Iceland could be preparing to consign commercial whaling to history.
The Icelandic government has announced that it will submit a bill in February 2027 that could permanently ban commercial whaling in the country’s waters. By the 8th of September this year, 80 fin whales had reportedly been killed in Icelandic waters. The annual quota allows up to 150. Fin whales are the second-largest animals on Earth. They are also classified as vulnerable to extinction. But population numbers are not the only reason whaling should end.
In 2023, a government-commissioned investigation into Icelandic whaling exposed just how prolonged these deaths can be. Whales are pursued at sea and struck with explosive harpoons. The report found that some harpooned whales took as long as two hours to die.
Two hours.
Whatever arguments once surrounded commercial whaling, we now know exactly what it can mean for the individual whale. And what exactly is being defended?
Iceland now has just one remaining whaling company, Hvalur. The industry is not some unavoidable cornerstone of modern life. It is the deliberate killing of sentient animals for a commercial activity that Iceland is entirely capable of leaving behind. Pressure has been building for years. The findings of the 2023 report resulted in a temporary suspension of whaling that year. Iceland’s minister of industries has since described the country’s whaling laws as outdated and expressed support for ending the hunt.
Now that possibility could become law.
There is an important catch. Hvalur currently holds a permit running until 2029, and campaigners believe those existing permissions could be allowed to expire even if new legislation introduces a ban. That would still mean more whales dying before commercial whaling finally ends. So the case for acting quickly could hardly be clearer.
Societies change. Industries disappear. Traditions do not automatically deserve to continue simply because people have practised them before. When we learn more about the animals affected by our choices, we have a responsibility to reconsider those choices. Iceland now has an opportunity to do exactly that.
If Iceland finally walks away from commercial whaling that would leave Norway and Japan as the only two countries to permit commercial whaling. We have launched a petition calling on the Norwegian Government to permanently ban commercial whaling, stop issuing commercial quotas and support those currently involved in the industry towards alternative sources of income. Iceland could be leaving commercial whaling behind. Norway should be next. Sign the petition.