Iceland defies world opinion and resumes commercial whaling on fin and minke whales
In a deeply shocking, sudden and surprising move, the Icelandic minister for food, Bjarni Benediktsson, has today issued licences for the resumption of whaling of both fin whales and minke whales in the North-east Atlantic. Even more remarkably, these licenses have been issued for a full five years.
Mark Simmonds, OceanCare’s Director of Science, comments as follows:
“This is a deplorable decision. Over recent years we have seen public opinion in Iceland itself shift significantly away from support for this cruel activity. Public opinion now indicates that the majority of the population oppose whaling. The government has also run various review processes and, through this, the cruelty inherent in the hunting has become clear. Put simply these huge animals, when struck with a harpoon, can take a very long time to die.
“So, it is very surprising that despite this evidence, and the internal review processes, the government has made this decision. It is a huge step backwards. Fin whale meat in particular is very valuable in the Japanese marketplace, and this is the driver for this ongoing cruelty.”
Further information
- Briefing OceanCare et al.: Commercial Whaling: Fallen Out of Time(24/09/2024)
- Web Article by Mark Simmonds, OceanCare’s Director of Science: Whaling Update: When International Regulation Gets Ignored(27/06/2024)
- OceanCare Press Release: Iceland’s decision to issue new whale killing quota condemned by conservation experts (11/06/2024)
- Web Article by Mark Simmonds, OceanCare’s Director of Science: Fin Whales Back in the Harpooner’s Sights Across the World (06/06/2024)
- Web Article by Mark Simmonds, OceanCare’s Director of Science: The Iceland Whaling Saga continues (26/09/2023)
- Web Article by Mark Simmonds, OceanCare’s Director of Science: Icelandic Veterinary Authorities Speak Out Strongly on the Cruelty of Whaling (16/05/2023)
- Blog by Mark Simmonds, OceanCare’s Director of Science: https://www.oceancare.org/en/stories_and_news/whaling-fin-whales/(09/06/2024)
