OSLO -- The Norwegian government ignored scientific findings and flouted international norms to set a quota of 425 on the north-east Atlantic population of minke whales on May 4, according to Greenpeace Norway.

In 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) adopted an indefinite moratorium on commercial whaling. In 1986, due to depletion by over-hunting, it classified the north-east Atlantic minkes as "protection stock". Norway filed formal objections to both the moratorium and the classification in order to continue whaling.

In 1992, the IWC's Scientific Committee accepted a Norwegian scientists' estimate of stock size. It later recognised that the estimate was wrong and agreed that there is currently no acceptable estimate and thus no basis for setting any quota.

With its May 4 decision, "the Norwegian government has hijacked the scientific process", said Greenpeace's Katrin Brubakk. "It is pointless to convene an international group of scientists when Norway simply sets the quota it wants based on what its own scientists say".

At its 1995 meeting, the IWC passed a resolution calling on Norway to "halt immediately all whaling activities under its jurisdiction" but Norway persisted with the 1995 hunt.

According to Brubakk, "Norway can't even consume the number of whales they caught last year, let alone 425". After the 1995 hunt of 218 minkes, the whalers were unable to sell their whole catch and had to freeze 45 tonnes. An April 1996 seizure of five tonnes of smuggled Norwegian whale meat in Japan led to the uncovering of a conspiracy to smuggle 54 tonnes to Japan, equivalent to 30 whales.

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