INTRODUCTION: The fin whale is the second largest species on the planet – a giant at more than 20 metres in length but able to swim at speeds in excess of 35km per hour, earning it the nickname ‘greyhound of the sea’. For decades it was the target of industrial-scale commercial whaling operations whose factory fleets decimated whale populations in all oceans. The wholesale slaughter ended in 1986 with the implementation of the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling. However, the damage done to the fin whale was already catastrophic; almost 30 years later it remains an endangered species.
This report provides background information on Iceland’s whaling and whale product exports and exposes the connections between Hvalur, an Icelandic whaling company and the Icelandic companies which – if given sufficient motivation – have the power to finally end the hunt.
“It is time for the Contracting Governments to the IWC and non-member governments worldwide to take strong diplomatic
and economic action to bring an end to what is clearly the most flagrant abuse of the moratorium on commercial whaling
since its inception. ”
Main Photo: (EIA)