It’s a majestic sea scene. On a still day, a ship slices through the water as a pair of whales breach the surface just meters away.
They appear to swim with the ship, splashing water into the air as they do so.
But suddenly the illusion bursts. With a loud bang, an exploding harpoon is fired from the deck, impaling the nearest of the two creatures.
The shot does not kill the fin whale immediately. Instead, a two-hour struggle for survival ensues as the gentle giant meets an agonizing death at the hands of Icelandic fishermen. It’s all captured in this graphic video.
Footage filmed by a person on board a trawler has shed new light on the barbaric practice of whaling after it was reportedly leaked by an animal rights group – and may have finally put an end to the practice in Iceland.
This footage of exploding harpoons being used to hunt a whale, filmed by a person aboard a trawler, sheds new light on the barbaric practice after it was reported to have been leaked by an animal rights group – and it may have been put an end to the practice in Iceland
Iceland, Norway and Japan are the only countries in the world that continue to hunt whales, despite fierce criticism from animal rights activists.
Every year, images of Iceland showing the butchering of giant whale carcasses emerge at facilities across the island nation, sparking a global outcry.
Iceland’s whaling season runs from mid-June to mid-September. Annual catch quotas allow for the killing of 209 fin whales – the second longest marine mammal after the blue whale – and 217 minke whales, one of the smallest species.
While catches have plummeted in recent years due to a shrinking market for whale meat, the slaughter continues.
The Nordic country is left with just one whaling company, Hvalur, after another company finally gave up its harpoons in 2020, saying it was no longer profitable.
According to Icelandic newspaper Heimildin, it is a Hvalur-operated ship – Hvalur 8 – that is featured in the gruesome video. It set sail on September 20, 2022.
At the time the leaked footage was recorded, the crew had already caught a 60-foot fin whale (called Langreyður in Icelandic) but wanted more.
As the ship passed through Selvogsbanki, a reef about 25 miles south of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, the crew spotted the two fin whales swimming together.
Just before 8 p.m., when whoever was swimming closest to Hvalur 8 came up to breathe and sprayed a stream of water into the air, the crew released the harpoon and landed a direct hit.
A whale is seen breaching the surface of the water in video taken on September 20, 2022 from the deck of an Icelandic whaling ship. Moments later, an explosive harpoon is shot into the fin whale’s side by the fishermen, launching a five-hour battle
Pictured: The moment when an explosive speargun from the deck of the Hvalur-8 ship struck the left flank of a female fin whale just before 8 p.m. on September 20, 2022
According to Heimildin, the explosive harpoon struck the 65-foot-long female fin whale in her stomach. But it didn’t kill her right away, as the video shows.
With this shot the battle of the titans begins, in which there can only be one winner.
With the harpoon low in its side and still attached to the boat, the whale tries to swim for its life. Instead of trying to capture her and put an end to her suffering, the crew lets the whale swim on like a dog on a leash.
The footage is time-stamped to show the sun dips below the horizon at around 8:30 p.m. and it begins to get dark.
To keep track of their catch, the crew shines a spotlight on the whale, showing how the rope is tightened each time it tries to break free.
Each time she does, clouds of bright red blood rush to the surface of the water, showing the depth of the wound inflicted by the harpoon.
As the light quickly fades, the crew decides that a harpoon isn’t enough.
Another bang signals that a second has been fired. But the whale is still fighting, even though it’s now attached to the ship with two ropes.
At this point in the footage, the fight is taking place in near total darkness. The blood continues to boil on the surface and the crew fires another harpoon.
The whale disappears from view for a while, but then reappears, sending another jet of water into the sky and rising to breathe.
Another loud bang is heard as a fourth harpoon is fired, delivering the final blow.
According to Heimildin, of the 148 fin whales caught during last summer’s 100-day hunting season, 36 had to be shot twice or more.
The fact that the whales are being killed in such a gruesome and lengthy manner was apparently the reason someone was on board to film the incident. Heimildin reported that inspectors from Norway’s Food Standard agency were on board to monitor the whales’ welfare, according to Icelandic Food Minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir.
To keep track of their catch as night falls, the crew of Hvalur 8 illuminates the whale as its fight for survival continues
At this point in the footage, the fight is taking place in near total darkness. The blood continues to boil on the surface and the crew soon fires another harpoon
The whale is seen gasping for air while continuing to fight the harpoon
Pictured: The whale squirts water into the air and releases a red mist from its wounds
So it seems no coincidence that the Icelandic government announced on Tuesday that it would suspend this year’s whale hunt for animal welfare reasons until the end of August, likely bringing the controversial practice to an historic end.
Officials said recent monitoring of fin whale hunts by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority found the killing of the animals was taking too long in relation to the key objectives of the Animal Welfare Act.
“I have made the decision to suspend whaling until August 31,” Svavarsdóttir said in a statement after a government-commissioned report concluded that the hunt was not in line with Iceland’s Animal Welfare Act.
“If the government and licensees cannot guarantee the welfare requirements, these activities have no future,” the minister said.
Given that Hvalur’s license will expire at the end of 2023 and it’s doubtful its boats would set sail after the end of August, this practice may have ended for good in the Nordic country.
Animal rights groups and environmentalists welcomed the decision, and Humane Society International called it “an important milestone in the compassionate protection of whales.”
“There is no humane way to kill a whale at sea and so we urge the Minister to make this a permanent ban,” said Humane Society International’s executive director for Europe, Ruud Tombrock.
“Whales already face so many serious threats in the oceans from pollution, climate change, entanglement in fishing nets and ship attacks that ending cruel commercial whaling is the only ethical conclusion.”
Sea Shepherd UK chief Robert Read said the decision was also a “devastating blow” to other whaling nations.
“If whaling cannot be humanely conducted here, then it cannot be humanely conducted anywhere.”
“Whales are architects of the ocean.” “They help boost biodiversity and fight climate change by influencing the carbon cycle,” he added.
Opposition to whaling is growing in Iceland, and a majority are now in favor of ending the practice.
Hvalur 9 transports a 20-meter-long fin whale from its hull to the processing plant in Hvalfjördur, near Reykjavik. At the time, the whale was the first to be caught in almost four years
Every year, images emerge from Iceland showing the slaughter of giant whale carcasses from facilities on the island nation, sparking a global outcry
Iceland’s whaling season runs from mid-June to mid-September. Annual catch quotas allow for the killing of 209 fin whales – the second longest marine mammal after the blue whale – and 217 minke whales, one of the smallest species
Iceland is left with just one whaling company, Hvalur, after another gave up its harpoons for good in 2020, saying it was no longer profitable. Pictured: whaling ship Hvalur 9 in 2022
A poll published in early June found that 51 percent of Icelanders were against hunting and 29 percent were in favour, with those over 60 the most in favour.
Iceland has been heavily dependent on fishing and whaling for centuries.
But over the past two decades, the tourism industry, including whale-watching tours, has thrived — and the two key sectors of the economy have divergent interests.
However, whaling continues in other parts of the world. Japan, by far the largest market for whale meat, resumed commercial whaling in 2019 after a three-decade hiatus, drastically reducing the need for imports from Iceland.