Iceland plans to ban whaling
Iceland’s government will submit a bill in February to ban whaling, a move that would leave Norway and Japan as the only two countries in the world to continue commercial whaling, reports BritPanorama.
The proposed legislation is a response to sustained protests from animal welfare advocates and public figures who have long opposed the practice. The bill aims to establish “a permanent ban on whaling,” as announced by the ruling coalition that holds a majority in parliament.
This year’s hunting season, which extends from June until the end of September, has already seen the capture of 80 fin whales as of September 9, according to Humane World for Animals, an animal welfare organization monitoring the catches. The allowable quota for 2025 is set at 150 fin whales.
Wendy Higgins, a spokesperson for Humane World for Animals, indicated that there is significant political and public backing for the prohibition of commercial whaling, alongside compelling ethical, veterinary, legal, and conservation reasons to anticipate its success.
Fin whales, the primary targets of Iceland’s whaling industry, are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In 2024, Iceland’s interim government issued a five-year license to the country’s only remaining whaling company. Iceland, Norway, and Japan are the only nations that have participated in commercial whaling in recent years, as per the International Whaling Commission’s catch records.
Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993, while Iceland followed suit in 2006, despite an international moratorium that took effect in 1986 aimed at protecting whale populations. Japan exited the International Whaling Commission in 2019 and has since recommenced whaling in its territorial waters.
It’s notable that the moratorium permits indigenous communities in certain regions, such as Greenland and Alaska, to hunt whales due to the essential role of whale products in their diets and cultural practices.
The legislative proposal underscores a shift in Icelandic policy towards a more conservation-oriented approach, reflecting growing awareness of animal welfare and ecological sustainability.
