He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
For the first time since 2002, last year no flashes have been hunteda in Iceland.
THEIceland is one of three countries where commercial whaling is still allowed, along with Norway and Japan, but despite the Icelandic government having issued hunting permits as usual, in 2019 no whales were killed.
Le reasons so the fishing boats have given up on hunting whales are different. In the first place, the choice depended on a modification of the food choices of consumers.
Indeed, it seems that the market has registered a decreased demand for whale meat, especially among the new generations: although whale meat is considered a delicacy, about two thirds of Icelanders have chosen not to consume this product, because they are against hunting or because they are vegetarians.
Furthermore, in Iceland they have been approved new laws to regulate fishing along the coasts by extending the areas closed to fishing. These regulations, combined with new consumer trends, have made whaling unattractive.
The two main companies working in the sector, IP-Utgerd and Hvalur, therefore considered that the economic investments were too high in relation to the possible earnings and last June they decided to give up whaling.
It is a important turning point which gives hope for the future of whales and an eventual choice of the Icelandic government a definitively ban whaling for commercial purposes.
As early as the 90s Iceland had decided to suspend commercial hunting, but the practice was resumed in 2002 due to the high demand for whale meat also worldwide, especially from Japan.
Since then in Iceland, as well as in Norway, commercial whaling is still allowed despite the international moratorium of the International Whaling Commission, in force since 1986, for protect the species from the threat of extinction, while in Japan whales can be killed under the pretext of using them for scientific purposes.
For just over five years, however, several European countries have begun to hinder the trade in whale meat, denying access to Icelandic fishing vessels and thus interrupting trade routes with Japan.
Time hopefully also for 2020 companies decide to do not hunt whales in Iceland and that the same can also happen in Norway and Japan.
Read also:
-
- Whaling: Iceland wants to kill over two thousand
- Japan resumes whaling: an endless slaughter
- Norway kills more whales than Japan and Iceland combined
