Faroe islanders told to stop eating 'toxic' whales

[Robbien]

Source: New Scientist

. . .

The remote Atlantic islands, situated between Scotland and Iceland, have been one of the last strongholds of traditional whaling, with thousands of small pilot whales killed every year, and eaten by most Faroese.

Anti-whaling groups have long protested, but the Faroese argued that whaling is part of their culture - an argument adopted by large-scale whalers in Japan and Norway.

But today in a statement to the islanders, chief medical officers Pál Weihe and Høgni Debes Joensen announced that pilot whale meat and blubber contains too much mercury, PCBs and DDT derivatives to be safe for human consumption.

. . .

The medical officers note that it wasn't the Faroese who created the pollution. But "these results have already led to tightened restrictions on pollution worldwide. We must therefore also ourselves acknowledge the consequences.



Read more: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16159-faroe-islanders-told-to-stop-eating-toxic-whales.html

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[msongs]

1. whales get their revenge - it's "part of their culture" too nt

[ohio2007]

2. Maybe the Japanese could send research vessels to find out just how toxic these whales are nt

[Oerdin]

3. Honestly...

Many whale populations are large enough to sustain limited hunting. The only problem with whale meat is the mercury which accumulates in them just like it does in all living things near the top of the ocean food chain. Virtually all of this mercury originates from human sources with the single largest source being coal emissions. Even at current levels you can safely eat whale meat just like you can safely eat tuna or shark meat though you shouldn't eat it all the time.

[Trillo]

4. The ocean now contains so many PCBs and DDT derivatives,

it's no longer safe for whales and other ocean dwellers.

[leftchick]

5. divine justice

perhaps at least now people will leave these poor creatures alone.

:(