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Norwegian Whale Hunt-Faulty Science
>> IWC SCIENTISTS AGREE NORWAYS WHALE HUNT BASED ON "MISTAKE" -
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GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>> IWC SCIENTISTS AGREE NORWAYS WHALE HUNT BASED ON "MISTAKE" -
GREENPEACE DEMANDS WHALERS BE RECALLED TO PORT
IRELAND, (IWC Meeting) May 29, 1995 (GP) The Norwegian whale hunt
is based on faulty science, International Whaling Commission's
Scientific Committee said today as countries began this year's
meeting at Dublin castle.
Outside the opening of the IWC meeting about 250 Greenpeace
demonstrators protested the Norwegian whale hunt. Norway, which
justified its commercial whale hunt on the faulty population
figures, began its 1995 hunt on May 2 with a quota of 232 despite
the errors.
"It is more obvious than ever that there is no scientific basis
for Norway's whale hunt," said John Bowler of Greenpeace Ireland.
"The Norwegian government has always said that their hunt has a
firm scientific basis. Now that that basis is gone they have no
choice except to call off their whalers."
Released this morning the IWC Scientific Committee's report
rejects a NE Atlantic minke whale estimate presented by Norway in
1992. In April Norwegian scientists were forced to admit three
serious mistakes in computer programs which inflated the
population number during calculations. In their report the IWC
scientists said they were now determined to avoid their previous
mistake of prematurely accepting an abundance estimate.
"Norway never knew how many whales there are and it still
doesn't." said Bowler. "If they keep hunting with a quota based
on bogus science they will be nothing more than a nation of
pirates".
Norway's whale hunt is in defiance of the IWC's wordwide
whaling moratorium and an independent decision by the IWC to
protect the entire population due to its depleted status.
-end-
Contact: Greenpeace Communications, 44-71-833-0600