Madam, - It comes as no surprise to me to read in your edition of August 26th that Iceland's tourist industry is beginning to suffer as a result of that country's ill-judged decision to resume whaling under the notorious "scientific catch" let-out in the International Whaling Convention - which puts it in the dubious company of Japan as a "pariah" whaling nation.
Most thinking tourists will see this ploy for what it really is - an excuse to put yet more whalemeat (currently having to be imported) on the menus of the Reyjkavik restaurants.
The irony is that eco-tourism is big business in Iceland; and in particular the official tourist brochures and many leaflets there plug whale-watching as a major sightseeing activity. It is from this eco-friendly activity that Iceland makes huge annual revenues - and rightly so, as the country is breathtakingly beautiful and unspoilt with particularly plentiful marine wildlife.
Now, however, the harpooning of whales will surely cause the Icelandic authorities responsible to see that they have in fact only harpooned themselves in the foot with dwindling numbers of tourists now glimpsing whaling ships on the horizon instead of whales.
It was only in June that I attended an international law of the sea conference in Reyjkavik. While there I wandered down to the harbour and saw the old whaling ships - still with their sinister look-out masts - moored side-by-side along the quay. I remember thinking then how good it was that they would never again engage in their bloody operations of former times. How wrong one can be!
I myself will not pay another visit to Iceland until the decision there to resume whaling is permanently revoked; and I would urge readers to do the same. - Yours, etc.,
Dr CLIVE R. SYMMONS,
Marine Law Centre,
Martin Ryan Institute,
National University of Ireland,
Galway.