Kiel, August 12, 2022:
Norwegian whale salami phased out. Species protection knows no borders.

Whales and their products are protected by species protection law in the European Union. In Norway and e.g. in Greenland, the sale of these products is legally permitted. Tourists buy such products and import them to Germany, partly out of ignorance. There, criminal proceedings (violation of the nature conservation law) are the result and at least a high fine. In addition, the products are confiscated.

In the current peak travel season, customs are increasingly confiscating salami with whale meat. Customs checks passengers on Norway ferries on a random basis and withdraws around a kilogram of whale salami from circulation every week. But it’s not just on the Norway ferry that customs officers keep finding products from these protected marine mammals. Cruise ships also regularly call at Scandinavian ports and return to Kiel with whale salami in their luggage. Customs advise against buying such products in order not to further promote production and to protect the animals, some of which are endangered or even threatened with extinction.

Extra information:
With www.artenschutz-online.de, the customs administration and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation offer an information option with which travelers can find out before the trip which protected animals and plants and products from them could be offered for sale in the various holiday countries.