Investigation Reveals Greenland is in Violation of Whaling Exceptions- Report Unveils Actual Costs of Australia’s Proposed Marine Reserve
- Manatee Calves Refuse to Leave Their Dead Mother in Tropical Storm Debbie
Investigation Reveals Greenland is in Violation of Whaling Exceptions
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) has uncovered Greenland in violation of the exceptions provided to them under the international moratorium on commercial whaling. A few countries have been granted exceptions to the ban for the purposes of science (Japan), or subsistence hunting (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, et al). Greenland is a Danish territory, and the requirements for whale meat Denmark claims to need to feed its peoples is 670 tons per year. However, an undercover investigation revealed that an astonishing 24 out of 31 restaurants had whale meat on their menus, including endangered fin whale, and that markets were openly selling whale meat for tourists to purchase. Curiously, the Danish government intends to ask the International Whaling Commission (IWC) at its annual meeting in July to increase their catch limits in order to meet the nutritional needs of its people. Statistics compiled from the investigation show that the native-born population of Greenland has grown 9.9 percent in the last 24 years, yet Greenland’s quota requests over the same period of time have increased by 89 percent. Another key statistic showed that the number of licensed subsistence hunters in Greenland has fallen 49 percent between 1993 and 2010. WDCS hopes that the IWC will review these findings and not only reject the quota increase, but reevaluate the allowance Greenland is getting currently. Tourists visiting from the UK, EU, or US should be aware that exporting whale meat back to your home country is illegal, and could result in a prison sentence.
Report Unveils Actual Costs of Australia’s Proposed Marine Reserve
Following an uproar from the Australian Marine Alliance (AMA) over the proposed creation of an extensive marine park network to protect Australia’s fragile reefs, a federal organization has released a report of what the actual costs will be, which dispute the AMA’s claims. The AMA, which represents local recreational and commercial fishermen, insists that the marine parks will result in the loss of 70 trawling businesses, 36,000 jobs, and $4 billion in revenues. However, the federal report shows that only 125 jobs would be lost, costing the fisheries industry a nominal $28.3 million. In addition, the proposal requires the federal government to offer a buy-out of $100 million to commercial fishing operators to ease the blow of the possible ban. A national opinion poll showed that public approval of the marine parks was a soaring 70 percent, while opposition came in at just 13 percent.
Manatee Calves Refuse to Leave Their Dead Mother in Tropical Storm Debbie
Two young manatee calves were spotted being thrashed about in rough water conditions in Tampa, Florida, desperately clinging to their mother, who had perished at some point before. The strong surf kept smashing the mother and her young against a seawall, with water conditions so rough that rescue workers were unable to reach the two babies. Finally, it was decided that the mother’s body should be tied in place so that the calves did not ride the tide out with her. The next morning, rescuers determined the calves could survive on their own, and placed them back in Tampa Bay. Here’s what these poor babies went through:
So sad!
It seems that they should be nominated for a Darwin award.
Gee, thanks for that depressing bit of news…