Icelandic whaling company calls off fin whale hunt this summer
Iceland’s largest commercial whaling company, Hvalur hf., has said it will not hunt any fin whales in the summer of 2025.
In December 2024, Iceland’s government granted Hvalur hf., run by billionaire Kristján Loftsson, a five-year license to hunt 209 fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) each year between 2025 and 2029. Another whaling company, Tjaldtangi ehf., was granted licenses to hunt 217 minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) annually over the same period.
Hvalur hf. exports almost all of its whale meat to Japan. However Loftsson, the company’s CEO, told Icelandic media Morgunblaðið on April 12 that the price of their product in Japan has recently been “unfavorable and is worsening.” The low price, driven by economic circumstances, including global trade wars, doesn’t make whaling commercially viable this summer, he added. ...
...The news that Hvalur hf. will not hunt fin whales this summer could signal the beginning of the end for whaling in the country...
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/04/icelandic-whaling-company-calls-off-fin-whale-hunt-this-summer/
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We can only hope that last part comes true.