MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Greenpeace celebrates and supports cancellation of Icelandic fin whale hunt

Kristján Loftsson, CEO of whaling company Hvalur, made the announcement on arguments that it has encountered difficulties getting the whale meat to market.

Greenpeace celebrates the 'incredible' news that Iceland has cancelled the fin whale hunt for the current season and underlines that nowadays “there is simply no place for commercial whaling” plus the fact that Iceland and Japan have stockpiles of unwanted whale meat.

 Kristján Loftsson, CEO of whaling company Hvalur, made the announcement on arguments that it has encountered difficulties getting the whale meat to market.

In response to this news, Greenpeace Senior Oceans Campaigner Phil Kline said:

“This is incredible news and a significant blow to the future of the outdated and unnecessary slaughter of whales for profit. There is simply no economic rationale for whale hunts. Endangered fin whales are supposed to be protected internationally. Not only is this killing wrong, the toxins found in whales make them unfit to eat. Both Iceland and Japan have stockpiles of unwanted whale meat.

“It’s clear that there is simply no place today for commercial whaling. The world’s remaining whales, dolphins and porpoises face a whole host of threats from humans that we collectively aren’t tackling – from climate change, to pollution and industrial fishing. It’s time to end the charade of commercial whaling and protect these species once and for all.”