Reducing Commercial Whaling in Iceland (SDG 8, SDG 11, SDG 12, SDG 14)

The results and outputs of the project have been multifaceted. The primary intervention, to educate tourists about the facts of whale meat consumption, has been extremely successful. In 2009, the percentage of tourists who claimed to have sampled whale meat in Iceland was 40 percent and today, surveys demonstrate whale meat consumption has been reduced by 50 percent since the project started. Additionally, over half of the restaurants in Reykjavik have signed up to be “Whale Friendly” with a pledge not to serve whale meat and fewer than 10 percent of restaurants in the area include whale meat in their menus.
The project also promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth through its encouragement of whale watching over whale hunting. The touristic practice generates an estimated USD 26 million annually in revenue for the local economy. Iceland hosts an estimated 350,000 whale watchers per year, proving that whales are worth far more to the Icelandic economy alive than dead. Protecting Faxaflói Bay allows the whale-watching industry to thrive, creating jobs and contributing to Iceland’s largest industry: tourism. The tourists also support other industries such as restaurants, cultural centers, and hotels.
Since whaling resumed in Iceland in 2003, almost all minke whaling took place in Faxaflói Bay and 80 percent of it at the border of the whale watching area, resulting in clashes between whale watching operators and whaling supporters. In November 2017, the Iceland Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture enlarged once again the whale sanctuary in Faxaflói Bay, which had been disputed and changed twice since 2013. The enlargement of the whale sanctuary made operations for whalers very difficult. Historically, up to 85 percent of minke whales hunted in Iceland have been harpooned in what is now a protected area. Having to travel further offshore in search for whales became significantly more expensive, making operations for whalers very difficult. As a result of the expansion of the protected area and the direct educative contact with tourists, the hunting of minke whales ended in Iceland. In July 2018, media sources reported that the cost and poor profits made whaling no longer economically viable, which led to the decision to close the local whaling industry. Only six minke whales were caught in June and none in July—usually the peak month for hunting— out of a quota of 262. However, in September 2018, the CEO of Hvalur hf – the only company still involved in Icelandic fin whaling – announced the company’s intention to resume the hunting of fin whales (the second largest whale species which are also endangered)
Despite this milestone progress, there is still work to do in Iceland and other whaling countries. Due to the aforementioned changes, in 2018, Iceland also started to import minke whale meat from Norway – a country continuing to hunt whales. Although Icelandic whalers have stopped their operations, they are considering importing whale meat from Norway. IFAW will continue to campaign against whaling because it is unnecessary, cruel, and rapidly becoming socially unpopular.