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7 May 2002
Export of Norwegian whale blubber
a threat to human health
 Research
reveals that whale blubber stored in Norway awaiting export to Japan
is unfit for human consumption. The samples of whale blubber studied
by independent scientists in Germany are contaminated with various
halogenated-organic contaminants such as PCBs, DDT and brominated
flame retardants.
Japan and Norway have been discussing a resumption in whale trade
following Norway's decision in January 2001 to lift its ban on whale
exports. The decision was made despite the fact that this is in
contradiction to the ban imposed by the Convention on the International
Trade in Endangered Species on the trade of whale products.
The Fisheries Agency of Japan applied to the Trade Ministry for
permission to import whale meat from Norway, but as yet no shipments
have been made. Norway's decision to begin exporting whale meat
and blubber to Japan has been fuelled by the desire of the Norwegian
whalers to profit from the high prices paid for whale products on
the luxury food market in Japan.
Thilo Maack, Greenpeace oceans campaigner, says it would be irresponsible
of the Norwegian government to export whale blubber to Japan and
irresponsible of the Japanese government to sell it for eating.
"It is unfit for human consumption and should be disposed of
safely. If someone ate a piece of whale blubber the size of my thumb,
they would be dosing themselves many times over the advisory limits
of some of the most toxic compounds known to humans."
Norwegian traders have stockpiled 1000 metric tonnes of whale blubber
in cold storage waiting for export. Last year, the Japanese government
had to put two hundred metric tonnes of unsold whale meat and blubber
in storage due to the declining market for whale products in Japan.
The report confirms the fears of environmentalists and Japanese
consumer groups that whale products are unfit for eating.
The presence of such toxic chemicals in whale blubber shows the
extent to which our oceans are contaminated and underlines how vital
it is that whales are protected from hunting and that the current
international ban on trade remains intact. The status of the minke
whales hunted by Norway is uncertain and these results show that
whales are vulnerable to not only commercial whaling activities
but also to wider environmental threats.
 The
complete report Evaluation of Contaminats
in Meat and Blubber of Minke Whales is available for download
as a pdf.
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