Four companies apply for whaling permits in Iceland

Four companies have submitted applications to obtain permits for whaling. Besides Hval hf., which seeks to hunt blue whales, three other companies have requested licenses for hunting minke whales. It is currently unclear when these applications will be processed.

The companies that have applied include Útgerðarfélagið Vonin ehf., Tjaldtangi ehf., and Fasteignafélagið Ból ehf. According to the details provided, Vonin submitted its application on July 28, Tjaldtangi on October 25, and Ból on October 29. In response to inquiries regarding the status of these applications, the Ministry of Food indicated that Bjarni Benediktsson, who serves as both the Prime Minister and interim Food Minister, recently communicated on November 7 that Jón Gunnarsson would not be involved in the assessment of the whaling permit applications.

It was mentioned that during the review period, Jón had not taken part in handling the applications. The ownership of the companies includes Braga Ólafsson and Þórður Bragason for Vonin, Gunnars Torfason and Hildar Kristínar Einarsdóttir for Tjaldtangi, and Þórður Steinar Lárusson, Þorbjargar Bergsdóttir, Þorsteinn Orri Þórðarson, and Þorbjörn Atli Þórðarson for Ból.

While the future of whaling permits hangs in the balance, discussions around the environmental and ethical implications continue to shape public opinion in the region.