Cover image via mintpressnews.com
For years, the media focused on Japan's whaling in the Antarctic and Iceland's fascination of hunting endangered whales. Yet Norway quietly become the world's leading whaling station, killing more whales than Japan and Iceland combined.
But, that's not all.
Image via Marcus Bleasdale / NatGeo
Whaling in Norway actually dates back to 9th century Vikings, a fact often used by Norwegian whaling lobbyists to characterise the country's modern hunt as a longstanding cultural tradition
The Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway have always been a world apart, dramatic backdrops for Viking sagas and home to the maverick way of life of the whaler. But the kids today don't want to be whalers, and the price of living on the whaling island of Skrova is watching children leave for school – and an easier life – elsewhere, according to [National Geographic] (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/viking-whalers/smith-text).
Image via Britannica
Whatever the cultural tradition is all about, it doesn't justify the fact that up to this day, whale is a tough meat to sell in Norway
[PETA UK] (http://www.peta.org.uk)'s [petition] (http://action.peta.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=5&ea.campaign.id=6523) states that only one percent of the Norwegian public eats whale meat on a regular basis, and the majority of Norwegians agree that the suffering caused by whaling is unacceptable.
Image via The Guardian
Image via Take Part
"*You come to Norway for the landscapes, majestic fjords, waterfalls jutting out of cliff sides, and the breathtaking glaciers looming above some of the brightest blue waters you've ever seen.* **Nobody comes here for the whale meat**," [said] (https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/whale-meat-is-a-tough-sell-in-norway) Katherine Sacks of Munchies.
"*As one of the world's most modern and prosperous countries, Norway's whaling is an anachronism*," said Dr. Sandra Altherr, a ProWildlife biologist. "**Slaughtering whales to eat and trade has no place in Norway and serves only to diminish the country's international reputation**."
A report on Norwegian whaling detailed how Norwegian whaling has boomed, exploiting loopholes in international whaling and trade bans using unapproved science to set its own quotas for hundreds – sometimes more than a thousand – whales a year
The published report, "[*Frozen in Time: How Modern Norway Clings to Its Whaling Past*] (https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/AWI-ML-NorwayReport-2016.pdf)", by the Animal Welfare Institute ([AWI] (https://awionline.org)), [OceanCare] (https://www.oceancare.org/en/) and [Pro-Wildlife] (https://www.prowildlife.de) expounds how **Norway clings to its whaling past** and how it has been undermining the International Whaling Commission ([IWC] (https://iwc.int/home)) ban on commercial whaling and the growth of its overseas trade in whale products.
Image via The Sunday Times
Since 1993, Norway has killed 12,000 [Minke whales] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Minke_Whale), for the purpose of human consumption. But just this week, AWI released a 2015 data showing the number of whales that have been killed in the past years by Iceland, Japan, and Norway.
Image via Animal Welfare Institute
In the data, Iceland has killed 184 whales, while Japan has killed 467, and Norway – a whopping 660!
Image via Animal Welfare Institute
Today, the Norwegian government funds whaling-related projects such as developing commercial products like dietary supplements and skin cream derived from whale oil.
"*We were stunned that a Norwegian whaling company is actively selling health and beauty products manufactured from whale oil. This is not the 1800s.* **It is incomprehensible that such a modern nation produces skin creams sourced from an inherently cruel industry**," said Susan Millward, AWI executive director.
Image via Citizendium
Image via The Petition Site
Petitions appeared online asking the Norwegian government to stop the whaling
One of the petitions was posted on [Change.org] (https://www.change.org/p/norway-has-to-stop-whaling/u/2436980) asking the government to stop the whaling. The petitioner posted a message she received from a fishing-minister in Norway, saying this:
Image via Change.org
Here's what YOU can do:
1. Sign PETA UK's petition, [Stop Norway From Hunting and Killing 1,286 Minke Whales](http://action.peta.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=5&ea.campaign.id=6523), and join them in their efforts to stop the whaling in Norway.
2. Check out [LAMAVE](http://www.lamave.org)'s campaign, "[Their Future Our Future] (http://says.com/ph/news/powertoprotectph-their-future-our-future-campaign-releases-a-docu-about-whale-sharks)", and see how you can [get involved] (http://www.lamave.org/get-involved/volunteer/).
3. To know more about the whaling in Norway, Japan and Iceland, do some research (yes, please!) and if you don't have a lot of time, visit the website [Stop the Whaling] (http://www.stopthewhaling.com/contact-us.html).
