Dialogue

May 2000; the Norwegian whaling season is about to start, and the Greenpeace vessel MV Stockholm is beginning a 30-day tour of the Norwegian coast - a tour which will take it right into the very heartland of Norway's whaling industry.

Over the years, Greenpeace's opposition to commercial whaling has produced violent reactions from sections of Norway's fishing community who regard whaling as part of their culture and way of life. But a new initiative spearheaded by Greenpeace's Norwegian campaigner Frode Pleym is taking the campaign to a different level, and instead of provoking conflict is encouraging dialogue. The strategy? Having a chat and sharing a coffee.

During the 2000 tour, the MV Stockholm and its crew visited over 15 harbour towns. Sailing boldly into these potentially hostile waters, Greenpeace's activists met with Norwegian whalers, the public and politicians to discuss why Greenpeace is opposed to commercial whaling.

Frode takes up the story...

"Commercial whaling encourages the same unregulated whaling and illegal trade that pushes so many whale species to the brink of extinction during the 20th century. We aim to generate a calm, rational debate about why it should end.

But the hardest thing is, all day and everyday, meeting people and working to get the message across. When we meet the whalers face to face something interesting happens. They see the human face of Greenpeace people.

There are guys threatening to beat us up, but after a few cups of coffee and a chat, people may not always agree with our stance, but we are able to discuss it. And being able to discuss is the first step to getting a person to agree with you.

Before we are able to change whaling policy in Norway, we must first change opinion in communities. Factory fishing fleets, with their large boats, are very hard on fisheries resources, and are in competition with coastal fishermen. This has a much more serious impact on coastal communities than discontinuing whaling.

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