Greenpeace has reported that the whaling boat Hvalur 9 dragged two massive fin whales up to the ancient whaling station ramp at Hvalförður in the early hours of 19 June.
The whales are the first of 150 fin whales Icelandic whaler Kristjan Loftsson plans to hunt this year, despite, according to Greenpeace, having no domestic market for the meat and no interest from importers in Japan. The hunt is part of a five year whaling programme agreed by the former Icelandic government, just hours before it collapsed earlier this year. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists fin whales as an endangered species globally that requires special protection.
Iceland’s new government under Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir has openly voiced its opposition to whaling, but has no stopped the hunt.
Greenpeace has accused the Icelandic government of not only failing to stop the controversial fin whale hunt from going ahead, but also failing to stop a hunt of minke whales that started in May. Shockingly, the minkes are being hunted in the same areas as those visited by whale watching trips.
