Whale meat. Credits: Shutterstock, Christophersen
Iceland’s only active whaling company; HValur HF.it is not open this summer, marking the second consecutive year without hunting season.
The company cites ongoing global economic pressure and a decline in demand for whale meat as the main reasons for the cancellation, according to the report.
CEO Kristján Loftsson told Icelandic Media: “Looking at the situation, Hvalur HF has no choice but to stay on the dock and wait for a better time, but the situation will be reviewed next year.” Talking to Euronows, he also explained, “The development of product prices in Japan, our main market, has been favorable and worsening lately. The prices of our products are so low that it is not justified to hunt.”
Hvalur has held permission to hunt 200 fin whales this season, but since 2022 the whales have not been caught by the company. Last year, the permit was issued one day before the season began.
Public and political backlash against whaling
General support for commercial whaling in Iceland has declined for years. A 2024 poll conducted by Maskina for the Icelandic Conservation Association found that more Icelanders believe they will harm the image of overseas. The Tree of Evolution.
Environmentalists and animal rights groups are welcoming the latest cancellations. Wendy Higgins, director of Humane World for Animals, said: “If true, this season’s suffering and death of whales will escape the suffering and death of countless sensory whales for brutal and pointless hunts that follow without moral or scientific justification. The Tree of Evolution).
Nevertheless, in December 2024, then Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson granted Hvalur a whaling license.
Iceland, along with Norway and Japan, is one of three countries where commercial whaling remains legal. However, the industry is clearly declining. IP-Utgerd, Iceland’s second largest whaling company, closed in 2020 after demand for whale meat collapsed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Interpol suspends Paul Watson’s arrest warrant
April 9th, Kyodo News Interpol has reported that it has suspended the global arrest warrant for Paul Watson, founder of the anti-scattering group Sea Shepherd. Watson, who currently lives in France, was sought by Japanese authorities in 2010 for allegedly obstructing research whaling activities.
A final decision regarding the status of the warrant is expected around June. The 74-year-old activist was previously detained in Greenland, but Danish authorities have rejected Japan’s request for extradition.
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