Call to end Iceland whaling gains momentum

Thanks to your support, our campaign has been gaining ground in the last few weeks and we’re pleased to share the news that at the largest seafood trade event in North America, Seafood Expo North America, leading North American seafood company, High Liner Foods, publicly committed to no longer sourcing seafood from Icelandic companies linked to whaling. 



Prior to the Expo, World Animal Protection and other coalition members, wrote to dozens of major US wholesalers and retailers that source Icelandic seafood urging them to conduct an audit of their supply chain to provide reassurance to consumer concerns that seafood products do not come from companies linked to whaling, in particular HB Grandi, Iceland’s largest seafood company. HB Grandi is controlled by the whaling and investment company Hvalur hf. which plans to kill 770 endangered fin whales over the next five years. 



As the Expo opened, High Liner Foods issued a statement stating that they are not supportive of any commercial whaling or trade in whale products. High Liner also committed not to enter into any new contracts with HB Grandi, until HB Grandi have fully divested their involvement and interest in whaling. 



Elizabeth Hogan, US oceans and wildlife campaign manager, World Animal Protection said:



"High Liner’s commitment sends an important message to policymakers and other businesses that whaling should not be tolerated. We commend High Liner for taking this meaningful public stance and believe that their position demonstrates a high level of international support for ending the illegal hunting of whales." 



Susan Millward, executive director of the Animal Welfare Institute, welcomed the announcement by saying:



“We applaud High Liner for its stance and for recognizing that its customers are very concerned about whaling. We hope High Liner will be joined by other US commercial seafood interests to show the whalers that their products are not welcome here.” 



With large U.S. companies standing up for whales and responding to your demand to end the suffering of these iconic creatures, we now hope that President Obama will take action and enforce sanctions on Iceland. 

Make sure when buying seafood that you ask your local supermarket or restaurant to verify that their seafood does not come from a source linked to Icelandic whaling. Refer them to DontBuyFromIcelandicWhalers.com if they have questions. 

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