Politiken och valfläsket

Söktermen 'whaling petition' ger 112 000 träffar på Google - bland annat vill Greenpeace göra 40 procent av världshaven fiskefria och förbjuda bottentrålning för att inte riskera utfiskning.

Grundbekymret är dock uppenbart allmänningens tragedi och märkliga subventioner, vilket bland andra Isobel Hadley-Kamptz skrivit en rapport om. Senaste nyheten på temat från Science Daily:

In Norway, for example, the government since 1992 has spent more than US$4.9 million on public information, public relations, and lobbying campaigns to garner support for its whaling and seal hunting industries, according to the report. In addition, government subsidies for the whaling industry have equaled almost half of the gross value of all whale meat landings made through the Rafisklaget, the Norwegian Fishermen's Sales Organisation.

The report notes similar use of taxpayer funds by Japan. During the 2008-09 season, the Japanese whaling industry, for example, needed US$12 million in taxpayer money just to break even. Overall, Japanese subsidies for whaling amount to US$164 million since 1988.