No fin whales to be hunted in Icelandic waters this summer

According to an announcement by the company behind Iceland’s fin whale hunts, Hvalur hf, no endangered fin whales will be killed off Iceland this summer. 

Hvalur hf, owned by Kristian Loftsson, slaughtered over 146 fin whales last year, including at least two rare blue whale/fin whale hybrids and a dozen pregnant females.

Whaling is cruel, and increasingly unpopular in Iceland. The company has said that fishing permits have come too late to allow enough time to complete preparations for the hunting season and that their hunting vessels will remain tied to the dock in Reykjavik.

It is unclear whether this latest reason for abandoning the summer hunts is true. In recent years Loftsson has called off hunts citing difficulties in exporting his meat from Iceland to his only customer, Japan. However, whaling continues to be largely unprofitable.

WDC has long campaigned against commercial whaling of both fin and minke whales in Iceland, and the transit of fin whale meat to Japan.

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