Stop Greenland Killing Whales to Feed Tourists
- by: Judith B.
- recipient: The Government of Denmark
Greenland (an overseas territory of Denmark) is using a convenient loophole in the international ban on commercial whaling. Under the agreement, sustenance whaling, the killing of whales by native communities living traditional lifestyles to feed themselves, is allowable. But several countries have used this loophole as an excuse to continue blatantly commercial whaling operations.
Sustenance whaling is not what is happening in Greenland. Hundreds of whales from critically endangered species are slaughtered to keep tourists entertained with a gastronomic novelty - whale meat. Now Denmark wants permission to kill even more whales.
An investigation by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society revealed that hotels and restaurants in Greenland openly sell fin, minke, beluga and narwhal meat, often presented in "fun" ways, for example as whale burgers.
Tell Denmark to stop allowing the slaughter of these intelligent and endangered creatures for such a trite purpose.
We the undersigned ask that you put an end to commercial whaling in Greenland to supply the tourist industry. This cannot in any way be described as sustenance whaling and it is completely unnecessary. Ecologically, it is putting the survival of already endangered species at risk.
It does not make any sense economically either. There are at least as many potential tourists who do not visit Greenland because of the whaling as there are those that might be vaguely entertained, briefly, by having the opportunity to sample a novelty food. Almost nobody is likely to visit Greenland for the sole purpose of sampling whale meat.
While commercial whaling continues, Greenland is not in a good position to take advantage of the potentially very lucrative whale watching industry.
All the whaling is doing is helping Greenland to lose money and to destroy an irreplaceable natural resource, and does not do Denmark’s international reputation any good.
Please put an end to commercial whaling in Greenland for once and for all.
Thank you for your attention.
