Environmentalists Expose Korea's Back Door Plans to Hunt Whales

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http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0407-03.htm

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL 7, 2005

12:44 AM

 

CONTACT: Greenpeace

Matilda Bradshaw

Tel No: +31 (0)6 5350 4701

 

Environmentalists Expose Korea's Back Door Plans to Hunt Whales

 

WASHINGTON -- April 7 -- Greenpeace and Korean Federation for

Environment Movement (KFEM) today exposed plans by the South Korean

government to build a whale and dolphin meat processing factory.

(1)

 

The factory will be built in Ulsan, known as the " city of whales " ,

the venue for this year's International Whaling Commission meeting.

(2) This morning, 50 activists from around the world set up a

protest camp, or 'Whale Embassy', at the site. They erected a 12m

high beacon as a symbol of the danger for whales. Two activists sat

on top of the beacon and held a banner that read " sanctuary not

cemetery " while others unfurled another that stated " extinction

starts here " . The activists locked arms in solidarity on the ground

designated for the factory. They were flanked by two large

inflatable whales, which sat amongst a symbolic cemetery of

headstones shaped like whale flukes. " We're here to sound the alarm

that whales are in grave danger. These plans could be the first

step on the road towards a resumption of the whaling industry. Why

would the South Korean government invest in a brand new whale and

dolphin meat processing factory unless it's already decided to

rebuild its whaling industry? Let them deny if it's not true, " said

Jim Wickens, Greenpeace International oceans campaigner, speaking

from the protest camp.

 

The hunting of whales is banned internationally (3) but the South

Korean government currently sanctions a national trade in the meat

of whales and dolphins that are caught " accidentally " in nets.

Government statistics show around a hundred times more whales are

" accidentally " caught in Korea than in countries that do not have a

domestic whale meat market. (4) Scientists believe that even the

most populous whale species in Korean waters, minke whales, are in

serious decline because of this trade. (5) " Whales in Korea's

oceans, like whales everywhere, need urgent protection. History

shows us that killing them in the name of science or commerce will

lead to their demise. Instead of repeating the mistakes of the

past, let's protect our ocean life and make our seas a whale

sanctuary, instead of a whale cemetery, " said Choi, Ye-Yong,

Planning Director, KFEM.

 

 

Notes to Editor:

 

(1) The factory is due to be built towards the end of this year.

(2) The 57th International Whaling Commission meeting will be held

on 20-24 June 2005.

(3) The international community banned whaling in 1982 because

attempts to regulate the industry had failed and whale populations

were dwindling. Several whale populations, including blue whales

and Korea's western pacific gray whales still face extinction. The

whaling lobby is attempting to rekindle trade in whale meat

worldwide by calling for " sustainable " catches and an increase of

lethal, so called " scientific " whaling, which would pave the way

for a full scale whaling industry.

(4) Government by-catch statistics for 2003, submitted to the IWC

in 2004.

(5) " Predicted decline of protected whales based on molecular

genetic monitoring of Japanese and Korean markets, " C.S.Baker, G.M.

Lento, F. Cipriano and S.R. Palumbi (2000), Royal Society of

London, Series B. 267:1191-1199. The report states that, even if

current by-catch rates of minkes in Korea were reduced by 50%, they

would continue to decline.

 

Download a copy of the plans (PDF) at

http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/reports/ex-summary?item_id=824394 & lan\

guage_id=en

 

For graphic illustrations of the government by-catch statistics and

the scientific data, see:

http://www.comebackwhales.com/english/whales/science.htm and

http://www.comebackwhales.com/english/whaling/korea.htm.

 

For further information on the KFEM and Greenpeace campaign to

protect whales, see: http://www.comebackwhales.com/english/news/

 

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