Iceland scales back its whale catch

The Icelandic government will put their so-called "scientific" whaling program on hold and limit this year's take to 25 minke whales. The planned take of 500 whales, including sei and fin during a two-year period, has been cancelled, due to a strong domestic criticism combined with the lack of a market for whale products.

A total of 36 minke whales have been caught since last year when Iceland, despite massive global protests, resumed whaling again for the first time in 14 years.

"This is as close to a victory as we could have hoped for," said Greenpeace spokesperson Frode Pleym. "The Government of Iceland has made a wise decision, that will benefit the Icelandic people in the future. By choosing a truly sustainable future path, Iceland sets an example for other whaling nations to follow."

The market for whale meat is small and decreasing in whaling nations Iceland, Norway and Japan due to changed eating habits and the level of environmental toxins in the whale products. Iceland still has an ample supply of whale meat left since last year's take, and no future market in sight.

The growing domestic opposition also came as a surprise to the government. The Icelandic Tourist Association and the whale watching operators have made it clear that a restart of whaling in Iceland will damage the reputation of the nation and decrease the amount of tourists visiting. Tourism has become one of the major sources of income in Iceland in recent years and whale watching attracts around 72,000 tourists yearly and is worth more than $14.6 million a year to the Icelandic economy.

Greenpeace will keep following the whaling issue until the Icelandic government puts a final stop to this industry of the past. The Greenpeace ship MV Esperanza will visit Iceland again this summer and we will be campaigning at the annual IWC meeting in Italy in July for the moratorium on whaling to be respected, said Pleym.

Last autumn Greenpeace launched an offer to the Icelandic government showing the clear economic and environmental gain in choosing sustainable tourism over whaling. This was done by a worldwide soliticitation of pledges to consider a vacation in Iceland if whaling was stopped. Today more than 50,000 people have taken the pledge, representing $58.3 million in tourism value versus $4 million from commercial whaling at its peak.

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Iceland cuts back its whale catch
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Iceland abandons a major part
of its whaling program

outdoors

Iceland abandons a major part of its whaling program

Iceland abandons a major part
of its whaling program