Wailing About Whaling

Back in 1972, I visited a whaling station. I was on holiday touring Europe, and we had an interesting stopover in Iceland for a few days which was included in the tour.

Iceland is an incredibly beautiful country! I remember the starkness of the landscape, the lack of trees, and the geysers, but what really stands out in my mind was that visit to the whaling station. I cannot remember what species of whales they had killed. They had two, one in the process of being cut up and one waiting its turn. My heart broke for those huge, beautiful creatures now lying there lifeless. I have a vivid picture locked in my mind of the whale's baleen swinging back and forth slightly from the movement of being hauled up the ramp to the processing station.

Now, after a 17-year moratorium on whaling, Iceland's lawmakers have voted to resume whaling, and it is reported that already tourism is being affected. An estimated 30,000 visitors went to Iceland to see whales during the summer of 2005. I don't have any figures on the numbers in 2006. But talk about harpooning oneself in the foot.

Why kill whales again? All of the products that once were rendered from whale carcasses have been replaced by other sources. Only the Japanese and Norwegians still consume whale meat.

Big and lovable, whales are an emotional issue for many people. Just thinking how the estimated time for a whale to die after harpooning it is from two minutes to over an hour, I can hardly bear it.

Maybe, just maybe, if enough people protest this move, at least the whales can be granted the freedom to roam our seas in peace.

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