Norway Whaling Condemned

[The.Greenbase@gb.greenpeace.org]

>> GREENPEACE CONDEMNS NORWEGIAN WHALE HUNT STARTING TODAY


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                    GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>> GREENPEACE CONDEMNS NORWEGIAN WHALE HUNT STARTING TODAY

OSLO, 2 May 1995 (GP) Greenpeace condemned as "arrogant"
Norway's decision to start hunting whales today. Last week Norway
admitted that the minke whale population figure it had so
strongly
defended since 1992 was wrong.

Norwegian whaling vessels are expected to start their commercial
whale hunt today -- about two months earlier than last year,
despite protests from the international community.

The new Norwegian count of minke whales in the North East
Atlantic, is down from 86,700 to 69,000, led Norway to reduce its
commercial quota by one quarter, from 301 to 232, but Greenpeace
Norway's Katrin Brubakk said the quota should have been cut
altogether.

"It is the height of arrogance for Norway to think that its so-
called scientific calculations have any credibility at all," said
Ms Brubakk.

"Today Norway doesn't know how many whales are in the North East
Atlantic -- and it never has. Now the Norwegian scientists have
conjured a magical new figure out of nowhere and expects the
world to think that is justification for continuing the hunt,"
said Ms Brubakk.

A scientific meeting convened by the International Whaling
Commission in January found that Norway's old  estimate of 86,700
was flawed due to three errors in the computer software used to
calculate the estimate. Correction of these  errors would give a
lower figure than 69,600. No one knows what  the new method of
calculation is but it comes from the same  Norwegian scientists
who got the incorrect figure of 86,700 in  the first place.
"By revising this figure, Norway has cancelled roughly 1/4 of the
1995 hunt," said Brubakk. "They should cancel the remaining 3/4
as well and agree to abide by the decision of the IWC to halt
this hunt."

ENDS

For information: Katrin Brubakk, Greenpeace Norway 47 22 205 101