First minke whales of the season killed off Iceland

Iceland’s minke whaling season opened on 1^st May and already two minke whales have been killed. Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson, owner of the minke whaling company, Hrafnreydur ehf, commented that “The strategy is to reach 50 now”.

Last year, 35 minke whales were killed and Iceland has awarded itself a quota of 229 minke whales this season. The hunts take place despite INCREASING global condemnation and strong protests from the lucrative Icelandic whale watching industry (which makes many times more profit from taking people to view these same whales in Faxafloi Bay and elsewhere in their range); and despite DECLINING demand for minke whale meat, coupled with an apparent – and worrying – decline in minke whale numbers in these waters.

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