Iceland is set to propose legislation that would permanently prohibit commercial whaling, positioning Japan and Norway as the lone nations continuing this practice. The Icelandic government plans to present the bill to parliament in February, aiming to establish a lasting cessation of commercial whaling activities. This initiative follows extensive debates and pressure from animal welfare and conservation organizations that have long opposed whaling on ethical and environmental grounds.
Iceland’s whaling industry, which predominantly hunts fin whales classified as vulnerable, operates under a government-approved quota system. During the whaling season, which spans from June to September, numerous fin whales are captured. The proposed ban has garnered significant support from animal rights groups, who emphasize the ethical and ecological ramifications of commercial whaling.
Despite an international moratorium on commercial whaling introduced in 1986 to safeguard whale populations, Iceland resumed the practice in 2006. Norway followed suit in 1993, and Japan, after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission in 2019, resumed commercial whaling within its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. Should Iceland enact the proposed legislation, Norway and Japan would remain as the only countries engaged in commercial whaling.
While the international moratorium seeks to protect whales globally, it allows for exceptions in certain regions where indigenous communities, such as those in parts of Greenland and Alaska, engage in whale hunting for nutritional, cultural, and traditional purposes. The proposed ban in Iceland reflects a growing global sentiment against commercial whaling, emphasizing conservation and animal welfare.