Icelandic Whaling

June 4, 2024

Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir
Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries

Dear Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir,

As conservation organizations committed to the protection of our ocean, we are very concerned about the impact of commercial whaling on biodiversity and the climate. The welfare of fin whales, a vulnerable species, is a matter of utmost urgency.

Science is continuously teaching us now how important whales are for ocean ecosystem resilience and, by extension, climate resilience. Fin whales are a keystone species in the ocean, engaging in vital roles – they are part of the carbon pump, moving nutrients up and down the water column, providing limiting nutrients, which helps increase ocean productivity and marine plant life, producing oxygen and allowing the ocean to absorb more CO₂.

The increasing impacts of ocean warming, deoxygenation, and chemical pollution are converging to stress marine wildlife like never before. They affect where whales can rest, reproduce and find their food. It is now the duty of nations to actively limit all unnecessary harm to marine wildlife including whales.

As such, we urge you not to grant any form of license to hunt whales. The continued hunting of fin or any other whale species runs contrary to our collective efforts to overcome and battle climate change and the decline of marine biodiversity.

Considering the shared values of the Vinstri Græn party in protecting the environment, this is a great opportunity for Iceland to set a precedent for the protection and preservation of biodiversity and the ocean, and to take a leading role on the world stage. Iceland is committed to the Paris Agreement and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Whaling is contrary to the protection of vulnerable species and limits the nature-based solutions that whales provide, undermining Iceland’s obligations under these international agreements.

Following a review of the 2022 fin whale hunt, the MAST ethical review board concluded in 2023 that there is no humane way to kill a great whale. According to the most recent MAST report, there has been no statistically significant improvement in welfare standards during the 2023 hunt, even with new measures in place. In 2023, one in five hunted whales did not die instantly and took up to 35 minutes to succumb to multiple harpoon shots. From a welfare perspective, these are shocking statistics and would not be tolerated in any other food industry. Great whales are magnificent animals with remarkable intelligence. Recently, it was discovered that sperm whales communicate with a coda alphabet similar to human language. We should be treating all sentient animals with compassion and respect with this knowledge at hand.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling almost forty years ago to protect these vulnerable species. Since then, Iceland has killed more than 1,900 whales, either commercially or under ‘scientific permit’, undermining the spirit and effectiveness of the moratorium.

Protecting our oceans is not only the right thing to do, it also opens up opportunities for international scientific cooperation and significant economic benefits. Iceland has experienced these benefits firsthand through ecotourism revenue, which could increase with the restoration of whale populations.  This is especially important at a time when Iceland is facing a potential reduction in tourism due to frequent volcanic eruptions as well as the concerns expressed by the international film industry last autumn when they pledged to boycott Iceland if whaling continues.

What we do in the ocean has consequences for nations and species in other parts of the planet since whales are migratory.  The whales hunted off the coast of Iceland travel up and down the Atlantic every year from Svalbard to the Azores, passing through the territorial waters of more than a half dozen countries – these whales belong to nobody.

We urge you to protect the future of life on the planet, and to desist from granting any form of license to hunt whales in Iceland. In addition, we urge you to enable the withdrawal of the Icelandic reservation to the IWC’s moratorium on commercial whaling, as well as the reservations regarding fin whales and other cetaceans at CITES.

Best regards,

Last Whaling Station
Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Gallifrey Foundation
Neptune’s Pirates UK
Hard to Port
Ocean Missions
Sea Legacy
Seaspiracy
Stop Ecocide International
Mission Blue
One Blue Marble
Kogia
Pro Wildlife
Extinction Rebellion
Ecotricity
Grounded
Keystone Species Alliance
Cetacean Society International
SPECIESISM
Acción Océanos
Norwegian Whale Reserve
UrgentSeas
Wild Earth Oceania
Blue Green Future
Until Lolita is Home
Environmental Investigation Agency
Centro de Conservacion Cetacea
Blue Marine Foundation
Brazilian Humpback Whale Institute
Brazilian Institute for Nature Conservation
NOAH – for animal rights
Cetaceans.org
Origami Whale Project
Fundación Proma
Instituto de Conservacion de Ballenas
Plant Based News
The Freedom Food Alliance
Animal Save Movement
Climate Save Movement
Plant Based Treaty
Fundación Cethus
Sounds of the Ocean
Animal justice project
The Whaleman Foundation
Fundacion Patagonia Azul
Campaign Against Trade in Endangered Species
chilli.club
Dolphin Connection
The Empathy Project
Elephant Reintegration Trust
Born Free Foundation
Dolphin Project
Leading Through Storms
Lightkeepers Foundation
In Defense of Animals
Only One
The Watermen Project
Swiss Cetacean Society