The International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whaling over 30 years ago, yet several countries continue the cruel practice today – despite concerns around the suffering whales endure from harpoon strikes.
ICELAND
Iceland’s only whaling company, Hvalur hf. began hunting again in June 2022 after a two-year hiatus and by late September of the same year, the company had slaughtered 148 fin whales. Hvalur hf. whaling license expired in 2023, and the company has applied for an indefinite whaling licence. A report released by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) revealed the unimaginable suffering whales endure during the hunting process, in 2023 two fin whales shot with explosive harpoons took more than an hour to die. Whales are shot, not only once but four times, and it was documented that one whale shot was chased for five hours but not caught. There is no way to kill a whale at sea without inflicting unthinkable cruelty.
Less than 2% of the Icelandic population eats whale meat (it’s more popular with tourists, misguidedly thinking they’re trying a traditional delicacy). Iceland’s whale meat is also exported to Japan, which has a greater appetite for whale meat.
JAPAN
In 2019, Japan withdrew from the IWC to resume commercial whale hunts within its territorial waters, however, the country retains observer status at the IWC, a signal that it has not completely shut the door to international talks on the issue. Before withdrawing, Japanese research hunts in the Antarctic and the Northwest Pacific were said to be a cover for commercial hunts, as most of the whale meat ended up in restaurants and supermarkets. In 2023 Japan caught a total of 294 minke whales, Bryde’s whales and sei whales. This year Japan plans to add fin whales to its list of commercial whaling species and its fisheries agency has set a combined catch quota of 379 for three other species – minke whales, Bryde’s and sei whales. This number will increase if fin whales are added to the list. In early June 2024, Japan’s whaling fleet caught 15 Bryde’s whales off the coast of the Tohoku region and Hokkaido.
NORWAY
In Norway, there is little interest in whale meat today, and demand for the product has declined, yet the practice continues – with almost 15,000 minke whales killed by Norway since 1993. Recent years in numbers…
– 2019: 429 killed
– 2020: 503 killed
– 2021: 575 killed
– 2022: 580 killed
– 2023: 507 killed
– 2024: 414 killed
Norway’s 2024 whaling season commenced on 1 April and by early May, 55 minke whales had been killed out of their quota of 1,157 – an increase of 157 whales from the 2023 quota.
A dying industry
In Japan and Norway, the whaling industry is subsidised by their respective governments – so why continue with an unprofitable industry with demand firmly in decline? We hope their harpoons will soon be hung up for good.
