Whale Friends say whaling has become pointless

Whale Friends say continued whaling has become pointless because the market for whale meat has largely disappeared, mbl.is reports. The organisation said 51 fin whales have been killed during the current season, while meat from previous years remains in frozen storage.

The group also referred to monitoring reports from the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, known as MAST, which it said showed that 10 of the first 24 fin whales hunted this season endured prolonged deaths.

In one case, a whale was shot four times over 31 minutes before showing no further signs of life. The first shot hit the target area and the grenade exploded, but the whale resurfaced six minutes later.

“Experience shows that it is impossible to ensure a quick and painless death,” the organisation said. It referred to a 2023 conclusion by the Animal Welfare Council that the method used to hunt large whales did not comply with Act No. 55/2013 on animal welfare.

The organisation also said MAST data from the 2022 hunt showed that only 59 per cent of fin whales died immediately, while the most prolonged deaths lasted up to two hours.

MAST assessed the latest incident by saying that the crew had done everything in its power to kill the whale as quickly as possible. The authority described the 31-minute death struggle as “very unfortunate”, but nevertheless concluded that the crew had acted in accordance with regulations on fin-whale hunting and animal-welfare legislation.

Whale Friends said the conclusion raised urgent questions for the authorities. “The problem lies in the hunt itself and the regulations that permit it,” the organisation said. “Laws intended to protect animals from unnecessary suffering become meaningless if a prolonged and painful death meets their requirements as long as everyone follows procedure.”

Criticism of Hval’s new plans

Whale Friends also criticised new plans by Hval hf. to use whale meat to produce iron supplements after the company abandoned sales to the Japanese market.

The organisation said there was no need to kill large whales for such production and called on the authorities to stop whaling immediately.

“We call on the authorities to take responsibility and stop the hunt. No animal should have to endure a prolonged death struggle. No animal should have to die pointlessly,” it said.