\u201cThe management of the exploitation of living marine resources in Iceland is under strict constraints and the total allowable catch for fin whales and minke whales shall follow the fisheries advice of the Marine Research Institute based on sustainable exploitation and the precautionary approach,\u201d the Icelandic version of the government announcement states.<\/p>\n
The five-year licenses follow similar announcements made in 2009, 2014 and 2019. The government announcement said long-term licenses ensure \u201csome predictability\u201d for whaling companies, compared to a one-year license issued in June 2024 that allowed Hvalur to hunt 99 fin whales during the June-September hunting season.<\/p>\n
Iceland is one of just three countries (alongside Japan and Norway) that allow commercial whaling despite a 1986 moratorium by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Hunting only fin and minke whales is permitted in the country, while other species are protected. Fin whales, the planet\u2019s second-largest mammals, with females averaging 22 meters (73 feet) long, are classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and are slowly recovering after decades of commercial whaling decimated their numbers worldwide. Common minke whales, the smallest and the most abundant of the baleen whales, are classified as a species of least concern on the red list.<\/p>\n
Whaling has been controversial in recent years in Iceland. In 2022, the minister of food, agriculture and fisheries at the time, Svand\u00eds Svavarsd\u00f3ttir, said Iceland might end whaling by 2024 as the demand for whale products was dwindling. In 2023, she suspended whaling, citing findings from the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) that the grenade-tipped harpoons used to hunt were causing prolonged deaths for some whales \u2014 a decision hailed by conservation organizations.<\/p>\n
However, the recent announcement to issue whaling licenses until 2029 has squashed their hopes that the country might outlaw whale hunts altogether.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are deeply disappointed and concerned by the Icelandic caretaker government\u2019s decision to issue new whaling licences,\u201d Luke McMillan, head of hunting and captivity at U.K.-based conservation organization Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said in an email to Mongabay. \u201cIssuing these licences disregards the environmental, economic, and moral arguments against whaling and places Iceland in an unfavorable international spotlight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Questionable timing<\/h2>\n
Iceland\u2019s ruling Independence Party, headed by Prime Minister Benediktsson, is on its way out after losing a snap election on Nov. 30. It now leads an interim government until a new coalition of three left-leaning parties forms the next government. Its decision to issue whaling licenses outside of the whaling season has prompted criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt raises serious ethical questions, as the decision was made by a caretaker government that is meant to avoid controversial policymaking, particularly in light of strong ties between prominent figures in the whaling industry and Iceland\u2019s political elite,\u201d McMillan said.<\/p>\n
Sharon Livermore, director for marine conservation programs at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a U.S.-based advocacy group, told Mongabay that the parties involved in the new coalition government aren\u2019t pro-whaling and called the decision a \u201cpanic move\u201d by the outgoing government, given that whaling licenses are typically issued in the spring, closer to the whaling season.<\/p>\n
In 2022, after the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority found that some whales took too long to die, a working group was set up to assess animal welfare concerns regarding the current hunting practices. Its final report, which could have implications for whaling in the country, is yet to be made public.<\/p>\n \u201cI think any government that was in power should be waiting for that assessment to be finalized, if we\u2019re going to look at a continuity of practice and make sure that work that has been done is not wasted,\u201d Livermore said.<\/p>\n In a response to Mongabay\u2019s request for comments, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries\u2019s spokesperson D\u00fai J\u00f3hannsson Landmark said the issuing of these whaling licenses follows the legal framework in Iceland. \u201cProcessing applications are one of the general roles of government, interim or not.\u201d<\/p>\n In its 2024 whaling permit application, Hvalur hf. stated it would invest in, develop and refine its hunting equipment and fishing methods to improve animal welfare standards. Company owner Loftsson didn\u2019t respond to Mongabay\u2019s request for comment on the improved hunting methods prior to publication.<\/p>\n Landmark said a 2023 regulation addressed issues on how the hunting method should meet necessary criteria to cause the least amount of pain and agony, but did not detail those criteria.<\/p>\n Historical records indicate Icelanders engaged in small-scale whaling beginning in the 12th century. However, commercial whaling in the country dates back to the 1600s, when the Basques set up whaling stations in the region. Over the centuries, the practice continued to meet the demand for whale products, especially whale oil. Currently, whaling caters to the whale meat market. Iceland maintains its whaling operations are scientifically managed, and that the IWC moratorium contradicts the purpose of the convention to regulate whaling under which the body was established.<\/p>\n According to data from IFAW, 1,017 fin whales were killed in Iceland between 2009 and 2024, and 654 minke whales were hunted between 2003 and 2024. A 2023 poll found that more than half of Icelanders oppose whaling, and domestic support for whale hunting is at an all-time low. A 2024 poll found that two out of five Icelanders say they believe whaling weakens Iceland\u2019s position in international trade.<\/p>\n Minke whale meat is sold in some grocery stores and served to tourists visiting Iceland. Declining profits in minke whale hunting forced Icelandic whaling company IP-Utgerd to cease operations in 2020.<\/p>\n Fin whale meat is mostly exported to Japan and isn\u2019t consumed locally. However, with Japan increasing its domestic fin whale hunting, the demand for Iceland\u2019s fin whales is expected to diminish.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody\u2019s eating the fin whale meat, so it gets stored in freezers for years and years on end,\u201d Livermore said. \u201cSo these animals have died a needless death \u2014 an incredibly long and painful death \u2026 it\u2019s just a waste of time and a waste of money.\u201d<\/p>\n Fin whales are a CITES Appendix I species, which means their international trade is prohibited. However, Iceland and Japan, along with Norway and Palau, have taken out \u201creservations\u201d against this listing to carry on legal trade.<\/p>\n In a report McMillan said he compiled for the Icelandic government, he points out that the annual accounts of Hvalur hf. indicate that the company\u2019s whaling operations aren\u2019t making money and that between 2012 and 2020, the company\u2019s losses from whaling amounted to 3 billion krona ($2.1 million at current rates). The report also makes the case that whaling is likely to do more harm than good to the Icelandic economy and doesn\u2019t provide long-term job security for employees.<\/p>\n A 2023 report on the economic impact of whaling by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, shared by Landmark, found that the direct impact of whaling on the country\u2019s economy is small as no country, other than Japan and Norway, allow importing fin whale products. It concluded that \u201cwhaling has a negative impact on the country\u2019s image abroad and runs counter to the image that has been sought to be built about Iceland\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201c[W]e urge Iceland to permanently ban whaling and shift focus to industries that align with its growing reputation as an eco-conscious nation, such as sustainable tourism and responsible whale watching,\u201d McMillan said. \u201cThese sectors not only generate far more revenue but also preserve the natural heritage that makes Iceland unique.\u201d<\/p>\n With cetaceans worldwide threatened by climate change, loss of prey, entanglement, underwater noise and ship strikes, whaling only adds to this list, Livermore said. \u201cBeing harpooned is an unnecessary threat that these animals do not have to face,\u201d she said. \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be the discussion in 2024-2025 \u2026 the discussion should be, how do we bring an end to this.\u201d<\/p>\nEconomics of whaling in Iceland<\/h2>\n