Earlier this year, the Icelandic government publicly signaled an end to Icelandic whaling with an announcement that the country is set to stop commercial whaling from 2024. The news was welcomed by campaigning organisations including Marine Connection, who have been calling for an end to whaling in the country for many years, it is, therefore, devastating to now learn that Hvalur hf., the last Icelandic whaling company, plans to begin hunting again this coming June and continue into September.
Over the summer months, fin and minke whales will no longer be safe in Icelandic waters. Up to 150 people are expected to be hired to work on the whaling ships, at the whaling station in Hvalfjörður fjord, West Iceland, and at the company’s processing plant in Hafnarfjörður, Southwest Iceland, where part of the catch is processed and frozen. The company’s two whaling ships have not been used since 2018 and we hoped that 2022 would mark the fourth year without Icelandic whaling. The current quota, set in 2019, in effect through 2023, allows up to 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales to be slaughtered but since no whaling took place last year, 42 fin whales may be added to this year’s quota. Simply outrageous!
Iceland must hang up its harpoons for good in 2024 and become an ethical whale-watching nation only.
