The Icelandic government has granted a whaling license to commercial whaling company Hvalur, despite previously suspending its operations due to animal welfare concerns. On June 11, the government announced that Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir, Iceland’s minister of food, agriculture and fisheries, had granted a license for the 2024 whaling season, permitting Hvalur to hunt 99 vulnerable fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the waters around Greenland and West Iceland. The license also permits the hunting of 29 whales in the waters around East Iceland and the Faroe Islands, but experts say it’s unlikely Hvalur will sail its whaling vessels to this region. Kristján Loftsson, the CEO of Hvalur, actually requested a 5- or 10-year whaling license in his application that he submitted to the Icelandic government in January. However, the license he ultimately received will only allow his company to whale for the remainder of 2024 without a possibility of renewal. In June 2023, the Icelandic government suspended Hvalur’s whaling operations after a 2022 report conducted by the Icelandic government’s Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST) found that many whales suffer immensely after being harpooned. However, the ban was lifted in September of the same year, and Loftsson recommenced whaling for several weeks. Hvalur’s license subsequently expired in 2023, prompting speculation about whether whaling would continue in the Nordic nation. The harpoon ship Hvalur 8 arriving at the whaling station in Hvalfjörður, West Iceland. Two fin whales are tied to the starboard side of the ship. Image by Arne Feuerhahn / Hard to…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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