Iceland to Resume Commercial Whaling

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-eur/2006/oct/17/101703713.html

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) - Iceland said Tuesday it would resume commercial whaling after a nearly two-decade moratorium, defying a worldwide ban on hunting the mammals for their meat.

Fisheries Minister Einar Kristinn Gudfinnsson told Iceland's parliament that his ministry would begin issuing licenses to hunt fin and minke whales. He said the ministry would permit the hunting of nine fin whales and 30 minke whales in the year ending Aug. 31, 2007.

The government said licenses could be issued as soon as Wednesday, and that ships could resume commercial whaling as early as this week.

At this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission in June, Iceland and a group of pro-whaling nations including Japan and Norway narrowly passed a symbolic resolution to support ending a nearly 20-year-old ban on commercial hunts.

<more>

[Spinzonner]

1. Time to license someone to hunt whalers ?

[Nihil]

2. Sounds good to me! (n/t)