Iceland suspends whaling again in summer

Because the no-fishing zone in Iceland has been extended, the boats would have to go too far out to sea to hunt minke whales, whalers say. In addition, they say, the strict coronavirus regulations have made processing whale meat almost impossible. They also complain that Japan has closed its market by subsidizing domestic whalers and imposing very strict guidelines on foreign imports.

After an interruption of several years, Iceland resumed "scientific whaling" in 2003, and commercial whaling restarted as well in 2006. In Icelandic waters, minke whales and the endangered fin whales are the most common species. In 2018, 146 fin whales and six minke whales were hunted and killed off Iceland's coast.

The fin whale is the closest relative of the blue whale and lives in all the world's oceans. It avoids coastal regions. Most of the time, fin whales travel alone, but sometimes they live in relatively small groups. For mating and the birth of their young, they migrate to subtropical waters during the winter months. In summer, they move back to the colder regions of the Arctic and Antarctic.

The fin whale swims faster and dives deeper than most other whales. It can reach a speed of almost 50 kph (31 mph) and regularly dives more than 200 meters (656 feet) deep. It can stay under water for about 15 minutes. The fin whale consumes up to two tonnes (2.2 US tons) of food — mostly krill — per day. The animals can grow up to 30 meters (98 feet) long and weigh 70 tonnes.

Commercial whaling exists only in Iceland, Norway and, since 2018, again in Japan. For 30 years, Japan had officially hunted for scientific purposes only. However, a special permit from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) allowed Japan to sell the meat of killed animals for human consumption after they had been studied. Currently, the country's annual catch quota is 383 animals.

With the resumption of whaling in Japan, the demand for this expensive delicacy has also increased again. But for a long time, younger Japanese in particular were not interested in whale meat. The best pieces are processed into sashimi and eaten raw. One kilogram (2.2 pounds) costs the equivalent of up to €300 ($327).

Japan often refers to its long whaling tradition. At present, however, there is only one company involved in offshore whaling activities. Kyodo Senpaku Co. from Tokyo earns around €12.8 million ($14 million) annually from whaling. It hunts sei whales, Bryde's whales and minke whales, among others.

Minke whales or lesser rorquals grow to about 10.6 meters (35 feet) in length and are found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Because of their small size and trusting nature, they are easy to hunt. Unlike other rorquals, minke whales are curious and approach ships. The worldwide population is estimated at over 300,000 animals. Minke whales are thus not classified as an endangered species.

Minke whales are fast swimmers that can jump out of the water and dive for at least 15 minutes. They often live in fairly small groups. Males, females and different age groups migrate separately. In general, males migrate further north and prefer the open sea, while females prefer coastal waters and tend to stay in the south.

Commercial whaling has already caused whale stocks to shrink dramatically. Many species were or are threatened with extinction. Environmental pollution and climate change are causing additional problems for these sensitive marine mammals. This picture shows animal welfare activists trying to stop a container ship that wants to transport whale meat to Japan.