Soon-to-be former Minister of Fisheries Einar K. Guðfinnsson raised a stir yesterday when he announced that he had allotted a major whaling quota for the next five years. The announcement is likely to be amongst his last as minister, as the current coalition government has technically resigned and is currently preparing to leave office.
In an online report, the BBC quotes Árni Finnsson of the Iceland Nature Conservation Association as saying that the statement is an act of sabotage and bitterness against the incoming government, and that the incoming administration would in all likelihood reverse the decision. Various representatives of the Left Greens and Social Democratic Alliance have already been quoted in saying that they do not support the decision and intend to reverse it.
If instated however, the quotas will allow for the catching of 100 minke whales (double the previous quota) and 150 fin whales (up from a total of seven in the last three seasons) annually over the next five years.
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