§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what was the approximate value of the sperm whale oil imported in each of the years 1970 to 1978;
(2) what tonnages of sperm whale oil were imported, during each of the years 1970 to 1978; and approximately how many whales were killed to provide these amounts of oil.
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§ Mr. ParkinsonFollowing are the details of identifiable imports of sperm oil. It would be misleading to relate these imports to numbers of individual whales killed as there is no conversion factor sufficiently reliable to produce an accurate equation.
I. IMPORTS OF UNPROCESSED (CRUDE AND REFINED) SPERM OIL* Quantity (tonnes) Value (£'000 cif) 1970 14,341 1,261 1971 11,490 1,535 1972 7,233 799 1973 8,533 966 1974 11,474 1,892 1975 7,747 1,453 1976 8,528 2,078 1977 5,196 2,477 1978 4,269 1,595
II. IMPORTS OF SPERM OIL (INCLUDING OIL OF OTHER WHALES IN 1977 AND 1978) PROCESSED BY HYDROGENATION (OR OTHER MEANS OF HARDENING OR SOLIDIFYING)† Quantity (tonnes) Value (£'000 cif) 1975 4 2 1976 — — 1977 35 19 1978 38 20 * The figures prior to February 1973 exclude refined (but not otherwise processed) sperm oil which was not separately distinguished. † No licences were granted by the Department of Environment for the importation of the oil of whales other than sperm whales in either 1977 or 1978. The trade under this heading can therefore be taken to be entirely in sperm oil.