Iceland Issues Five-Year Whale Hunting Permits

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Facts

• Iceland issued new five-year whaling permits on Thursday, allowing annual catches of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales during hunting seasons from June to September.^[1][2]
• The permits were granted to two companies — Hvalur hf for fin whale hunting and Tjaldtangi ehf for minke whale hunting, with provisions to carry over up to 20% of unused quotas to the following year.^[3][4]
• The government claims the quotas are based on guidance from the Marine Research Institute and assessments by the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Council. This comes after whaling was temporarily suspended last year due to animal welfare concerns.^[4][5]
• Commercial whaling was banned in a 1986 International Whaling Commission embargo. However, Iceland remains one of only three countries, alongside Norway and Japan, that still permits the practice.^[6]
• Over 1.7K minke, fin, and sei whales have been killed in Iceland since 1986. A 2023 poll by Maskina found that 51% of Icelanders oppose whaling compared to 42% in 2019. ^[7][8]
• Only minke and fin whales — the second-largest animal on Earth listed as vulnerable on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List — can be hunted off Iceland, while other whale populations are protected.^[6][9]

Sources: ^[1]Phys, ^[2]The Reykjavik Grapevine, ^[3]Government of Iceland, ^[4]Iceland Monitor, ^[5]Icelandreview, ^[6]IFLScience, ^[7]Oceanographic, ^[8]CNN and ^[9]BBC News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Whale & Dolphin Conservation UK and Visir.Is. This whaling permit issuance by an outgoing government shows disregard for democracy and animal welfare as the hunting methods cause prolonged suffering to whales and violate modern conservation principles. The decision ignores declining market demand and growing public opposition to whaling.
• Narrative B, as provided by Government of Iceland and RÚV. The permits follow existing laws and regulations and remain well within population sustainability bounds, ensuring predictability for the whaling industry while adhering to sustainable resource management principles. The decision represents legitimate administrative processing based on scientific advice and legal consultation and would allow Icelanders to utilize resources to create value, jobs, and export revenue.

Predictions