Iceland plans big whalemeat trade 冰岛计划大量鲸鱼肉出口日本
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-09-26 02:45 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

The company behind Iceland's fin1 whaling industry is planning a huge export of whalemeat to Japan.

冰岛长须鲸加工工业公司计划向日本出口大量鲸鱼肉。

Hvalur
Hvalur's catcher boats pulled in 125 fin whales this year

This summer, Hvalur hf caught 125 fins2 - a huge expansion on previous years.

The company's owner says he will export as much as 1,500 tonnes to Japan. This would substantially increase the amount of whalemeat in the Japanese market.

The export would be legal because these nations are exempt3 from(被免除) the global ban on trading whalemeat, but conservation groups doubt its commercial viability(生存能力,发育能力).

Last year, Hvalur hf exported about 65 tonnes of whalemeat to Japan, a consignment4(委托) that owner Kristjan Loftsson described as a "loss-leader".

But following this year's huge catch, he believes the next one can make money.

"We'll get a good price - we're intending to make a profit, that's for sure," he told BBC News.

Mr Loftsson said he had now suspended fin whaling for this season, having caught 125 from a quota5(配额,限额) of 150.

The remaining 25 can be carried over into next year's hunting season.

This compares with a total of seven caught in the previous three years.

The fin is globally listed as an endangered species, though Icelandic marine6 scientists maintain stocks are big enough locally to sustain a hunt of this size.

EU centre

New quotas7 were controversially set by the government of Geir Haarde just before it left office in January.

The new left-green coalition8 government has promised to review the situation, but has so far chosen not to revoke9(收回) the five-year quotas set by its predecessor10.

The government has formally applied11 to join the EU, and it is entirely12 possible that the EU would demand an end to whaling as a condition of Iceland's entry.

The application still has to be endorsed13(支持,赞同) in a referendum(公民投票,请示书) - and some conservationists believe Mr Loftsson is using whaling as a way to lobby(游说) against EU membership.

"I think he is holding Icelandic politicians hostages to fortune," said Arni Finnsson of the Iceland Nature Conservation Association (INCA).

"He's saying that 'unless I can do this, you would be denying Iceland $40m in export income' - and how can you argue against that if you're a politician?"

The $40m figure was cited by the Fisheries Ministry14 under Mr Haarde's government, said Mr Finnsson, as being the size of the potential annual export market.

Election issue?

Along with other conservation organisations, INCA is adamantly15(坚决) opposed to trading in whalemeat, which they see as something with the potential to increase hunting in various parts of the world.

The trade is generally banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

But Iceland and Japan - along with a handful of other countries - lodged16 reservations, as the treaty permits, and so are exempt(免除的).

Conservation groups doubt that such a huge export of meat to Japan can be profitable.

A consignment of anything approaching 1,500 tonnes would mark a major expansion of the amount of meat available on the Japanese market each year.

The exact tonnage caught by Japan's whale and dolphin hunts varies each year, but 4,000 tonnes would be a reasonable ballpark figure(近似数).

Conservationists have raised the possibility that Japan's new government will re-address its whaling policies.

But Yukio Hatoyama's pre-election position appears close to that of his predecessor(前辈,前任), holding scientific whaling to be a sovereign right and promoting the resumption of commercial whaling on abundant stocks.

Fresh supplies

Hunting for the much smaller minke whales in Icelandic waters, meanwhile, will probably end next week, with 80 caught so far.

"This is our best year yet - we're very happy about that," said Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson, head of the minke whalers' association.

"We didn't start freezing any meat before around 15th/20th August - we sold it all fresh - now we're just freezing so we have something for restaurants and stores over the winter."

Mr Jonsson said the minke whalers were also interested in exporting if the fin whale consignment proved successful.



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 fin qkexO     
n.鳍;(飞机的)安定翼
参考例句:
  • They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
  • The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。
2 fins 6a19adaf8b48d5db4b49aef2b7e46ade     
[医]散热片;鱼鳍;飞边;鸭掌
参考例句:
  • The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关,与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
  • Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句
3 exempt wmgxo     
adj.免除的;v.使免除;n.免税者,被免除义务者
参考例句:
  • These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
  • He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。
4 consignment 9aDyo     
n.寄售;发货;委托;交运货物
参考例句:
  • This last consignment of hosiery is quite up to standard.这批新到的针织品完全符合规格。
  • We have to ask you to dispatch the consignment immediately.我们得要求你立即发送该批货物。
5 quota vSKxV     
n.(生产、进出口等的)配额,(移民的)限额
参考例句:
  • A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
  • He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。
6 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
7 quotas 56efa1d6a3d7b4abe55e080dda812715     
(正式限定的)定量( quota的名词复数 ); 定额; 指标; 摊派
参考例句:
  • In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
  • Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。
8 coalition pWlyi     
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
参考例句:
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
9 revoke aWYxX     
v.废除,取消,撤回
参考例句:
  • The university may revoke my diploma.大学可能吊销我的毕业证书。
  • The government revoked her husband's license to operate migrant labor crews.政府撤销了她丈夫管理外来打工人群的许可证。
10 predecessor qP9x0     
n.前辈,前任
参考例句:
  • It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
  • The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。
11 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
12 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
13 endorsed a604e73131bb1a34283a5ebcd349def4     
vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 );在(尤指支票的)背面签字;在(文件的)背面写评论;在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品
参考例句:
  • The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案,开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 ministry kD5x2     
n.(政府的)部;牧师
参考例句:
  • They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
  • We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
15 adamantly 04699ef05bc87f24be84234d05697dbc     
adv.坚决地,坚定不移地,坚强不屈地
参考例句:
  • "Come over here,"he told her adamantly. “到这边来,”他对她坚定地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • His family were adamantly opposed to the marriage. 他的家人坚决反对这门亲事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 lodged cbdc6941d382cc0a87d97853536fcd8d     
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属
参考例句:
  • The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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