As you know, Japan wants to kill whales in its own coastal waters and a deal will be discussed at the upcoming IWC meeting that would allow it to do this.

But IWC member nations are ignoring the fact that it is international trade in whale products that is driving commercial whaling. In other words, it’s not about science – it’s about money.

In the past year there has been more international trade in whale products than in the previous ten years combined and it looks like getting a great deal bigger.

In the past year Iceland has:

• exported nearly 82 tonnes of endangered fin whale meat to Japan
• exported 900 kilos of minke whale meat to the Faroe Islands
• exported 90 kilos of whale oil to Norway

And it has now told the press that it intends to export at least 6000 tonnes of minke and fin whale meat to Japan.

And Norway has:

And it has now issued export licenses to ship almost 50 more tonnes of whale products to Japan.

This trade is in defiance of an international ban and despite a lack of demand. All three whaling nations struggle to sell whale meat domestically; to avoid growing stockpiles, they offload it cheap to hospitals and schools, use it in dog food and even try promoting it in products like ice cream.

With your support WDCS is urging governments to call for and end to trade in whale products. Our campaign has already secured the support of 38 other conservation organisations .

Please sign our petition and give the whaling countries the message loud and clear that the world will not tolerate this.

Thank you again for your support.

Sue Fisher

WDCS Anti-Whaling Campaign Manager