Dear President Grimsson,
It's bad enough that minke whales are already dying to feed tourists who would never dream of eating whale meat at home; but now I learn that endangered fin whales die to feed pet dogs in Japan.
It's bad enough that the whaler's boats have made minke whales wary of all vessels -- and in so doing risk ruining whale watching, an industry many times more profitable than whaling -- but now I learn that Kristjan Loftsson uses oil from dead fin whales to catch more.
All of this is incredible to me. This is callous slaughter for the sake of profit. It represents pure greed on the part of whalers like Loftsson, but is also selfish and illogical. At a time when Iceland has never been more popular as a tourism destination and one in three visitors to Iceland chooses to watch live whales, allowing whaling to continue does not make sense on any level.
Whaling is a cruel, unnecessary industry which should be consigned to the past before it is allowed to destroy the present.
I urge you to consider that whales are worth far more alive than dead. The future of Iceland can be one of a growing tourism that celebrates the whales that can be found around your incredible country. Please call time on the whalers and instead support your country's whale watch industry.
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