In a rare win for whales, Iceland\u2019s largest commercial whaling company, Hvalur hf., has announced it will not hunt fin whales during the summer of 2025. The decision follows years of controversy, global criticism, and a shrinking market for whale meat in Japan, where the company exports nearly all of its catch.<\/p>\n
According to Mongabay, Hvalur\u2019s CEO Kristj\u00e1n Loftsson told Icelandic media outlet Morgunbla\u00f0i\u00f0 that low prices in Japan have made whaling economically unviable this year. The Japanese market has long struggled with falling demand and an oversupply of imported whale meat, leading to stockpiles that remain unsold.<\/p>\n
Despite being granted a five-year license in December 2024 to kill up to 209 fin whales annually through 2029, Hvalur has pulled back \u2014 at least temporarily. While this move has been welcomed by conservationists, it\u2019s caused concern for workers in Akranes, the coastal town where Hvalur is based. Union representatives say the cancellation is a blow to the local economy.<\/p>\n
Still, marine advocates are calling the pause a potential turning point. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that killing hundreds of whales a year is an economic and environmental loser,\u201d said Sharon Livermore of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), adding that these whales have far greater value alive \u2014 both ecologically and for sustainable tourism.<\/p>\n
Fin whales are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, yet Iceland, Japan, and Norway continue to permit commercial whaling, defying the global moratorium set by the International Whaling Commission in 1986.<\/p>\n