Iceland allows whaling again – 08/31/2023 – Environment

The Icelandic government authorized the resumption of whaling on Friday (1st), under strict conditions, after having suspended it for more than two months in the name of the welfare of the animals.

“Whaling may resume tomorrow,” the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries announced this Thursday (31).

The decision was very poorly received by groups that defend the rights of the animals, who were waiting for the end of this practice, after the suspension of hunting decided at the end of June.

“This decision is devastating and inexplicable,” Humane Society International said in a statement.

“The protection of whales is a critical need, and this decision is a missed opportunity to put an end to these massacres at sea,” he added.

At the end of June, the government had decided to suspend hunting, following the publication of a report requested by the government which concluded that the practice was not in line with Icelandic law on animal welfare.

Prepared by veterinarians, the document found that the death of cetaceans was too slow. In videos released recently, it is possible to see the agony of a whale hunted last year, which lasted five hours.

To justify the new authorization, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries considered, in a statement, that there is a basis for “changing hunting methods, which lead to fewer irregularities and, therefore, to an improvement from the point of view of animal welfare “.

Currently only the company Hvalur has a whaling license in Iceland. “[Ela] must respect the regulation imposed today by the government,” the authorities said.

This regulation “provides for stricter requirements in terms of equipment and methods of hunting and enhanced surveillance”, he added.

Hvalur’s license expires in 2023. The company has already announced that this season will be its last, due to the low profitability of fishing.

The company has not yet reacted to the government’s decision, although, according to the local press, its boats went out to sea this week to locate cetaceans, in anticipation of the Executive’s new measure.

Annual quotas authorize the capture of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales. In recent years, catches have been much lower, due to lower demand for whale meat.

Iceland, Norway and Japan are the last three countries in the world to authorize the hunting of these animals.