Despite widespread condemnation, a temporary ban has been dropped, allowing whaling to continue
Animal conservation groups have reacted angrily to the Icelandic government’s move to lift the temporary suspension of commercial whaling, which was introduced this summer following a ruling that the practice broke animal welfare laws.
“This decision is hugely disappointing and a massive step backwards,” says Luke McMillan, campaigner at Whale and Dolphin Conservation. “We will keep fighting until this barbaric killing comes to an end.”
In a statement, the Icelandic government says it is introducing new procedures for whaling aimed at killing the whales as quickly as possible to reduce suffering: “With the expiry of the ban, the Ministry is now implementing strict and detailed new requirements for hunting, including equipment, methods, and increased supervision. This follows a decision made by a working group, established in July 2023, to evaluate ways to reduce irregularities during hunting.” A decision on any new hunting licences being granted in 2024 is pending.
McMillan believes that the new measures are pointless and irrelevant: “Training, education and better equipment or killing methods will never make whaling acceptable,” he says. “There is no humane way to kill whales and they will still suffer.”
Just one whaling company remains in Iceland, which hunts fin whales with grenade-tipped harpoons. Government officials have been confronted with evi
