As a Symbol Swims, a Debate Rages

Norway’s government allowed its fishermen to resume commercial whale hunts in 1993, ending its reluctant observance of a non-binding moratorium imposed by the International Whaling Commission in 1986.

Whales are a symbol for both sides: For the government, it is a matter of principle in being able to use Norway’s natural resources. For critics of the hunt, whales are an emblem for the campaign against abuse of the environment.

When the hunt for minke whales resumed, Norway said there were enough minke off its coast to sustain a limited harvest.

But four days before this year’s season opened on May 2, the government conceded it had been wrong about the numbers. It cut its population estimate by more than 20%, to 69,600 minke, and reduced the whalers’ quotas from 301 whales to 232.

That bolstered the argument of the environmentalist group Greenpeace, the whaling commission and others that Norway is hunting minke whales without really knowing how many are off its coast.

Because of the uncertainty, the commission, Greenpeace and even some domestic environmental groups that previously supported the hunt urged Norway to stop.

Norway said it would begin a new study this month to get more precise data on the number of minke whales. But it argues there are still enough minke whales to allow the hunt and says the whale population must be controlled to protect fish stocks.

In the 1970s, Norway annually killed about 1,800 minke--the smallest of the baleen whales at about 30 feet. The hunt tapered off in the 1980s, until Norway grudgingly called off the hunt in 1987 due to international pressure.

Whales emerged as an environmental symbol after Norway’s seagoing fleet of factory ships helped nearly wipe out some species of whales. A few types are still depleted despite decades of protection. For example, there are only an estimated 2,500 fin whales and far fewer blues whale left.

Norway agrees many whale varieties need protection. But it says minke whales are plentiful and not in danger of extinction.

Some Norwegians wonder whether the fight is worth it. The government spent $2.5 million last year on an international campaign to win support for the hunt--more than Norwegian whalers made from selling whale meat.