High North Alliance
Encyclopedia
The High North Alliance is an umbrella organisation of several fishing
, whaling
and Nordic
municipal councils. The organisation objectives are, it says, "to protect the rights of whalers, sealers and fishermen to harvest renewable resources in accordance with the principle of sustainable management."
The alliance was founded in 1991 in response to calls from environmentalist
s to prohibit completely commercial whaling
, and, from more radical groups, calls to prohibit the killing of marine mammal
s for any purpose. The alliance is organised by a governing committee of six members, three from Norway
, and one each from the Faroe Islands
, Greenland
and Iceland
. The alliance is funded by membership fees, and from grants from organisations such as the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission
and the Regional Development Committee for Northern Norway.
Activities of the Alliance include lobbying the largely sympathetic Norwegian government for increases in Norway's whaling quota, promoting studies into methods of more humane whaling, lobbying the International Whaling Commission
into relaxing the whaling moratorium, and responding to campaigns from anti-whaling groups such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
and Greenpeace
.
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
and Nordic
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
municipal councils. The organisation objectives are, it says, "to protect the rights of whalers, sealers and fishermen to harvest renewable resources in accordance with the principle of sustainable management."
The alliance was founded in 1991 in response to calls from environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
s to prohibit completely commercial whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
, and, from more radical groups, calls to prohibit the killing of marine mammal
Marine mammal
Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...
s for any purpose. The alliance is organised by a governing committee of six members, three from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and one each from the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. The alliance is funded by membership fees, and from grants from organisations such as the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission
North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission
The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission is an "international body for co-operation on conservation, management and study of marine mammals in the North Atlantic."...
and the Regional Development Committee for Northern Norway.
Activities of the Alliance include lobbying the largely sympathetic Norwegian government for increases in Norway's whaling quota, promoting studies into methods of more humane whaling, lobbying the International Whaling Commission
International Whaling Commission
The International Whaling Commission is an international body set up by the terms of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling , which was signed in Washington, D.C...
into relaxing the whaling moratorium, and responding to campaigns from anti-whaling groups such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises...
and Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
.