Hopes for the end of whaling have been dashed. Iceland’s government has quietly announced the lifting of the summer ban on whaling.
According to Iceland’s Agriculture Minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir, after much discussion, the government has concluded that whaling can resume under new rules.
Under the new regulations, whales can only be hunted off Iceland within a distance of 25 meters from the boat. In addition, hunters are not allowed to kill any whales if a calf is following them. The new rules also ban the use of electricity as a killing method.
Animal rights activists said they were disappointed with the decision. They fear that many whales will be condemned to a cruel, unnecessary death
Iceland’s only whaling company, Hvalur, continues commercial hunting of fin whales, while the species is considered vulnerable to extinction.