Obama waives sanctions on Iceland whaling

[Submariner]

US President Barack Obama decided Thursday not to impose trade sanctions against Iceland, despite saying that its whale hunts were undermining international efforts to preserve the ocean giants.

Obama chose to order the State Department and Commerce Department to keep Iceland's whaling activities under review and to urge the government in Reykjavik to halt the practice.

"Iceland's actions threaten the conservation status of an endangered species and undermine multilateral efforts to ensure greater worldwide protection for whales," said Obama in a message to Congress.

"Iceland's increased commercial whaling and recent trade in whale products diminish the effectiveness of the (International Whaling Commission) conservation program."

After a pressure campaign by environmentalists, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke earlier this year certified Iceland under a domestic law that allows retaliation against nations that flout the IWC moratorium.

But Obama said in the message that "I am not directing the Secretary of the Treasury to impose trade measures on Icelandic products for the whaling activities that led to the certification by the Secretary of Commerce."

snip >

My president never seems to disappoint.
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-waives-sanctions-iceland-whaling-210322293.html

[Demoiselle]

1. Whales are killed for money.

How can an official tsk tsk and a shaking of the finger stop the killing? Sanctions seem to me to be the only answer. Hit em in the wallet.
Damn!!!

[The Doctor.]

2. K+R

Curious though. How much revenue does Iceland get from US trade?


Oh, and I think there's a statute against mentioning Iceland without also mentioning Björk.

[DirkGently]

3. Not even surprising at this point, unfortunately.

[catgirl]

4. Boycott Iceland

Iceland relies on tourists.

[Submariner]

5. If there is a bright side to the Japan earthquake-tsunami

it is that it shut down Iceland's whaling industry, because the Japanese whale wholesaler facilities were completely destroyed. Let's hope it stays destroyed, forever if possible.

Japan Crisis Disrupts Iceland’s Fin Whaling

Fin whaling will not commence as planned this summer because of the condition of the Japanese market—the main market for Icelandic fin whale meat—after the country was hit by massive earthquakes and a tsunami in March.

Kristján Loftsson, managing director of whaling company Hvalur hf., told Morgunbladid the situation will be reviewed in late summer or fall. Loftsson has just returned from Japan where he familiarized himself with the post-crisis situation there.

The Japanese are not only struggling with the aftermath of the earthquakes and tsunami, which claimed thousands of victims and made approximately 500,000 people homeless, but also the risk of serious radioactivity from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

snip >

http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Japan_Crisis_Disrupts_Iceland%E2%80%99s_Fin_Whaling_0_377623.news.aspx

[Nihil]

6. Pathetic but consistent (again)

The US doesn't do shit about Japan's whaling or Norway's whaling either
so it would be obvious bullying to take it up with the smallest country
of the three.

Still, as Submariner pointed out below, there are other aspects active
that have far more impact on the safety of the whales (but sadly these
are only short term and the situation will "recover" to the detriment
of the whales).

[RiverStone]

7. Sadly, Obama is not an environmentally minded Prez

Better on social issues and hopefully job creation, but add this to the list on NON earth friendly decisions. If he approves the Tar Sands pipeline, it could cost him a huge amount amount of votes (including mine). I'd still work like hell to elect Dems locally and at a state level....

Save the Whales - but don't look to the USA to help stop it! :(

[hatrack]

8. Waiting for Keystone . . . .

And I'm not expecting to be surprised by the decision, either.