AFP
The Icelandic government approved this Friday (1st) the resumption of whaling under strict conditions after suspending it for more than two months in the name of animal welfare.
“Whaling can resume tomorrow,” announced the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries this Thursday (31).
The decision was received very negatively by animal rights activists, who hoped for an end to this practice after the decision to suspend hunting was made at the end of June.
“This decision is devastating and inexplicable,” Humane Society International said in a statement.
“The protection of whales is vital and this decision is a missed opportunity to put an end to these massacres at sea,” he added.
At the end of June, the government decided to stop hunting after publishing a governmentrequested report that concluded the practice was inconsistent with Icelandic animal welfare laws.
The document, prepared by veterinarians, concluded that the whales were dying too slowly. Recently released videos show the ordeal of last year’s whale hunt, which lasted five hours.
In support of the new permit, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries stated in a statement that there was a basis for “changes in hunting methods that would lead to fewer irregularities and thus an improvement from an animal welfare perspective.”
Currently only the Hvalur company has a whaling license in Iceland. “[Ela] “We must respect the regulations imposed by the government today,” the authorities said.
This regulation “provides for more stringent requirements for hunting equipment and methods as well as increased surveillance,” he added.
Hvalur’s license expires in 2023. The company has already announced that this season will be its last due to the low profitability of fishing.
The company has not yet responded to the government’s decision, although according to local press, its boats went out to sea to locate whales this week in anticipation of the new executive measure.
Annual quotas allow the capture of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales. In recent years, catches have been significantly lower due to lower demand for whale meat.
Iceland, Norway and Japan are the last three countries in the world to authorize the hunting of these animals.