Union boss supports whale hunt

Paddy Crumlin is the Maritime Union leader and president of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). He co-signed an ITF statement leading an international call for a resumption of commercial whaling, backing a so-called 'sustainable' hunt ahead of an upcoming International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting.

The ITF, under Paddy Crumlin, has co-signed a statement supporting a resumption of commercial whaling on a 'sustainable' basis. The statement urges the IWC to adopt a mutually acceptable agreement that could include commercial quotas and take account of whale stocks using an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.

According to the ITF statement quoted in the article, a 'sustainable hunt' would involve the IWC setting mutually acceptable commercial quotas while considering whale stock levels. The reference to an 'ecosystem approach to fisheries management' means accounting for broader marine ecosystem impacts when determining those quotas, as described in the ITF’s call to the IWC.

Greenpeace criticised the union’s policy, saying it advocates controlling marine mammals to keep the marine ecosystem in equilibrium and repeats what Greenpeace described as whaling industry propaganda. Greenpeace International whales campaigner John Frizell was quoted saying blaming whales for decreasing fish catches is like blaming woodpeckers for deforestation.

The article says Paddy Crumlin did not respond to requests for comment. An ITF spokesman said the policy is reviewed every two years by the union’s Fisheries Section.

The IWC meeting referenced is the upcoming annual meeting where the ITF submitted its statement. The ITF hopes the IWC will fulfil its mandate by adopting an agreement that could include commercial whaling quotas and consider whale stocks within an ecosystem management framework.

The article reports that the Japanese government, preoccupied with the aftermath of the March 11 tsunami, had not yet said whether its whalers would return to the Antarctic. Japan’s whalers had been driven out earlier in February under conservationist pressure.

Based on the article, everyday investors might monitor the IWC annual meeting outcomes, any ITF policy reviews by its Fisheries Section, public responses from environmental groups like Greenpeace, and Japan’s decision on Antarctic whaling—all of which could influence policy debates and public sentiment around commercial whaling.