International conservation and animal welfare groups have united in opposition to plans within the Icelandic government to issue a ‘kill’ licence to the last whaling company in Europe ahead of the country’s elections at the end of this month.

Environmental groups including OceanCare, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Orca, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, and the Environmental Investigation Agency, have written to Iceland’s president, Halla Tómasdóttir, to express ‘deep concern’ over suggestions that the interim government will issue the whaling licence before the country’s official leadership has been decided upon at the end of November.

Earlier this year, the country granted a one-year licence to Hvalur, the last remaining whaling company in Europe, giving the company authorisation to kill more than 100 fin whales this hunting season. Iceland has traditionally aligned itself with countries like Japan and Norway, taking a pro-whaling stance.

Hopes were raised over progress towards ending the practice of whaling and breaking Iceland’s tradition at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting this October, when it abstained from voting on certain, related issues rather than following Japan’s lead.

Prior to this, the practice of whaling was temporarily suspended in 2023 following concerns over cruelty and transgression of Iceland’s animal welfare laws.

Over the last week, however, this progress has taken a knock-back. This month, Hvalur applied for an indefinite whaling licence or, failing this, a licence valid for 5 to 10 years which will be automatically extended by one year at a time at the end of each operating year.

Owned by Kristjan Loftsson, a millionaire businessman in his 80s, Hvalur is the last operating whaling company in Europe.

The company’s application for the licence is steeped in controversy. The Icelandic government is in a state of transition between elections, and the country is currently being governed by a ‘caretaker government’. This is meant to only act as a ‘placeholder’ until elections at the end of November establish the country’s new leadership. Typically, caretaker governments avoid making decisions on controversial matters, as the role is to simply keep government running smoothly.

Local environmental groups argue that making a decision on whaling during this transition period would run counter to the spirit of democratic governance, particularly when polling has showed that the majority of Icelanders are against it.

Prime Minister and Independence party chair, Bjarni Benediktsson, announced in an interview late last month that Hvalur’s request would be reviewed by Jón Gunarsson, who was appointed his special representative at the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries.

“This is a highly unusual move,” writes Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC)’s head of hunting and captivity, Luke McMillan. “Usually, whaling permits are issued only for the duration of the hunting season, with applications processed in the spring, just before the hunts begin. 

“This feels as though the whaling industry is rushing to secure its future before the next government has a chance to assess the situation fully.”

Gunnarsson – a fierce supporter of whale hunting – has since stated that reviewing the application is one of his primary priorities in his new role. When asked in an interview, last month, if a whaling licence will be issued, prime minister Benediktsson said: “If there is time, it can happen.”

Iceland has been governed since 2021 by a coalition of the conservative Independence party, led by Benediktsson, the centre-right Progressive party, and the leftwing Left-Green movement. In early October, this coalition was dissolved following policy disagreements.

A poll taken in 2023 by Maskina found that 51% of Icelanders are opposed to whaling, marking a significant increase on numbers since 2019, when only 42% voted against it. Meanwhile, a report published by MAST described 148 instances in which whales were shot as part of the hunting process; 36 of which needed to be hit more than once. Five whales were shot three times and four whales four times – while one whale with a harpoon in its back was chased for five hours.

In 2022, the Left-Green party’s then minister of fisheries, Svandis Svavarsdottir, suspended whaling after a report concluded that that year’s hunt did not comply with the country’s animal welfare legislation as the whales took too long – up to two hours – to die. This ban was later ruled unlawful by the parliamentary ombudsman.

In their letter to Tómasdottir, the international environmental groups cited the recent decision by Iceland to abstain from key votes at the IWC meeting.

“We respectfully urge you to consider the potential impact that a hasty decision may have on Iceland’s environmental legacy and its relationship with the global community,” it read. “Deferring the decision on any new whaling licences until a fully mandated government is in place would honour Iceland’s democratic process and uphold the country’s reputation as a responsible steward of marine ecosystems.”

Fin whales are the second largest mammal in the world and are listed as vulnerable to extinction on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their numbers have recovered after bans on hunting were introduced in many countries since the 1970s. 

In August this year, Japan announced it had killed its first fin whale, defending its decision to add the species to its list to be caught by stating that numbers had rebounded in the North Pacific to the point where they could be sustainably hunted. 

It’s a statement that has been largely panned by experts.

“Ending whaling would protect whale populations and demonstrate Iceland’s commitment to modern, sustainable practices,” writes McMillan from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. “As other countries move toward more conservation-focused policies, Iceland has the chance to lead by example. In doing so, it could maintain its reputation as a country that values non-human animals for their essential roles and not just as resources to be eaten and exploited and it could protect its thriving tourism industry.”

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