Success: Icelandic Whaling Company Cancels Hunt for Fin Whales

Target: Kristján Loftsson, CEO of Hvalur, Iceland’s only whaling company

Goal: Commend whaling company for cancelling this season’s hunt for endangered whales.

Iceland’s only whaling company recently announced that they will not be hunting endangered fin whales this summer. The company has received numerous complaints and petitions from conservationists, including one published on ForceChange, demanding that they cease the illegal hunting of endangered whales for the sale of their meat, blubber, and oil. Now Kristján Loftsson’s whaling company, Hvalur, has finally cancelled its seasonal whale hunt and taken a step toward ending this harmful practice.

Fin whales are one of the largest mammals in the world, second only to the blue whale, and are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The Icelandic whaling company has slaughtered over 700 of these threatened animals since Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006, and killed 155 in the last year alone. They have a lot to make up for, and this cancellation of the whale hunt is a step in the right direction.

Keep in mind, however, that Loftsson has refrained from whale hunting in the past only to return to the unethical business in the hopes of making a profit. Even now, his decision to cancel this summer’s hunt is a direct reaction to economic difficulties. The company sells the majority of its fin whale meat to Japan, where it is served in restaurants, but Loftsson has been faced with obstacles concerning Japan’s health standards that have made the business no longer lucrative.

So while Loftsson and his company deserve to be applauded for this important step towards ending whale hunting, it is also important to remind them how essential it is that they end the killing of endangered fin whales once and for all. Sign the petition below to thank the Hvalur whaling company for cancelling this season’s whale hunt and urge them to continue taking steps toward protecting endangered whales.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Loftsson,

Thank you for deciding to cancel Hvalur’s fin whale hunt this season. Fin whales are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and as the second largest mammal in the world, they deserve to be protected. It is heartening to see a whaling company that in the past has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of these endangered whales taking a step toward ending this unethical practice.

The decision to cancel this summer’s whale hunt is a positive step for your company and sets Iceland apart as an example to be followed. Thank you for letting fin whales live, and please continue to take steps toward protecting endangered whales and ending the practice of hunting them for their meat, blubber, and oil.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: alienlebarge