A few months ago, the country's most obstinate whaler, Kristján Loftsson, suddenly announced that he would resume whaling on 10th June this year, after a four-year lull. His quota? A shocking 161 fin whales.
It's devastating news for the planet's second largest animal, which is still recovering from the ravages of more than one and a half centuries of commercial whaling. At least 915,000 fin whales have been killed worldwide - and they are still considered 'vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List.
Iceland is one of three countries continuing to make a mockery of the International Whaling Commission's 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling (the others are Norway and Japan). It stormed out of the IWC in 1992, then rejoined 10 years later (but this time, disgracefully, it was allowed to take out an official 'reservation' against the whaling ban).
This story is from the September 2022 edition of BBC Wildlife.
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This story is from the September 2022 edition of BBC Wildlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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