Fish and chips… but are yours served with whale slaughter on the side?

Why you should know where your fish is coming from

March 2011: Fish and chip lovers should ask their local chippie some serious questions about the source of their fish warns the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), after it discovered that much of the fish served by the country's 10,000 fish and chip shops comes from Icelandic fleets with close links to whaling.

FAILING BUSINESS: But Iceland's whaling companies are propping their businesses up with profits from fish sales, says WDCS. Photo by Jonas Fr. Thorsteinsson. Courtesy goecco.com

WDCS is campaigning to shut down Iceland's struggling whaling industry by throwing the spotlight on those wholesalers, shops and restaurants in the UK that buy fish from Icelandic fishing companies with clear links to the country's whaling fleets as the profits from these fish sales also helping to prop up the cruel whaling operations.

‘We would never suggest people stop enjoying one of the UK's favourite dishes, but we do think that people and businesses need to consider the source of the fish they are buying and eating, and ask whether their purchase helps prop up whaling in Iceland.

‘Cosy' link between Iceland's fishermen and whalers
‘We think the UK wholesalers and retailers who buy Icelandic fish from whalers should be encouraged by the public to look elsewhere,' says WDCS whaling campaign lead, Sue Fisher.

The Hvalur hf whaling company is Iceland's biggest whaler, responsible for more than 90 per cent of the country's whale products. Its managing director, Kristjan Loftsson, also sits on the board of HB Grandi, one of Iceland's largest fishing companies, as do other individuals linked to the whaling company, including HB Grandi's chairman, Arni Vilhjlamsson.

The relationship between Iceland's fishermen and whalers could not be cosier, says WDCS. Since Hvalur resumed commercial whaling in 2006, it has used HB Grandi facilities in Akranes, Iceland to process endangered fin whale products for export, and provided Grandi fishing vessels with information on the location of schools of fish.
Eleven per cent of HB Grandi fish exports go directly to the UK. It is the primary supplier of Warners Fish Merchants, one of the UK's biggest fish wholesalers who supply eight per cent of the UK fish and chip market.

Fish sales profits prop up whaling
‘There are clear and direct links between Iceland's whaling and fishing industries,' Fisher continues. ‘Iceland's whalers are struggling to make a profit. That makes revenue from fish sales to the UK and Europe important in keeping their whaling vessels in business.

‘If we can make people aware of this situation and get them asking questions the next time they pop into their chip shop, UK fish distributors such as Warners will think twice about where it sources its fish. British consumers can help make it hard for Hvalur to continue its cruel business.'

Waitrose, Sainsbury's & Findus delist whale hunters
WDCS has secured support for this campaign from leading UK retailers. Waitrose, Sainsbury's and others have already confirmed they do not buy from HB Grandi and have warned the Icelandic Government of the UK public's opposition to whaling. Recently, after discussion with WDCS, the Findus Group, parent company of well-known brands Young's, Findus and The Seafood Company, agreed to take Grandi off its list of preferred suppliers.

‘We warmly welcome this commitment, and urge other suppliers to follow suit. Consumers really don't want to eat fish that pays for whaling, and big brands won't want to be seen as the bad guys on this issue.'