Reykjavík – 06/25/2026: After a two-year break, Iceland has resumed commercial whaling. Two fin whales have already been killed, and the catch quotas for 2026 allow the killing of up to 150 fin whales and 168 minke whales.
The Icelandic whaling company Hvalur hf. has prepared its ships for this year’s season. Last Saturday, the whaling vessels departed from the port of Reykjavík to resume hunting fin whales. An activist chained himself to one of the masts to protest against whaling but was removed by the police.
The catch quotas for 2026 were set by Iceland’s Marine Research Institute Hafrannsóknastofnun and the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO). For fin whales, a maximum catch of 150 animals was recommended, divided into 116 animals in the East Greenland/West Iceland area and 34 animals in the East Iceland/Faroe Islands area. For minke whales, the recommended maximum is 168 animals. These recommendations represent a decrease of about 28% for fin whales and 23% for minke whales compared to previous quotas.
In recent years, whaling in Iceland was suspended due to economic considerations and animal welfare concerns. The current quotas were cautiously reduced, as the evaluation of the 2024 whale counts has not yet been completed. Iceland’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, emphasized that permits for whaling should be granted based on the Marine Research Institute’s recommendations. However, she acknowledged that the current situation is not ideal and that a draft law to ban whaling is being prepared for the coming winter.
Animal welfare organizations sharply criticize the resumption of whaling. Joanna Swabe from the NGO Humane World for Animals called it “deeply discouraging” that the Icelandic whaling ship is leaving port to start a new whaling season. She stressed that there is no humane way to kill a whale.
The resumption of whaling in Iceland comes amid growing political tensions and ongoing criticism of whaling. The catch quotas for 2026 allow for the killing of up to 150 fin whales and 168 minke whales. The debate over a final ban on whaling in Iceland remains current.
Iceland is one of only three countries worldwide, alongside Norway and Japan, that still conducts commercial whaling. The country left the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1992, rejoined in 2002, but has since ignored the global ban on commercial whaling.
The resumption of whaling in Iceland has caused international uproar and raises questions about marine environmental protection and the treatment of endangered species. The discussion about a final ban on whaling in Iceland remains ongoing.