Protester tries unsuccessfully to stop voyage as whaling resumes in Iceland

Iceland and Norway are the only two countries still openly practising commercial whaling in defiance of a moratorium. (Reuters: Ingolfur Juliusson) Iceland is resuming whaling after a two-year hiatus. A protester tried to disrupt a whaling boat's journey by climbing into its crow's nest, but the boat set sail. Iceland's Marine and Freshwater Research Institute has recommended the annual number of fin whales killed in 2026 should not exceed 150 animals. Link copiedShareShare articleA lone anti-whaling protester who climbed into the crow's nest of a whaling vessel in Iceland says he "broke down" when he realised he was going out to sea. One of Iceland's two remaining whaling ships set out this week to hunt the giant mammals after a two-year hiatus, local media and campaigners reported. Hólmsteinn Harðarson broke down when he realised the whaling ship he had boarded was sailing. (Facebook: Hvalavinir — Stop whaling in Iceland) Iceland is one of only three countries that still openly permit whaling, alongside Norway and Japan, despite international opprobrium from the public and animal welfare organisations. Protester Hólmsteinn Harðarson chained himself to the mast of the Hval 9 before it left the port of Reykjavík on Friday. Iceland's government says it is suspending this year's whale hunting until the end of August due to animal welfare concerns, likely bringing the controversial practice to a historic end. Mr Harðarson spent more than two hours in the crow's nest before the vessel set sail, Icelandic digital news site Vísir reported. He said he did not believe it would go all the way to Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord). "I believed that we would possibly just take a little detour and turn around, but that didn't happen," Mr Harðarson said, adding he broke down when he realised what was happening. "I'm very grateful to the crew for how they reacted when I broke down. After a journey of more than three hours, the ship arrived at the pier in Hvalfjörður and the crew could be seen with Mr Harðarson, Vísir reported. After he came down from the crow's nest, Mr Harðarson was escorted away by police. "I hope whaling stops. I hope people stop consuming animals and animal products, that's my hope," he said. Animal rights activists are "disheartened" Iceland is again allowing the hunting of fin whales. (Benny F. Nielsen: Polfoto via AP) In 2023, environmentalists were hopeful Iceland had seen the end of whaling, with a majority of citizens in favour of dropping the practice. "It is so disheartening to see Iceland's whaling boat leave port to begin another season of whale slaughter despite overwhelming evidence that there is no humane way to kill a whale," Joanna Swabe of the Humane World for Animals said after a second vessel headed out to sea. Iceland cancelled its whale hunt in 2024 and 2025, partly because economic woes had cut demand and the industry was not deemed sufficiently profitable. The International Whaling Commission banned the commercial killing of whales in 1986 amid alarm at the declining stock of the marine mammals. Animal rights activists have described the decision to kill 128 fin whales as inhumane after the Iceland government issued a licence to a fin whaling company. Iceland and Norway are the only two countries still openly practising commercial whaling in defiance of the moratorium. Japan hunts the ocean giants for what it claims are "scientific" purposes, even though most of the meat ends up in the market for consumption. Iceland's Marine and Freshwater Research Institute has recommended a reduction in the number of whales harpooned this season, which runs from mid-June to mid-September. Iceland has recommended fewer fin whales be killed this season. (Greenpeace: Paul Hilton) The 2026 annual number of fin whales killed should not exceed 150 animals, a 28 per cent drop on the recommended annual catch for the period 2018–2025, it said. The fin whale is the second-largest animal on Earth after the blue whale. The Institute set an annual quota of 168 animals for the minke whale hunt this year, a 23 per cent reduction. The government is due to table a bill on banning whaling altogether within months. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)PromotionTop StoriesScott Miller thinks Australia probably hates him. He's desperate to reverse the damageTopic:Swimming

Protester tries unsuccessfully to stop voyage as whaling resumes in Iceland

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Protester tries unsuccessfully to stop voyage as whaling resumes in Iceland

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