Iceland, in an apparent burst of nationalist fever, has decided to resume commercial hunting of whales. There is only one company in Iceland that kills whales and it . Some observers believe that the real issue behind the resumption is the protection of Iceland's right to manage its fishing grounds. Its also a popular position, as large majority of Icelanders support whaling. Icelandic whalers have been taking a limited number of whales for "scientific purposes" up to now. But the country along with Japan and Norway, never accepted the international ban on whaling.
The only real market for whale meat is Japan which slaughters thousands of Sei whales every year in the Southern Ocean. This year Japan captured The International Whaling Commission by soliciting support from small countries with no whaling interest. The IWC is being driven by the whaling countries to abandon its conservation and protection role. There is scientific evidence available that whales are sentient beings with emotions and complex social structures. They certainly feel pain. Having touched Grey Whales in Baja, I can attest that their intelligence is obvious and they appear to enjoy interactions with humans that are not trying to kill them.
My salute to those activists like Greenpeace that risk their lives on the high seas to protect our fellow creatures from man's cruelty.
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