whaling

Greenpeace ship Esperanza has completed the demarcation of the proposed Dogger Bank marine reserve in the North Sea. The demarcation, which started on 4th August, involved setting ocean buoys around the perimeter of the proposed reserve. As the demarcation was completed Greenpeace divers unfurled an underwater banner saying 'Dogger Bank - protect it for future generations'.

The 56th meeting of the IWC (International Whaling Commission) is due to take place next week, 19th to the 22nd July in Sorrento, Italy.

Oceans in crisis

A dead dolphin encased in ice was today delivered to the Government's doorstep by Greenpeace, in protest at the numbers of dolphins killed by UK fishing boats and the Government's lack of action to stop the problem.

The dolphin was killed by a trawler, and was recovered recently in the Channel by a Greenpeace ship investigating dolphin deaths caused by fishing fleets. The dolphin bears the tell-tale signs of having been caught in a net, including cut and torn fins and flipper and a broken beak and teeth.

Iceland moved toward ending whaling yesterday with the announcement it was scaling its 'scientific' hunt back from 250 whales a year to 25.

"This is a major step in the right direction," said Willie Mackenzie from Greenpeace UK "the government of Iceland should realise that whales are worth more to them alive than dead, and cancel the rest of the hunt."

Leading UK retailer, Tesco PLC, has been closely linked to the sale of products from Japan's controversial hunting of whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans), revealed the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Greenpeace today.

EIA investigations have revealed that C Two-Network, a Japanese supermarket chain and a member of the Tesco Group, sells canned cetaceans products in 32 of its 78 stores and fresh cetaceans products in 10 stores. Tesco purchased more than 95% of the Japanese company in July 2003.

Amsterdam/Reykjavik 4th December 2003
The people of Iceland are on the threshold of choosing a new environmental path for the future and adopting a new view of the whales in its surrounding oceans. A new finding by Gallup, the opinion research firm, has revealed that 48% of the Icelandic public thinks the existence of groups like Greenpeace is "rather important or very important."(1).

A fleet of Japanese ships is to start whaling in the Antarctic by exploiting a loophole in an international agreement, Greenpeace said today.

The fleet, due to set sail shortly, is claiming that they are whaling for scientific research. However, according to Greenpeace, they are instead hunting whale meat to sell on the open market.

Willie Mackenzie, Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner, said: "The Government of Japan must call a halt to this.