Category: Iceland whaling

The Icelandic media are reporting that the single whaling firm on Iceland plans to resume hunts for Fin Whales this year. Government has announced that the quota would be 150 Fin Whales this year (less than last year, but then none of it was used last year). A new conservation/welfare NGO, Friends of the Whales,…

There will be no whaling for Fin Whales this summer by the sole Icelandic whaling company, Hvalur hf. Kristján Loftsson, CEO of Hvalur hf told Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið “As the situation appears to us, Hvalur hf. sees no other situation than to wait for better times, but the situation will be taken up again in…

  Sad to say that the Iceland government has issued a one-year licence for whaling today – click here. It’s clear that the government has not gone as far as whaling interests would like, having taken a long time to make a decision, only issuing a one-year licence and limiting the number of Fin Whales…

An announcement by the government of Iceland https://www.mbl.is/200milur/frettir/2023/06/19/alraemdur_hvalveidaandstaedingur_maetir_a_islandsmi/  The whaling season for Fin Whales was going to open tomorrow but is now closed until 1 September – and let’s see what happens then. Icelandic media coverage of Sea Shepherd’s Paul Watson https://www.mbl.is/200milur/frettir/2023/06/19/alraemdur_hvalveidaandstaedingur_maetir_a_islandsmi/

The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) believes that the killing of many whales in Icelandic waters during last year’s whaling season did not comply with the objectives of Iceland’s Animal Welfare Act.  The headline in the Icelandic newspaper, Morgunbladid, reads ‘Whaling is inconsistent with animal welfare objectives’, In summary: 148 whales were killed; 38…

The first Fin Whales (two of them) to be landed in Iceland since 2018 were brought ashore yesterday morning. The total quota is 193 whales – 161 for this year plus some extra as there were no whales killed last year. See article here with quite a lot of pictures.

This is good news in that it looks as though Iceland will be crossed off the very short list of whaling countries but it isn’t particularly good news for whales as it seems to be driven by Japan being able to meet its whalemeat demand from its own whaling fleet. Still, it will mean, I…

Iceland has had a general election and the results of it may have implications for whaling, climate change action and the composition of the EU. Iceland is a small country geographically with a very small population – its land area is just under half of that of the UK but its population is less than…

The troubles of the sole Fin whaling company in Iceland, Hvalur hf, continue as last week they lost a legal case and have been ordered to pay wages owed to the amount of 100.000.000kr, more than £540,000. Hvalur hf may well appeal. And just because I can, I’ll link to this video of my favourite…

The sole Fin whaling company in Iceland, Hvalur ehf, has bought half the shares in one of Iceland’s largest waste disposal and recycling companies (Íslenska Gamafelagið). What’s that all about? Diversification? And it was reported yesterday that three shareholders of Hvalur hf are suing the company in order for it (the company) to redeem their…