Fishing Ministry Silent On Fin Whale Hunting Moratorium

The US Embassy in Iceland has welcomed the news that Iceland will not hunt fin whales this summer, but the Ministry of Fishing is offering no statement on the matter.

MBL reports that the US Embassy in Iceland has responded to recent news that Hvalur hf., the only whaling company in Iceland that hunts fin whales, will not be hunting any this summer.

In a response from the embassy, they say that they view Hvalur’s decision as a “positive development”.
They furthermore say that they support the International Whaling Commission (IWC) ban on whaling for profit.

When reached for a response to the embassy statement, Minister of Agriculture and Fishing Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson had little to offer, saying only, “I consider it completely untimely to make any statements that whaling has been stopped.”

In fact, the government is awaiting data from the Marine Research Institute on how many fin whales and minke whales may be “safely” hunted. As minke whales will be hunted this summer, it is still too soon to declare the death of Icelandic whaling.