©Todd Cravens via Unsplash
Whaling returns to Iceland following a two year hiatus.
On Saturday, two Icelandic vessels departed from the port of the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik. They initially carried out preparatory work, after which the whale hunting season was officially reopened.
The Icelandic news site Visir reports that the ships tested their harpoons and began whaling on the high seas.
In Iceland, commercial whaling has once again been permitted, following a two-year hiatus. A national research institute has set this year’s quota at 150 common fin whales and 168 minke whales.
Fin whales are the second-largest animals in the world and are officially classified as vulnerable, meaning the species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
The conservation organization IFAW calls whaling unnecessary, inhumane, and brutal. For the captured animals, it often leads to prolonged suffering following an exhausting chase and being struck by a harpoon. Official studies show that in some cases it can take up to two hours for a harpooned whale to die. There have also been documented cases in which seriously injured whales were able to escape.
“Tragically, fin whales are once again being hunted in Iceland,” says Andreas Dinkelmeyer, campaign manager at IFAW Germany. “This is a crushing setback. The government had a clear opportunity to stop—or at least hinder—whaling this season and let it slip away. This unnecessary and brutal whaling is extraordinary and cannot be justified under any circumstances.”
The current government has announced that it will review its whaling laws this fall, with the goal of eventually ending whaling entirely in Iceland. It is possible that any potential changes will not take effect until the current five-year license expires in 2029. The responsibility lies with the Minister of Industry, Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, who oversees fisheries.