Public support for whaling drops in Iceland
As of today, the number of fin whales killed by Icelandic whalers has risen to 111, whilst 35 minke whales have also been killed. However there are strong signs that public support for the whalers within Iceland is melting away.
A recent (June 2013) Gallup poll commissioned by the Ministry of Fisheries reveals that only 58% of the Icelandic public now supports whaling. This is highly significant, coming as it does after a poll conducted for IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) in October 2012 showed 67% of respondents in favour of whaling.
This fall in support is even more telling as the June poll asked: “Are you for or against whaling by Icelanders?” a question more likely to trigger a defensive, nationalistic response (whereas the IFAW poll merely asked whether respondents were for or against whaling). Hence we can trust that public support for whaling is genuinely down.
Commentators on the ground in Iceland believe that people are starting to question whaling at long last and hopefully this trend will continue.
