Nearby New Bedford was once home to America's whaling industry and remains the country's busiest fishing port.

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Ernest Shackleton is buried in the capital, Grytviken, which used to be the centre of the island's whaling industry.

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In reality, pollution, merchant shipping and commercial fishing all pose far greater threats to the world's whale populations than any likely commercial-whaling industry might.

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Last year, the whaling industry built its first new whale catcher in 26 years, calling it "a symbol of hope for the reopening of whaling".

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Under such circumstances it is legitimate to ask not why the whaling industry should be prevented from plying its trade but why it should be permitted to do so.

ECONOMIST: Greater Europe

But Lahaina is also a town rich in well-preserved history, a history that juggled the relationship between the whaling industry and the missionaries during their heyday in the mid 1800's.

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Others worry that whaling will hurt Iceland's image and thus harm its thriving tourist industry.

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"Iceland's fishing industry is essentially an export economy, " commented Sue Fisher, whaling campaigner for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).

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Having insisted for years that they were capable of managing a sustainable industry, the pro-whalers have shifted emphasis to claim that whaling is essential because whales are consuming so many marine resources.

ECONOMIST: Greater Europe