Every indication seems to point to Iceland continue its policy of whaling, and possibly even expanding upon it. Two recent news events underline this:
First of all, Minister of Fisheries Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, in response to a question posed in parliament by Social Democrat MP Mörður Árnason as to how the minister estimates the global response has been to Iceland’s decision to begin whaling again, told parliament that the decision does not seem to have harmed Iceland in any way. The minister said that he had been worried about what effect whaling would have on the Icelandic economy, and had given every question and suggestion about whaling careful consideration. In the end, no serious campaign against Iceland in response to the whaling decision had been launched.
Second, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, in cooperation with the Institute of Economic Studies, intends to research what effect whaling has on the employment sector, investments and exports, as well as its effects if any on the tourism industry.
The Ministry of Fisheries will also create a special office in conjunction with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be able to respond to foreign business partners who express concerns about Iceland’s practice of whaling.