International ...

WWF Answers Harpoon Challenge!!!

«In a new spirit of cooperation, WWF appears as a guest in this space to convey sincere appreciation for the concerns recently expressed by Harpoon with regard to any blows WWF may yet suffer over the Canny proposal. An organization whose logo gets up on even the best mornings sporting two black eyes must take what comfort it can find — even from unlikely sources.

«On closer reading of the Harpoon challenge, however, we see that it applies only to the NGO ranks. Harpoon’s own role, for once, is unclear. WWF therefore returns the challenge: We will gladly "hold Harpoon's coat" (presumably sealskin coat, borrowed from its Mascot) while it dispenses discipline among its own ranks, not to say sponsors — and delivers Norwegian and Japanese support for the proposal it finds so reasonable and commends to us.

«In this, we assume Harpoon will continue its tradition of leaving no stone unturned in its quest for openness, and we look forward to regular reporting on progress.

«When Harpoon delivers, look for WWF congratulations to run in this space (paid space). Readers may have to look hard, but as Harpoon Mascot Campbell says at breakfast each morning: «Concentrate!»

The Harpoon Responds

«First of all, the Canny proposal, as an all-inclusive compromise between whalers and anti-whalers, appears to have been borne dead on arrival. But the fact that it still exists (dead or alive), represents an opportunity.

«At no point did the Harpoon intend to convey the impression that the proposal was reasonable or that we commended it, and if we appeared to do so, please put it down to human error.

«What we wanted to say was that a bandwagon was passing us by, and anyone could jump on it for whatever selfish reasons they liked. WWF in particular, and to a lesser extent Greenpeace, are large, international organisations which frequently have difficulties incorporating the views of all their members in their position statements. It is simply not true, no matter what materials you may put out, to say that Greenpeace in its entirety, or WWF in its entirety, are opposed in principle to all kinds of sustainable commercial whaling.

"This bandwagon, therefore, offers the opportunity for both WWF and Greenpeace to "slip out the back door" on the whaling issue — which, you must admit, is no longer a conservation issue (WWF’s concern), and never was an environmental issue (Greenpeace’s concern). It provides the opportunity to explain to your members why a certain level of whaling is acceptable, and thereby acclimatise them to the notion that some whales could, in fact, die with your endorsement.

«If it helps to convince you, perhaps a little flattery would not go amiss. The Harpoon does not seriously expect Greenpeace to come out in support of even the most limited commercial whaling within our lifetimes, as to do so would be to betray its many members who joined it for the specific purpose of "saving" whales.
That said, the current Greenpeace position on tuna fisheries is revolutionary for this organisation, and is surely a brave step in the right direction. Our Challenge was merely intended to nudge Greenpeace further in the direction it is already going.

«But WWF is a different story. You are the NGO equivalent of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Your membership is vast, and thus, on most matters, you have no such thing as a common position. Yet we know you to be committed philosophically to sustainable use as a conservation tool.

«The Harpoon believes that WWF can play the key role in turning the tide against protectionism in the IWC, and in other international fora dealing with wildlife utilisation. If WWF were to accept this challenge, its role could be far more important than the role that any government could play. People trust the WWF, and if the WWF says that it is to the benefit of conservation as a whole to allow a few whales to be killed, most of your members will accept that. And you will know that it is in accordance with the principle of sustainable use.

«We know you got clobbered on the ivory issue back in 1989, and changed your position when the protectionist NGOs turned against you. How about having another shot at educating your members, this time on the whaling issue? Canny has provided the excuse, and for what it’s worth (precious little? Ed.), the Harpoon will be right behind you when the going gets rough.