Your next puffin steak in Iceland
might be the last you will ever consume. The Icelandic bird conservation
society Fuglavernd will request that the Ministry of Environment to institute a
complete ban on the sale of the meat of seabirds like puffins and other auks,
including common and thick billed murre. Many seabird populations, including
the puffin, are facing significant stress due to changing climate conditions.
Erpur Snær Hansen, an
ornithologist and a campaigner for the conservation of seabirds, told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service that
at the same time as puffins were facing severe stress there was far too much
puffin was being sold at Reykjavík restaurants.
"What kind of moral compass
do you need to have to flood the market with this meat, acting as if everything
is fine and dandy, just to make a quick buck?"
Erpur added that the restaurant
and tourism industries needed to pause and think about what kind of messages
were being sent to foreign visitors. He also complained that it appeared like
the government was not particularly interested in the issue. He pointed out
that while the major seabird populations, including the puffin population, were
still very large in Iceland, they were declining globally. This made it even
more important for Icelanders to protect these birds.
Puffin hunting is currently
banned in all parts of Iceland, except in the north. The hunting ban in the
South, West and East Iceland has had positive effects on the population, he
argues. "Puffin meat has gone up dramatically in price after the hunting
bans were instituted, which means that the traditional consumers, locals, have
cut down their consumption. But it's still sold to consumers who are willing to
pay top-dollar, and that's the restaurant industry."
