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Ocean Defenders force whalers to divest
Corporate partners in whaling "moused into submission"
03 April 2006
This does not mean an end to the so-called scientific whaling program,
but it does mean we've driven home a very important point: whaling is
bad for business.
Our campaign has put Nissui in the spotlight, a one-third shareholder in Kyodo Senpaku, which owns and operates the whaling fleet. That implicated two of the world's largest seafood companies with links to the whaling business: Gortons in the US, wholly owned by Nissui, and Sealord in New Zealand, 50 percent owned by Nissui. You took our campaign from the high seas to the high streets (or the bounding main to the main streets, if you're North American). Ocean Defenders from New Zealand to New York sent thousands of emails to these companies, calling on them to use their influence to end whaling and warning them that consumers do not support the activities of their parent company.
Globally, Ocean Defenders sent a total of 100,000 emails to Nissui-related companies.
Nissui lost seafood supply contracts in Argentina after activists placed stickers denouncing whaling on Nissui products in supermarkets and sent more than 20,000 emails.
By linking to our Gorton's information page, online activists drove information about Gorton's relation to whaling activities up into the number two slot for Google searches on "Gortons."
"This is a gorgeous example of the power of consumers in today's globalised markets," said Adele Major of the Greenpeace International web team. "We've moused them into submission."
Last week, a retreat was announced: Nissui will divest their shares in Kyodo Senpaku to "a public interest entity" and will stop canning and selling "scientific research" whales on the Japanese market. We'll get back to you when we know what that "public interest entity" is going to be, but we suspect this is code for "government subsidy program."
"While Nissui and the other share holders have taken the cowardly way out by divesting rather than ending Kyodo Senpaku's whaling, this is a victory for consumers. After only a few months of consumer protest, the fragile commercial interest in whaling has collapsed. Whaling is bad for business," said Shane Rattenbury, our expedition leader in the recent campaign in the Southern Ocean against whaling.
Whale-killing may be bad for business, but money is still at the heart of the Japanese Government's bid to bring about the return of commercial whaling. Despite the overwhelming international rejection of whaling, the government of Japan has spent billions of Yen on buying votes at the International Whaling Commission. This year the Japanese delegation believes it will be able to secure a majority of votes end the international moratorium on commercial whaling.
The question remains: what will the powerful anti-whaling governments like Australia, the UK, the US and Germany do at June's IWC meeting, will they stand by and let Japan buy the IWC?
Not if we have something to say about it. The Ocean Defenders have just forced a major corporation to divest its shares in whaling. To be a part of our next move, make sure you're signed up as an ocean defender. You'll get our insider's ezine full of information about how you can help protect the oceans, save whales, and be a part of this global force. It's all free.
Our campaign has put Nissui in the spotlight, a one-third shareholder in Kyodo Senpaku, which owns and operates the whaling fleet. That implicated two of the world's largest seafood companies with links to the whaling business: Gortons in the US, wholly owned by Nissui, and Sealord in New Zealand, 50 percent owned by Nissui. You took our campaign from the high seas to the high streets (or the bounding main to the main streets, if you're North American). Ocean Defenders from New Zealand to New York sent thousands of emails to these companies, calling on them to use their influence to end whaling and warning them that consumers do not support the activities of their parent company.
Globally, Ocean Defenders sent a total of 100,000 emails to Nissui-related companies.
Nissui lost seafood supply contracts in Argentina after activists placed stickers denouncing whaling on Nissui products in supermarkets and sent more than 20,000 emails.
By linking to our Gorton's information page, online activists drove information about Gorton's relation to whaling activities up into the number two slot for Google searches on "Gortons."
"This is a gorgeous example of the power of consumers in today's globalised markets," said Adele Major of the Greenpeace International web team. "We've moused them into submission."
Bad for business
Last week, a retreat was announced: Nissui will divest their shares in Kyodo Senpaku to "a public interest entity" and will stop canning and selling "scientific research" whales on the Japanese market. We'll get back to you when we know what that "public interest entity" is going to be, but we suspect this is code for "government subsidy program."
"While Nissui and the other share holders have taken the cowardly way out by divesting rather than ending Kyodo Senpaku's whaling, this is a victory for consumers. After only a few months of consumer protest, the fragile commercial interest in whaling has collapsed. Whaling is bad for business," said Shane Rattenbury, our expedition leader in the recent campaign in the Southern Ocean against whaling.
Only profit from whaling: buying the IWC
Whale-killing may be bad for business, but money is still at the heart of the Japanese Government's bid to bring about the return of commercial whaling. Despite the overwhelming international rejection of whaling, the government of Japan has spent billions of Yen on buying votes at the International Whaling Commission. This year the Japanese delegation believes it will be able to secure a majority of votes end the international moratorium on commercial whaling.
The question remains: what will the powerful anti-whaling governments like Australia, the UK, the US and Germany do at June's IWC meeting, will they stand by and let Japan buy the IWC?
Not if we have something to say about it. The Ocean Defenders have just forced a major corporation to divest its shares in whaling. To be a part of our next move, make sure you're signed up as an ocean defender. You'll get our insider's ezine full of information about how you can help protect the oceans, save whales, and be a part of this global force. It's all free.
