08/29/2006 09:37:44 AM

Creative accounting: Greenland claims to reduce narwhal quotas but increases them instead.

The Greenland Home Rule Government, while claiming to be “gradually reducing” its unsustainable narwhal and beluga hunts, has announced preliminary quotas for 2006/7 that ignore the urgent advice of experts to immediately reduce over-hunting of these dramatically declining stocks, and reward illegal catches.

Despite the advice of experts to limit the annual narwhal quota to 135 with zero catches in Melville Bay, a quota of 285 narwhals has been provisionally set for West Greenland in 2006/7 including 100 in Melville Bay. In the two years in which quotas have been set, removals have exceeded catch limits by 106 animals. In 2005, rather than punishing hunters for 2004’s excesses, violations were covered up by adding extra animals to the next quota. Although 68 narwhals illegally hunted last year will be deducted from this year’s quota, bringing it down to 217, Greenland cannot legitimately claim that removals are falling; only that quotas are!

Interested parties, including hunters and conservationists, now have an opportunity to comment on the provisional figures. WDCS will be expressing concern to the authorities that Greenland is playing with numbers to deflect international criticism, and to keep its hunters happy. Earlier this summer, Greenland banned the export of narwhal products in response to the concerns of its own scientists that trade was unsustainable. WDCS hoped that the authorities would match this trade ban with lower hunting quotas and is disappointed at their failure to do so. Instead, unsustainable numbers of narwhals will continue to be hunted during the trade ban and their ivory simply stockpiled for later export.

A total of 160 belugas may be hunted in West Greenland including 20 in Qaanaaq (Thule). This is sixty more than the number recommended. Although the Home Rule government of Greenland is responsible for setting its own quotas for narwhal and belugas, Denmark is responsible for this territory’s management of its large whale hunts, and for its representation at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Last year, Denmark voted in favour of commercial whaling at the IWC meeting, elevating the wishes of Greenland over those of Danish citizens.

Source: WDCS