Exclusive: Iceland to Resume Whaling

Planned resumption of commercial whaling: According to media reports, Iceland's only fin whaling company is preparing its ships for fin whale hunting after a two-year pause.

Up to 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales could be killed by 2026. The current self-imposed quotas allow the killing of over 2,000 whales within five years – without further political decision.

Whaling in European waters despite global ban: Reports indicate that Norway has already commenced its hunting season, with catch numbers significantly higher than the previous year.

After years of hope that Iceland might permanently cease commercial whaling, reports now suggest that the whaling fleet is preparing to resume.

Following several interrupted and cancelled seasons, whaling could resume at any time, as the existing five-year permits (2025 - 2029) require no further political decision.

These self-imposed quotas allow the annual killing of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales.

OceanCare strongly condemns these plans and urges the Icelandic government to immediately halt all preparations for commercial whaling and revoke existing permits.

Mark Simmonds, Head of Science at OceanCare, says: "The whaling company's decision to resume hunting – despite recent developments in the country, including the fact that over 50% of the population now opposes whaling – is deeply disappointing. Commercial whaling is an outdated and unjustifiable practice. Killing whales for commercial reasons in the 21st century is neither necessary nor acceptable, especially given the severe and unresolved animal welfare issues."

Nicolas Entrup, Director of International Cooperation at OceanCare, adds: "Whales face numerous threats today. Are we humans really so stubborn that we cannot even end this practice, which is completely unnecessary, cruel, and senseless? Commercial whaling contradicts international agreements, endangers already threatened whale populations, and causes significant suffering. Iceland should do better – and we are convinced that the majority of the Icelandic population sees it the same way."

Global whaling ban undermined

While global efforts are increasing to expand marine protection and counter biodiversity loss, the potential resumption of commercial whaling undermines key international commitments – particularly the moratorium established by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

Despite the international commercial whaling ban in place since 1986, Iceland continues whaling by maintaining a reservation against the moratorium and conducting commercial hunts, primarily for fin whales. Their meat is mainly exported to Japan.

Permits enable extensive whaling

Under the current, self-established five-year permits, Iceland has allowed the annual killing of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales: theoretically more than 2,100 animals between 2025 and 2029. Fin whales are considered endangered according to the IUCN Red List.

Between 2019 and 2021, there was no commercial whaling for fin whales in Iceland. In 2022, 148 animals were killed, and a further 24 in 2023. The hunting season was suspended in 2024 and 2025.

However, as long as the permits exist, no further political decision is required to resume whaling – making the current situation particularly urgent. Reports suggest Iceland's only fin whaling company, Hvalur hf., is already preparing its ships for the upcoming summer season, while the official hunting recommendation from the relevant institute is still pending.

The scale of these permits highlights the industrial nature of modern whaling, driven in part by export markets – particularly in Japan. Domestic demand in Iceland for both fin whale and minke whale meat is low.

Significant animal welfare issues

In commercial whaling, harpoons with explosives are used, which should kill the animals instantly. However, this often does not occur in practice.

Data from Iceland's 2022 whaling season show that 41% of the whales did not die instantly. The average time to death was 11.5 minutes. In some cases, it took over an hour for the animal to die.

New regulations from 2023 were intended to bring improvements, such as requirements for weather conditions and visibility. However, these are considered insufficient to address the fundamental animal welfare issues of this practice.

The potential resumption of whaling in Iceland also occurs against the background of increasing activities in other European waters: Reports indicate that Norway has already begun its whaling season. Three ships are operating there, and by the beginning of this week, 45 minke whales had already been killed – compared to nine animals at the same time last year.

Press contact

Anton Mattmüller, Press Officer, OceanCare
amattmueller@oceancare.org

+43 681 106 19366

OceanCare
Gerbestrasse 6
CH-8820 Wädenswil
www.oceancare.org

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