Iceland reauthorizes whaling with tighter rules

O The start of the hunting season was postponed due to a critical report on the compatibility of the practice with animal protection laws, which sparked a heated debate on the subject in the country, one of the few where the crustacean continues to be captured and traded.

The Ministry of Food and Fisheries reported that, after analyzing the results of a working group created for the purpose, it concluded that hunting methods can be improved from the point of view of animal welfare.

The guardianship will publish a new regulation with “more detailed and stricter requirements for equipment and hunting methods, as well as greater control”, which will come into force by the end of the year.

The Finnish Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, of the Greens, said today in an interview that it is important to reassess the situation when the season is over and reiterated that she herself is against whaling, as is her party.

Iceland, Norway and Japan are the only countries that make the practice a commercial activity.

The species captured in Iceland is classified as endangered.

Public figures such as the Icelandic singer Bjork are in favor of banning this practice and, according to recent polls, around half of the population are in favor of its elimination and a third want it to continue.

Also Read: Three whales jumped simultaneously – and the (rare) moment was recorded