Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09OSLO438
2009-07-13 07:09:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Oslo
Cable title:  

NORWAY TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS WHALE HUNT

Tags:  SENV EFIS KSCA PREL IWC ETRD NO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5361
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK
RUEHYG
DE RUEHNY #0438 1940709
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130709Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7624
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1078
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1646
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0403
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
UNCLAS OSLO 000438 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/OA, COMMERCE FOR NMFS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EFIS KSCA PREL IWC ETRD NO
SUBJECT: NORWAY TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS WHALE HUNT

UNCLAS OSLO 000438

SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/OA, COMMERCE FOR NMFS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EFIS KSCA PREL IWC ETRD NO
SUBJECT: NORWAY TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS WHALE HUNT


1. (U) SUMMARY: Norway's fishing and whaling industry
announced that the 2009 whale hunt would be temporarily
suspended due to cash flow concerns and the summer holiday.
The hunt will be resumed after a short break. Norwegian
whalers and the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs
also criticized a recent World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report,
presented at the 2009 International Whaling Commission, which
claims that the industry is not economically viable and
dependent on government subsidies. Between 300 - 400 Minke
whales have been caught so far this season, out of a quota of

835. END SUMMARY

--------------
Whale Hunt Suspended
--------------


2. (U) Norges Raafisklag (The Norwegian Fisherman's Sales
Organization) released a statement June 23 that the 2009
whale hunt was suspended due to lack of demand for whale
meat. The statement stipulated that hunts to fill existing
orders of whale meat approved by Norges Raafisklag would go
forward, however no new orders would be accepted. Norges
Raafisklag is responsible for arranging and organizing the
sales of approximately 80% of whales hunted in Norwegian
waters. They also guarantee a minimum price for whale meat.
Norges Raafisklag whaling coordinator Per Rolandsen told
EconLES July 2 that whaling was halted due to short-term
constraints facing domestic producers. Firstly, most of the
producers' budgets are tied up with existing fish catches,
and the current financial crisis has hampered their ability
to come up with enough cash to pay whalers. Secondly,
processing plants lack the manpower to process whale meat as
July is Norway's vacation month. Rolandsen reported that the
shut-down would be temporary, and noted that consumer demand
for whale meat remains steady.

-------------- --------------
WWF calls Norwegian whaling "economically unsustainable"
-------------- --------------


3. (U) Norges Raafisklag's decision to halt the whale hunt
came a day after the release of WWF's "Sink or Swim, The
Economics of Whaling." The report contends that the
Norwegian whaling industry is not economically viable and has
been strongly subsidized by the GON since 1993. WWF marine
environment advisor Nina Jensen told PolOff July 1 that the
report upset members of the High North Alliance and the Small
Whalers Association, two organizations that protect the
rights of Norwegian whalers and fishermen. The organizations
asserted that they do not receive significant subsidies from
the GON, and that demand for whale meat remains high.

-------------- --------------
Ministry of Fisheries dispute WWF report and comment on IWC
-------------- --------------


4. (U) Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs
Advisor Ole-David Stenseth, told PolOff July 2 that contrary
to WWF's report no subsidies were provided to Norwegian
whalers. He said funds go only for ship inspections, a
research fund, and a DNA register of minke whale captures.
He estimated that 300 to 400 whales have been captured so far
this year. He repeated the High North Alliance and Small
Whaler Association claim that Norwegian demand for whale meat
remains high, adding that there is not enough meat available
to meet demand. He said the whale industry is economically
stable in Norway because of the inherent quality and taste of
the meat in addition to the historical links to whale
hunting. He also remarked that whale meat purchases have
increased and said he expected trade with Japan to create
further demand. Stenseth concluded by noting that Norway had
no plans to leave the IWC, but that the IWC remains polarized
between those who seek to end whaling outright and those who
want to hunt with sustainability in mind. He mentioned that
if the IWC were to fail, Norway would work through the North
Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission.
JOHNSON