Consumers
In many coastal northern places, people began eating marine mammals because they did not have many other choices for food. The right to have enough food and be food secure is a well-established international human right that many countries support [1]. Food security means being able to feed yourself with dignity. It is not just about having enough food, but also having the kind of food you like to eat. This shows that personal food preferences are important when we talk about food security.
Only a small percentage of Icelanders say they eat whale meat regularly [4]. Instead, it is the roughly 2 million tourists that visit the country each year that are the biggest eaters of whale meat, saying they believe it is an Icelandic specialty they need to try [5]. Sales of whale meat have increased recently, especially as more tourists from the US visited, even though eating marine mammals is highly controversial in the US [6]. Many tourists would go on a whale-watching tour, and ask where they could eat them after. This is not just happening in Iceland; it is also seen in Norway and Greenland. Many consumers see eating wild, free-roaming animals as more respectful and sustainable than industrial farming.
Discuss
Does the matrix reflect each stakeholder‘s interest and influence in marine mammal management decisions? Move each stakeholder to a position in the graph based on what you think their level of interest and ability to influence decisions is.
References
[1] Robards, M. D., & Reeves, R. R. (2011). The global extent and character of marine mammal consumption by humans: 1970–2009. Biological Conservation, 144(12), 2770-2786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2011.07.034
[2] Attitudes to Whaling: Norway 2019. A survey commissioned on behalf of: Animal Welfare Institute, Cetacean Society International, Humane Society International, NOAH: For Dyrs Rettigheter, OceanCare, Pro Wildlife, and WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. https://uk.whales.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/10/norway-whaling-whalemeat-attitudes-survey-2019.pdf
[3] Egeland, G. M., Pacey, A., Cao, Z. & Sobol, I. (2010). Food Insecurity among Inuit preschoolers: Nunavut Inuit Child Health Survey, 2007-2008. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 182(3): 243-248. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.091297
[4] Young-Powell, A. (2022, March 28). ‘Meet us, don’t eat us’: Iceland turns from whale eaters to whale watchers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/28/meet-us-dont-eat-us-how-iceland-is-turning-tourists-from-whale-eaters-to-whale-watchers
[5] NAMMCO 2017. Marine Mammals: A multifaceted Resource. (Revised version from August 2021). https://nammco.no/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/marine-mammals-a-multifaceted-resource_rev0821.pdf
Did you know that....
- It is estimated that people in 114 countries (out of 195 worldwide) have eaten marine mammals between 1990-2009 [2].
- 4% of Norwegians eat whale meat often. This percentage is higher in the North [3].
- Meat from the pilot whale drive hunts in the Faroe Islands is shared freely among the communities.























































































































