Iceland Resumes Whale Hunt with Lower Quotas as Ban Bill Looms
The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute recommended fewer fin whale kills this season, while the government prepares a bill to ban whaling.
- One of Iceland's two remaining whaling ships set out from the port of Reykjav on Friday after a two-year hiatus, resuming hunts for fin whales following economic pressures that had halted operations in 2024 and 2025.
- The Institute set a 2026 quota of 150 fin whales, a 28-percent drop from prior recommendations, as Iceland had cancelled hunts in 2024 and 2025 when economic woes reduced demand and industry profitability.
- Protester Har chained himself to the mast of the Hval 9 before departure and said he "broke down" when he realized the vessel was actually sailing to sea instead of turning around.
- Joanna Swabe of the Humane World and Animals NGO called the departure "disheartening," telling AFP that "these ocean giants will very likely endure an agonizing death for meat that virtually no one in Iceland wants to eat."
- Iceland remains one of only three countries, alongside Norway and Japan, that openly permit whaling, though the government is due to table a bill on banning whaling altogether within months.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Iceland resumes whale hunt despite global outrage, activists condemn cruel slaughter for unwanted meat
REYKJAVIK, June 21 — One of Iceland’s two remaining whaling ships set out this week to hunt the giant mammals after a two-year hiatus, local media and campaigners reported on Saturday.Iceland is one of only three countries that still openly permit whaling, alongside Norway and Japan— despite international opprobrium from the public and animal welfare organisations.A protester chained himself to the mast of the vessel before it left the port of R…
Iceland resumed whaling after a two-year break, amid protests by animalist organizations and the debate about the future of this commercial activity.According to Icelandic public television RUV, two whaler boats sailed again this week, after the activity did not materialize in the previous two seasons.In 2024, the then Minister of Agriculture, Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir, did not authorize hunting until after the scheduled start of the season, w…
Hunting, from mid-June to mid-September, was not carried out in Iceland in 2024 and 2025, because of a complicated economic situation and because it seemed that it would not be profitable.
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