Wednesday August 26, 2009, 12:48 pm
Norway's whale catches are set to fall to the lowest in more than a decade in 2009, a decline blamed by the industry on financial problems and by environmentalists on dwindling demand for the meat.

"The total number of whales ... caught so far is 481. We expect to catch three to four more," Svein Ove Haugland, deputy director of the Norwegian Fishermen's Sales Organisation which handles the meat, told Reuters on Wednesday.

A final catch of 485 minke whales in the summertime season that ends on August 31 would make 2009 the first year with a catch below 500 since 2000, when 487 were harpooned, and the lowest since 388 in 1996.

The haul of minke whales, which Oslo says are plentiful in the North Atlantic, is far below this year's quota of 885. Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993 despite a ban by the International Whaling Commission.

Haugland said that financial problems for industrial processing plants, which led to a brief suspension of hunts in June, were a main cause of the fall.

"The bottleneck is the whaling industry and the distribution system. That is the main issue. Demand for whale meat is comparable to what we've had in recent years," Haugland said.

But environmental group Greenpeace said ever fewer Norwegians eat whale meat.
"The Norwegian market for whale meat is in decline, as elsewhere on the planet," said Truls Gulowsen of Greenpeace. "The Norwegian government should phase out whaling."

In 2004, parliament voted to raise quotas "considerably" - whalers took that to mean a return to an average of 1,800 whales caught in the 1960s-70s. Since 1993, however, the peak year for whale catches was 647 in 2003.

In a supermarket in central Oslo, there is no sign that a relative shortage of whale meat has driven up prices.

Frozen whale meat is on sale for 130 Norwegian crowns a kilo, comparable to prices for frozen salmon or cod and far cheaper than beef or reindeer.

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 4:37 pm
One whale caught..is one too many..
Thanks Claudia..

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 4:42 pm
I'll second that Dee!

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 4:44 pm
Leave these wonderful creatures ALONE! Thank you Claudia.

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 4:49 pm
Thanks Claudia and yes, absolutely Dee and Margaret...I'm with you.

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 5:40 pm
noted and signed. thank you, God bless you Claudia!

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 5:48 pm
Thanks all of the above, one whale is one whale too many.

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 6:00 pm
Nowegians are now not eating Whale meat. This is a good thing. Thanks Claudia

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 6:15 pm
Claudia this is I guess I could say a well done situation. Although I don't want to be negative but I must say I wish they would just leave these beauties along. We are in there waters there home; who are people to think it is ok to take the lives of others. If those lives were the 2 legged otherwise human they would be imprisoned for murder. I understand that the killings have gone on for a number of years, but isn't it time to end this barbaric death sentence of our wonderful fined friends?

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 7:39 pm
Agreed...just one Whale is one to many...

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 7:40 pm
OOPS forgot to tell you...Claudia, thank you -- you are a Captain Watson to Care2!!!!

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 10:12 pm
O yes, I agree with Marilyn, Claudia is an ocean hero!

Wednesday August 26, 2009, 10:53 pm
TY, Claudia!!! Fewer Norwegians eating whales is good... They should stop completelly so the whalers will have to put whales' meat in the @$$

Thursday August 27, 2009, 1:38 am
thanks claudia one whale is one too many but one less whale is one saved

Thursday August 27, 2009, 2:37 am
It's good to know that the number of whales KILLED for GREED has fallen.This bloody game should end once and for all.I urge everyone not to purches any Norwiegen goods or products.I always have a close look at what I buy and if it comes froma whaling nation I leave it on the shelf as I also do with Canadian goods.I won't even buy a Japanese computer and I certainly would not buy a Japanese made car.These whaling and seal killing pariahs deserve our condemnation.

Thursday August 27, 2009, 3:55 am
I agree with Dee. Great comment. Thanks Claudia.

Thursday August 27, 2009, 9:37 am
Whale hunters should NOW start taking us Whale Lovers seriouse!

Thursday August 27, 2009, 11:33 am
Great one less is always a blessing... lets hope the trend continues

Thursday August 27, 2009, 12:55 pm
Let's keep this trend going and make whaleing a distant memory.
Tx Claudia xx

Thursday August 27, 2009, 1:33 pm
I suppose it is not just that fewer people want to be poisoned by the toxic whale meat (whale revenge?) but that it is probably harder to find the whales to catch in the first place!

When will the whaling countries realise that to save man we need to save the seas!!

Many thanks Claudia, nice to hear that the catch is down and that the people are eating less.

Friday August 28, 2009, 1:23 pm
Finally got to this site,before I got shut down...this is just horrid...can people get a LIFE and eat something besides these beautiful creatures???

After watching Whale Wars, I am truly appalled at what is going on and toally hurt and in shock, cried my eyes out last night, can't watch it anymore, love that Captain Watson, but this is so TOTALLY WRONG AND SICK, I AM SOBBING AS I AM WRITING THIS AND WILL GET OFF THIS, BUT THIS HAS TO END GUYS, WE ARE DISTROYING EVERYTHING THAT WAS GIVEN TO US THAT IS TRULY SPECIAL!!!

These creatures are a true GIFT and when MANKIND take such horrific advantage of this it hurts me...and frankly, it will be the end of MANKIND...you want to eat this creature...you will have this creature no longer (it was a gift and you distroyed it), now you can eat just sand in the desert, because that is truly what you are going to get and what you deserve!!!

Just my Opinion.....Noted with total sadness and can't say what I want!!!!!

Friday August 28, 2009, 3:41 pm
Leave them whales alone, Norway!

Hoping whales and dolphins (which are actually a small type of whale) will be left in peace in the oceans one day soon.

Sunday August 30, 2009, 8:28 am
I feel simultaneously happy and so sad... happy that the carnage has been reduced, but oh so sad for those nearly 500 whales that lost their lives.

Tuesday September 1, 2009, 8:58 am
Awesome, thanks Claudia!

Wednesday October 14, 2009, 8:26 am
GOOD hope the murders go bankrupt from whaling.

it is against the whaling laws to whale yet countries still do it and advertize thier catches and nothing is done about it.

These monsterous criminals need to be proscuted for whaling. what happened to crimnals being punished for disobeying laws?

BARBARIANS, MONSTERS, GREEDY LOW LIFE LIVES