WASHINGTON, June 21 (GP) -- On the eve of the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), a new report from Greenpeace International unveils disturbing links between leading U.S. Wise Use groups and Norway's commercial whaling industry. Norway's whale hunt is in blatant violation of the IWC's 1986 international moratorium on commercial whaling.
The report, entitled "Driven to Extremes," details extensive involvement of Wise Use and Scandinavian pro-whaling groups in an international campaign to legitimize Norway's return to commercial whaling. Since the late 1980's, American anti-environmental groups such as the Alliance for America and the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise (groups funded by oil, mining, and chemical interests), along with such individuals as ultra-right wing libertarian Lyndon LaRouche and Wise Use leader Ron Arnold, have forged strategic alliances with Norwegian whalers and pro-whaling activists.
Campaigning in Norway and the United States, these activists have attempted to convince policy makers that despite Norway's blatant violation of the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling, the whale hunt has been "humane and sustainable," and inflicted "no harm on the stocks." Lobbying foreign governments, the groups have claimed that "millions of Americans" are in support of renewed whaling.
In February of this year, the Alliance for America, along with the Wise Use "Fishermen's Coalition," wrote to President Bill Clinton arguing that the "the IWC should finally allow, recognize and support the humane and sustainable use of abundant cetaceans as practiced for thousands of years by citizens of Norway, Iceland, Canada, the Faeroe Islands, Japan, the Caribbean Nations, South America, the United States and many other countries."
Three individuals instrumental in having forged cooperation between Wise Use groups and pro-whalers: George Blichfeldt, leader of the whaling lobby group High North Alliance; Steinar Bastesen, President of the Norwegian Small Type Whaling Association; and, Magnus Gudmundsson, Icelandic whaling advocate and film-maker. On June 16-19 of this year, both Mr. Blichfeldt and Mr. Gudmundsson attended the Wise Use "Fly in for Freedom" conference in Washington, D.C. The theme this year was "The World Is Run By Those Who Show Up."
The intense lobbying effort by Wise Use groups may help explain the Clinton Administration's current weak stance on Norway's illegal whale hunt at the IWC this year. The Administration is supporting Norway's minke whale population estimate of 112,000 whales, a figure which has yet to be reviewed by the IWC, and which in previous years has found to be incorrect. The U.S. contingent is also expected to offer no substantial challenge to Norway's illegal hunt, despite Clinton's 3-year-old pledge to impose economic sanctions against Norway unless it canceled the hunt.
Contact: Jonathan Hall 202-319-2542
Email: jhall@igc.apc.org