Iceland will ban commercial whaling in 2 years

There are only 3 countries in the world that allow commercial whaling. It is a great shame that it has not been banned everywhere for a long time. Once the current quotas expire, Iceland will stop whaling. This is great news because the whale population is critically low. Iceland will end whaling by 2024. The reason is the declining demand and the controversy caused by whaling.

Japan was the main market for whale meat sales

“There are few justifications to authorize whale hunting beyond 2024,” Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Svandís Svavarsdóttir said Friday in Iceland’s Morgunblaðið newspaper, as CNN reported.

Iceland’s current three-year hunting quota lasts from 2019 to 2023 and permits the hunting of up to 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales. The main consumer of whale meat from Iceland was Japan. Iceland no longer wants to take the risk of whaling when it is no longer economically viable for it. Many traders are turning away from Iceland because of whaling.

Good news for whale conservationists

The planned cessation of whaling is, of course, great news for whale conservationists. During Iceland’s last full whaling season, 146 fin whales and six minke whales were killed, according to AFP.

“This is obviously hugely welcome news… and not before time. Icelandic whalers have killed hundreds of whales in recent years, despite almost zero domestic demand, ” Vanessa Williams-Gray of Whale and Dolphin Conservation told BBC News.

It is very important that the whaling in Iceland is banned. As a result, the whale population may increase again. Fin whales are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, while sei whales are endangered and minke whales are considered a species of Least Concern. Whales are the largest creatures in the world and need to be thoroughly protected. When whaling is banned in Iceland, there will be only two countries left where commercial whaling will continue – Norway and Japan. We can only hope that in the future we will see these 2 countries end their whaling as well.

Source:
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/05/europe/iceland-whaling-to-end-2024-intl/index.html
https://www.ecowatch.com/iceland-bans-commercial-whaling.html

Images: Pixabay, YouTube screenshot

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