This season‘s first Fin whale was caught late on Monday night by whaling boat Hvalur 8. The boat is now sailing back to Iceland and is expected to be landing at the whaling station in Hvalfjörður Tuesday afternoon, RÚV reports.
The whaling season has just begun and the two whaling boats operated by Hvalur ehf. departed from Reykjavík harbour on Sunday evening.
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) instantly responded to the first killing by condemning Iceland‘s whaling. “Contrary to statements from Icelandic government officials, these majestic animals, second in size only to the blue whale, are not ‘Icelandic,’ they belong to no one country. Fin whales are highly migratory, endangered, and are protected under a number of international treaties,” Susan Millward, executive director of AWI, said in a statement.
“Today’s killing of an endangered fin whale makes it absolutely clear that years of international diplomatic efforts have failed, and that Iceland is determined to act as a rogue whaling nation, no matter the cost to its tourism and seafood industries.”
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