No fin whales will be killed in Iceland this summer

According to an announcement by the company behind Iceland’s fin whaling, 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 increasingly unpopular in Iceland. The company has said that fishing permits have come too late to allow enough time to complete preparations for the whaling season and that their whaling vessels will remain tied to the dock in Reykjavik.

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

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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