At the end of July, the Directorate of Fisheries approved the application from One Whale to move the white quail Hvaldimir north to the Varangerfjord in Sør-Varanger in Finnmark. The pain comes from the north, but has long stayed in southern Norway. The last time in Ryfylke in Rogaland. But several researchers are critical of the fact that the Directorate of Fisheries has given dispensation to move Hvaldimir. More than 70 of them have now signed a complaint that says the move poses an animal welfare risk. In 2020, Elias Olafsen had quite an experience when the white quail Hvaldimir appeared on the snorkelling trip in the Tysfjord. He thinks he is not in danger It is Sebastian Strand and the organization Marine Mind who are the initiators behind the complaint. – The complaint has been submitted. We now want the case to be dealt with in the correct order, he says. Fellow researcher Eve Jourdain at the University of Oslo is one of the signatories. Eve Jourdain is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oslo. Photo: Norwegian Orca Survey Ho is afraid the move will cause the whale a lot of stress and potentially kill the animal. She fears that he will seek out people on the Russian side and potentially end up in captivity again. – Now he is not in a situation where he is in danger, nor is he a threat to humans, says Jourdain, who is a postdoctoral researcher and leader of the Norwegian Orca Survey. The Directorate of Fisheries wrote in an e-mail to news that the complaint will be processed in the usual way. Beyond this, they have nothing more to comment on at this time. Full dispute The complaint also makes it clear that there is a major dispute between people and organizations involved in the Hvaldimir case. Sebastian Strand has worked full-time with Hvaldimir since 2022. At first he was part of the organization One Whale, which therefore believes that Hvaldimir should be moved. At the end of last summer, he broke up with his former employer. He did so at the same time as nine other professionals and twelve volunteers also left the organisation. – The majority then left the organisation, and most of them with professional backgrounds, says Strand to news. This group continued to work with Hvaldimir through the new organization they created, Marine Mind. – Priorities and decisions in One Whale were not in line with what we saw as professionally correct, he claims. Biologist Sebastian Strand says that he has been threatened with a lawsuit from his former employer. Photo: Pål Tegnander / news news has obtained access to a letter sent to the Directorate of Fisheries on 12 October 2023. In it, nine named professionals and former employees have expressed dissatisfaction with One Whale’s management of Hvaldimir’s welfare. My advice was in conflict with the legislation On the other side is One Whale, where Regina Crosby Haug is director. She is critical of the complaint, and believes that some who have signed have been misled. Sebastian Strand rejects this. About the people who broke away from One Whale, Haug says that the cooperation with several of the foreign advisers became difficult. According to the organisation, advice was given which they claim was in conflict with Norwegian legislation, and that this conflict led to several employees leaving the organization last summer. Haug tells news that, as a consequence of this, the organization now mainly works with Norwegian professionals. One Whale is also working on a documentary film about Hvaldimir. Don’t know that Sebastian Strand says he doesn’t know that in the version presented by One Whale. Marine Mind contributed to another documentary film being made about Hvaldimir. Strand tells news that they collaborate with various productions, but clarifies that they act as sources and experts. They have no financial gain, and they are not behind the production of any documentary film. – Our method is to offer knowledge from researchers to viewers and to have school presentations. The idea is that people should meet animals with understanding, says Strand. But back to the agony. – There is no fixed population of beluga whales in the Varangerfjord In the original dispensation that was granted by the Directorate of Fisheries, it is assumed that the purpose of the relocation is for Hvaldimir to be reunited with other beluga whales. But according to researcher Audun Rikardsen, who has also signed the complaint, there is no whiting population in the Varangerfjord. In the application, it is stated that the purpose of the move is to introduce this individual to a separate stock group, and to explore how it will relate to a herd after such a long time, as well as how it will be received (page 1). – There is no stock there. There hasn’t been a population there as long as I can remember, says Rikardsen, who is professor of Arctic and marine biology at UiT Norway’s Arctic University. Hvaldimir will be moved to the Jarfjorden, which is an arm of the fjord in the Varangerfjord in Finnmark. One Whale clarifies that it is not they who have chosen the Varangerfjord as the launch site, but they applied more generally for Finnmark near Kirkenes. – But we applaud this historic decision from the Directorate of Fisheries. They will give the whale an opportunity to return to its more natural habitat, says Regina Crosby Haug from One Whale. They initially wanted to move Hvaldimir to Svalbard, but are now set on the Varangerfjord. To news, Haug has sent a picture of a white quail at Grense Jakobselv and told about several observations. They further say that the plan is to identify a launch site which will mean that Hvaldimir will come into contact with other tormentors. White whales are also said to have been observed in the fjord. – In July, our team was in Kirkenes where they met local experts who could tell about places where there were wild white whales in the area. We are still investigating, and nothing has been decided, but we want to let Hvaldimir out near wild white qualars, says Haug. Afraid he will be captured in Russia According to Rikardsen at UiT, there is a white quail population on the Russian side and stray animals that occasionally cross into the Varangerfjord. He still believes that the chances are small that Hvaldimir will join forces with other animals. Hvaldimir is very human-loving, and will therefore primarily seek out humans. It is also not unproblematic if Hvaldimir crosses the border in the north, the researcher believes. Audun Rikardsen is afraid that Hvaldimir may end up in Russian captivity. Photo: Fredrik Broms – He came from captivity in Murmansk, and although the Russians claim that they have stopped it, there was activity there not so long ago. Russia currently has a ban on quail fishing. In terms of animal welfare, the move is a major intervention, and Hvaldimir will lose the food supply around the breeding facility where he is used to finding food, the professor believes. – It’s a bad idea, sums up Rikardsen. – And several of my research colleagues think so, he concludes. Jonathan Ree (17) and Sondre Hettarvikgard (16) from Tysvær had an intense experience when they threw themselves into the sea in the middle of the night. One Whale believes the move is necessary. One Whale believes it is a risk that Hvaldimir is now in an area around cities with a high population density. They believe it is necessary to move him to a more arctic habitat. Siri Martinsen, veterinarian and leader of the animal protection organization Noah, says there is no guarantee that he will not be put in danger due to public behaviour. She has collaborated with One Whale to move Hvaldimir and says they have close contact with Norwegian professional bodies. – All interference from humans has a risk, but there is a risk in letting him stay where there is so much human activity, says Martinsen. Siri Martinsen in Noah is afraid that audience behavior could put Hvaldimir in danger. Photo: Robert Hansen / news She says that they know of several cases of solitary marine mammals that have strayed into busy and densely populated areas. It usually ends badly. – There are many who like him, but there were also many who liked Freya, she says. She believes there is a theoretical risk of captivity in Russia, while the risk of boat propellers is more real. – You tend to think that when you do nothing, there is less risk. But here there is a continuous and imminent danger. Martinsen will make it clear that they are still open to input on where the torture should be released. – We would like to hear from professionals about possible migration routes for white quail. This is information that we are now in the process of surveying after the Norwegian Environment Agency proposed Finnmark. All professional input is welcome, preferably with documentable observations. Will assess the complaint The Directorate of Fisheries writes to news that they have assessed the application from One Whale in consultation with other relevant bodies. On the basis of this, they have considered that it is advisable to move the qualifier given certain conditions. They are not familiar with the claim of the researchers who say that there is no whiting population in the Varangerfjord. And now they are processing the complaint that has come in. Published 20.08.2024, at 17.49
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More than 70 professionals have signed a complaint about the relocation of Hvaldimir – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
