NZ condemns Iceland's return to commercial whaling

Conservation Minister Chris Carter today deplored Iceland's decision to resume commercial whaling, saying New Zealand would make its "strong" feelings on the issue clear to the Icelandic government.

Iceland announced overnight it would issue licences to hunt nine fin whales and 30 minke whales for the year ending August 31, 2007.

The country, which has been whaling since Viking times, stopped commercial whaling in 1989 under an international moratorium on commercial hunts.

It has lately been taking whales for "scientific" purposes, and since 2003, has hunted 161 minke whales for research, Iceland's Marine Institute said.

It said today there were now more than 43,000 minke whales and 25,000 fin whales in Icelandic coastal waters and limited commercial hunting was "consistent with the principle of sustainable development".

Mr Carter joined other political parties and conservation groups today in condemning the move.

"Iceland's decision is extremely disappointing," Mr Carter said.

"New Zealand will be making it very clear to the Icelandic government that we utterly reject their country's right to resume commercial whaling, and remain part of the International Waling Commission (IWC)."

"Sadly, Iceland has been an ally of pro-whaling nations for years and it has been threatening to resume whaling for some time. Its history at the IWC is highly controversial."

Iceland was part of the IWC when the moratorium on commercial whaling came in to effect from 1986, Mr Carter said.

"At the time it did not lodge an objection to the moratorium because its Parliament refused to do so.

"In 1992 it withdrew from the commission but rejoined in 2002 purporting to exclude itself from the moratorium."

It was "nonsensical" for Iceland to rejoin with a reservation against decisions taken by the convention that Iceland was part of at the time, Mr Carter said.

He also rejected Iceland's claim that fin whales were sufficiently abundant to hunt.

"It is fair to say there is widespread disagreement."

- NZPA