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### Viewing cable 08REYKJAVIK105, ICELAND RESUMES COMMERCIAL WHALING AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08REYKJAVIK105 | 2008-06-10 11:48 | 2011-01-13 05:37 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Reykjavik

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    VZCZCXRO5370
    RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
    RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
    DE RUEHRK #0105/01 1621148
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    R 101148Z JUN 08
    FM AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3675
    INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
    RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
    RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0030

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 REYKJAVIK 000105

    STATE FOR OES/OA JOHN FIELD AND EUR/NB
    USDOC FOR NMFS CHERI MCCARTY
    TOKYO FOR BART COBBS
    COPENHAGEN FOR ESTH HUB

    SENSITIVE

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: SENV EFIS KSCA PREL IWC ETRD IC
    SUBJECT: ICELAND RESUMES COMMERCIAL WHALING AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE
    IN FIN WHALE MEAT

    REFS: A) Reykjavik 57 B) 06 Reykjavik 388

    ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On May 19, the Icelandic Minister of Fisheries
    Einar Gudfinsson (Independence Party) quietly issued a quota for
    commercially hunting 40 minke whales for the domestic market.  The
    Icelandic Foreign Minister, along with the other ministers from the
    coalition Social Democratic party, publicly responded that they did
    not agree with the quota.  Further, although they acknowledged the
    decision was within Gudfinsson's power, the Social Democratic
    ministers felt the quota sacrificed greater interests for lesser
    ones.  On June 2, the Icelandic media reported that 60 tons of fin
    whale meat (from the seven whales caught in fall 2006) had been sent
    to Japan.  The local environmental NGO believes the export was not a
    commercial deal but a political ploy to pressure the government for
    more fin whale quota.   Gudfinsson said opponents of whaling would
    have to admit whaling is justified now that a market has been
    established and he did not preclude the issuance of more quotas.
    End Summary.

    ¶2.  (U) On May 19, the Head of the International Office at the
    Ministry of Fisheries and Iceland's Commissioner to the
    International Whale Commission (IWC) Stefan Asmundsson telephoned
    Econoff to say that Minister of Fisheries Einar Gudfinsson would
    quietly issue a quota for 40 minke whales to satisfy the domestic
    market for whale meat.  Asmundsson said that this quota was based on
    the Marine Research Institute's 2007 recommendation that 400 minke
    whales could be harvested without impact on the stock.  By the end
    of the day, Foreign Minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, who is
    not in Gudfinsson's Independence Party, but rather the coalition
    Social Democratic Alliance (SDA) party, posted a response on the SDA
    website.  It said that the six SDA ministers (out of the twelve in
    the Cabinet) opposed Gudfinsson's decision and, in what appeared to
    be a veiled reference to Iceland's United Nations Security Council
    bid, argued that it sacrificed long term gains for short ones.

    ¶3.  (U) Two weeks later, on June 2, the Icelandic media reported
    that whaling firm Hvalur hf. had exported 60 tons of Icelandic fin
    whale meat to Japan.  This meat came from the seven fins hunted in
    fall 2006 when commercial whaling was restarted and was presumably
    kept in cold storage since.  Gudfinnsson, in comments to the media,
    noted that whaling opponents had always argued that there was no
    reason to hunt whales because the products would not sell; now those
    parties would have to admit whaling is justified as a market has
    been established.  He added that he did not preclude the issuance of
    more quotas.  In response, Gisladottir said it was pointless to say
    anything specific about the sale and referenced her earlier
    statement regarding the minke quota.

    ¶4.  (SBU) The IWC Commissioner Asmundsson told Econoff on June 6
    that this was a legal trade and purely a private commercial deal
    with which the Ministry had no involvement.  He said that even if
    the Ministry knew of the trade beforehand "it would not have been
    proper to reveal that the export permits had been applied for."
    Asmundsson said that when Iceland decided to resume commercial
    whaling in October 2006, the ability to trade internationally in
    whale products was resumed at the same time.  Iceland has a
    reservation against fin whales being listed on CITES Appendix 1, and
    post attempted to get copies of the CITES certificates for export.
    After several offices denied that they had responsibility for such a
    certificate, we located copies of the certificates at the
    Directorate of Fisheries within the Ministry of Fisheries.  These
    certificates were filed in mid-May.

    ¶5.  (SBU) On June 7, the owner of Hvalur hf., and only fin whale
    hunter in Iceland, Kristjan Loftsson told the Icelandic State media
    that he had not received the necessary permits from Japanese
    authorities to sell the meat, but that the meat was already in
    Japan.  Loftsson said nothing was unusual and that customs and
    importation procedures take time.  The local environmental NGO
    Iceland Nature Conservation Association (INCA) told Econoff that the
    company that received the shipment in Japan was "resurrected" by the
    wealthy Loftsson just for this deal.  INCA believes this transaction
    was not a commercial deal but rather a political ploy by Loftsson to
    put pressure on the Icelandic government to issue Loftsson a further
    quota.

    ¶6.  (U) As of June 9, five of the 40 minke whales covered by the new
    quota have been killed and fresh whale meat is available in
    Icelandic grocery stores.  No new whaling quotas have been issued
    beyond the minke quota.  According to Asmundsson, the 2006 quota for
    nine fin whales, of which seven were caught, has expired.
    Asmundsson would not tell Econoff whether there was a petition for a
    new quota for fin whales.

    REYKJAVIK 00000105  002 OF 002

    ¶7.  (SBU) Comment: The opposition to the minke quota by half of the
    Cabinet was a different response from when commercial whaling was
    restarted in fall 2006.  The Social Democratic Alliance, then in
    opposition, publicly defended Iceland's right to whale and only
    expressed reservations about possible reactions from Iceland's
    friends.  Today, SDA's criticism of a fellow Cabinet minister
    indicates that there is concern with international reaction to
    whaling and its effect on Iceland's UN Security Council bid. Whether
    new commercial quotas will be issued for fin whales or more minkes
    will undoubtedly be determined by the level of international
    reaction to recent events and whether an export market has been
    truly established in Japan.

    VAN VOORST

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