Minister of Fisheries Per Sandberg (Frp) is disappointed that the European Parliament urges Norway to stop whaling.
Parliament believes that the EU should ensure that whale meat is no longer transported through Union ports. Despite an international ban on commercial whaling, Norway has killed more than 13,000 whales, according to a press release from the European Parliament on Tuesday.
-I’m disappointed that once again we see attempts to create myths that Norwegian whaling is not legal or sustainable. The Norwegian catch is legal, Sandberg sticks to NTB.
He points out that the 1982 moratorium decision on stopping all whaling is not based on science as required by the Whaling Convention.
– Norway therefore followed the recipe of the convention: We protested against the decision and did not tell us bound by it.
Norway manages and harvests minke whale according to sustainable principles and scientific criteria set by the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), he says.
The European Parliament states that Norway has increased the whaling quota to 999 individuals this year, from 880 in 2016. Norway’s exports of whale meat have also risen sharply in recent years, according to the EU.
The Minister of Fisheries points out that the Marine Research Institute’s latest stock estimates show that there are large volumes of minke whale in Norwegian waters, just over 100,000.
“Our catch is very modest. So far this year about 430 minke whales has been caught, under half of the quota. Exports from Norway with whale products require an export license, which also makes transit of whales through ports in the EU legal, says Per Sandberg, Minister of Fisheries.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
Minke whales are incredibly bright, emotional, caring animals. They should never be discussed as “products” for market.