Iceland to submit bill that could ban whaling in its waters
Summary
Iceland plans to submit a bill in February 2027 that could permanently ban commercial whaling in its waters. This move would leave Norway and Japan as the only countries still allowing commercial whale hunting.Key Facts
- The bill aims to stop commercial whaling in Iceland’s waters.
- A 2023 report showed that harpooned whales took up to two hours to die, leading to a temporary ban on whaling that year.
- Iceland’s minister of industries supports changing outdated whaling laws and ending the hunt.
- Up to 8 September this year, 80 fin whales were caught by Icelandic whalers; the quota allows up to 150 whales per season.
- Fin whales are the second-largest animals on Earth and are considered vulnerable to extinction.
- Iceland has only one whaling company, Hvalur, which currently has a permit valid until 2029.
- Norway and Japan continue commercial whaling; Japan left the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 2019 to resume hunting.
- Animal welfare groups see the bill as an important step toward protecting whales and marine conservation.
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