martin hickman LONDON, 5 SEPT: The last chance to save one of the most majestic fish in the sea is on the verge of collapse because of political jockeying in Europe. A proposal to ban the sale of bluefin tuna is being fiercely opposed by Malta, the capital of the lucrative global business, and by its representative in Brussels, the fisheries commissioner, Mr Joe Borg. Spain and Italy are also believed to be resisting the move, which would end exports to Japan for sushi. Conservationists fear...
Showing posts with label fishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fishing. Show all posts
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Whale-watching 'worth billions' Tuesday, 23 June
Whale watching generates far more money than whale hunting, according to a report released at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting here.
Worldwide, the industry now generates about $2.1bn per year, it says.
The group commissioning the report, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw), says whaling countries would gain from a switch to whale watching.
However, Iceland's delegate here said the two industries were compatible and could grow together.
Iceland recently announced a major expansion of its fin whale hunt and plans to take 150 of the animals this year, along with up to 100 minke whales.
"As governments sit here [at the IWC] debating what to do about whaling, their people are showing the way," said Patrick Ramage, director of Ifaw's whale programme.
"Whale watching is clearly more environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial than hunting, and whales are worth far more alive than dead," he told BBC News.
The report follows on the heels of an analysis commissioned by another organisation opposed to whaling, WWF, which suggested that the Japanese and Norwegian hunts were a net cost to their governments.
Double digit
The Ifaw-commissioned report, compiled by the Australian organisation Economists at Large, found that income from whale watching had doubled over the last decade, with the fastest growth seen in Asia.
Read more at ….http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8114353.stm
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