NEWS RELEASE
For release: Oman |
| NEWS RELEASE
For release: Oman |
| National Environmental Policies at Odds with Public Opinion |
| National policy on whaling in a number of countries appears to be based
on erroneous information, according to a recent public opinion poll. This
finding, which has policy implications for the United Kingdom, Australia
and France, is being announced just prior to the 50th anniversary of the
International Whaling Commission (IWC), whose annual meeting is being held
in Muscat, Oman, May 16 through 20. This survey revealed that a majority
of the persons interviewed would support a resumption of harvest of non-endangered
Minke whales if they were to be used for human food. Figures were:
54% of Australians, 63% of French, and 60% of UK citizens would support
use of Minke whales for food and cultural reasons.
The survey, done by Responsive Management, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, is entitled "Opinions of Minke Whale Harvest among Residents of Australia, France, and the United Kingdom with Comparisons to Residents of the United States." It was conducted for Henke & Associates, Ltd., an environmental conservation consulting firm, as a follow-up to a similar one done in the United States, where 71% of the people surveyed also indicated they would support resumption of whaling under the same guidelines. The survey studied the level of knowledge citizens of the above countries have regarding whales and their opinions on whale harvest. It was conducted in order to determine if the national positions of the countries surveyed correspond to the opinions of their citizens. The survey results revealed the following: * In each country, a significant number of people have no opinion one
way or the other on whaling issues although a majority supports whaling
under certain conditions.
Janice Henke, President of Henke and Associates, Ltd. noted that for
years a number of "Like Minded" nations have developed goals contradicting
not only the international treaty all have signed (the
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling) but also the conservative
scientific findings and recommendations of the Scientific Committee of
the IWC. According to the treaty, all IWC decisions are to be based
on sound science. Recently, however, the anti-whaling positions
of the above member nations have allegedly been based on assumptions by
leadership of public opinion. The series of surveys was done to test
the validity of these assumptions. Based on the survey results, it appears
the national policy in each country is at odds with the views of a majority
of its citizens. Complete results of the survey will be made available
to the press at the 50th anniversary meeting of the International Whaling
Commission, in Muscat, Oman.
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