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There will be no whale hunt in Iceland this summer

2 min read

Inspiring People
Source: Unsplash/DerekOyen

For the first time in 16 years no whales of any type will die at the point of a harpoon in Icelandic waters.

No whale hunting in Iceland this year

It has been confirmed no whaling will take place in Icelandic waters this summer. The news is not the result of government intervention, but rather of commercial concerns. This will be the first time in 17 years that there will be no whaling. The confirmation came that no whales of any type will be hunted, including minke whales. Minke whale hunters will instead concentrate on sea cucumbers this summer, and the CEO of Hvalur hf., the only company that hunts great whales, exclusively for export to Japan, has said that market conditions in Japan are too difficult. 

No Room For Whaling in the 21st Century Whales face so many substantial threats--including climate change, pollution, entanglement, ship strikes--and all of these pale in comparison to hunting by Japan, Norway, and Iceland. These hunts are inhumane and unsustainable. What's worse, the meat isn't selling. Get involved, join Humane Society International and help protect these magnificent animals who really need our help! Source: YouTube/HumaneSocietyInternational

No whaling in Iceland for at least this year

Whaling has taken place in Icelandic waters every summer since 2003 when whaling for scientific purposes started again after a gap of roughly 14 years. Commercial whaling restarted in 2006. 

Fisheries minister Kristján Þór Júlíusson made a decree in February allowing continued hunting of fin and minke whales until 2023. The hunting decrees are renewed on a five-yearly basis. Hafrannsóknarstofnun (the Marine Research Institute) has set a recommended maximum yearly catch between 2018 and 2025 of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales. 

Hvalur hf. CEO Kristján Loftsson announced this spring that his company would not catch great whales this summer because it has proven difficult to market the meat in Japan, where 100% of the catch is exported to. 

Gunnar Bergmann Jónsson, CEO of IP útgerð, which hunts minke whales for domestic consumption, says his company is going to concentrate on sea cucumbers until 1st September. 

“It does not suit us as things stand at the moment and so the decision was made to skip it [this year],”  Jónsson told RUV.

His company imports minke whale meat from Norway to meet demand in Iceland and he says the decision to start hunting will be reexamined next spring. 

Hafrannsóknarstofnun has also confirmed there will be no whaling for scientific purposes. 

The news has been widely welcomed by environmental and animal welfare groups in Iceland and overseas. 

Source: RUV.is

Iceland decided to resume whaling in 2003 in opposition to the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) 1986 commercial whaling ban.
In 2018, Icelandic whalers harpooned 145 fin whales and six minke whales Iceland decided to resume whaling in 2003 in opposition to the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) 1986 commercial whaling ban. Source: Unsplash/SteveHalama
From 1 July, Japanese fishermen set sail to hunt whales commercially for the first time in more than three decades after Tokyo’s controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission. Here workers are seen unloading a slain minke whale at a port in Kushiro.
Meanwhile in Japan… commercial whaling has resumed for first time in 30 years From 1 July, Japanese fishermen set sail to hunt whales commercially for the first time in more than three decades after Tokyo’s controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission. Here workers are seen unloading a slain minke whale at a port in Kushiro. Source: Guardian/JijiPress/EPA
Make an Impact

Tell Japan to be a leader for whales and stop its whaling industry!

In defiance of the ongoing global ban on commercial whaling, Japan has announced that it will start a new commercial whaling programme this summer ,putting hundreds of whales at risk of suffering long and painful deaths from exploding harpoons. However, the Japanese people appears to be divided over whaling, in part as a growing number are concerned that it tarnishes Japan’s international reputation. Let’s make it clear to whale friends and foes in Japan that this cruel and unnecessary industry has no place in today’s world. Urge Japan to cease its whaling industry.