Iceland whale looking season suspended – presumably signaling finish of apply
I
celand has suspended this 12 months’s whale hunt till the top of August resulting from animal welfare issues – a transfer more likely to carry the controversial apply to an finish.
Food Minister Svandis Svavarsdottir mentioned he had “taken the decision to suspend whaling” till August 31.
His determination follows a government-commissioned report which concluded the hunt doesn’t adjust to Iceland’s Animal Welfare Act.
The nation’s final remaining whaling firm, Hvalur, had beforehand mentioned this might be its remaining season because the hunt has grow to be much less worthwhile.
Iceland’s whaling season historically runs from mid-June to mid-September, and it’s uncertain Hvalur would head out to sea that late within the season.
Annual quotas authorise the killing of 209 fin whales — the second-longest marine mammal after the blue whale — and 217 minke whales, one of many smallest species.
But catches have gone down drastically in recent times resulting from a dwindling marketplace for whale meat.
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Group hailed the choice as “huge”.
It mentioned: “Together with the support of other marine charities and a public outcry in Iceland and abroad, we’ve saved around 150 fin whales from a painful and horrific death this year. “
Iceland, Norway and Japan are the only countries in the world that have continued whale hunting in the face of fierce criticism from environmentalists and animal rights’ defenders.
A recent monitoring report by the Food and Veterinary Authority on the fin whale hunt found the killing of the animals took too long based on the main objectives of the Animal Welfare Act.
Shocking video clips recently broadcast by the veterinary authority showed a whale’s agony as it was hunted for five hours.
“If the government and licensees cannot guarantee welfare requirements, these activities do not have a future,” the minister mentioned.
Opposition to whaling has been on the rise in Iceland with a majority now in favour of dropping the apply, a latest ballot confirmed.