Medical and Hospital News
WHALES AHOY
Economic turmoil extends Iceland whaling halt
Economic turmoil extends Iceland whaling halt
by AFP Staff Writers
Reykjavik (AFP) April 12, 2025

Iceland's only active whaling company, Hvalur, will not hunt whales this summer for a second straight year because of global economic pressures, local media said Saturday.

Iceland, Norway, and Japan are the only countries still to allow commercial whaling, a practice widely condemned by animal rights groups.

"Hvalur hf. intends to cancel its whaling season slated for this summer. Company employees were informed earlier this week," broadcaster RUV wrote on its website.

"As we see the situation, Hvalur hf. sees no other option than to stay in dock and await better times, but the situation will be reviewed next year," its CEO Kristjan Loftsson was quoted as saying Friday.

The Icelandic whaling season generally is from mid-June to September but in recent years whalers have failed to land their quotas.

Hvalur's main rival hung up its harpoons in 2020 as demand for whaling meat collapsed in the midst of the Covid pandemic.

Last year saw Iceland suspend whaling for two months during a government enquiry into the practice that concluded methods deployed in whaling did not meet laws on animal well-being.

In a message to AFP late Friday, Wendy Higgins, the director of international media for the Humane World for Animals association, welcomed the news.

"If true, this season's whaling cancellation will spare the suffering and death of countless sentient whales for a brutal and pointless hunt that continues without moral or scientific justification," she said.

"It's time that Iceland's whaling ship stopped turning the sea red once and for all. It's time for a total ban on commercial whaling."

Related Links
Follow the Whaling Debate

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WHALES AHOY
Spain marine park defends facilities after France orca transfer blocked
Madrid (AFP) April 11, 2025
A Spanish aquatic park which authorities prevented from taking in two orcas from a shuttered French attraction that was criticised by animal rights groups denied on Friday it was unfit to shelter them. France has been struggling to find a home for Wikie, 24, and her 11-year-old calf Keijo after a French Riviera marine park, Marineland, closed down over a law banning shows featuring marine mammals from December 2026. Earlier this week, Spanish authorities blocked the transfer of the two orcas, as ... read more

WHALES AHOY
Mexico seeks security coordination with US over border military moves

Ukraine's psychiatric care on the brink in face of mass trauma

UN denounces army attacks in Myanmar despite post-quake truce

Second debris removal trial starts at Fukushima plant

WHALES AHOY
Digging Gets Smarter with Trimble's Siteworks Upgrade for Excavators

Rx Networks launches TruePoint FOCUS to deliver real-time centimeter precision

Carbon Robotics debuts autonomous tractor system with live remote control capability

Towards resilient navigation in the Baltics without satellites

WHALES AHOY
Primate mothers react differently to infant loss than humans

A visual pathway in the brain may do more than recognize objects

'Toxic beauty': Rise of 'looksmaxxing' influencers

Thailand rescue dogs double as emotional support

WHALES AHOY
Trump admin proposes redefining 'harm' to endangered animals

India's elephant warning system tackles deadly conflict

US firm says it brought back extinct dire wolves

Do neurons guide light within the brain

WHALES AHOY
White House site blames China for Covid-19 'lab leak'

Pentagon invites back former military fired for refusing COVID-19 vaccines

Merkel denies covering up report on Covid-19 origins

Sudan cholera outbreak kills 70 in a week: officials

WHALES AHOY
UK demands answers after MP denied entry to Hong Kong

New York ex-cop jailed for hounding US residents for China

Australian judge quits Hong Kong top court

China slams 'ignorant and impolite' US VP over 'peasants' comments

WHALES AHOY
Gunmen disguised as soldiers kill 12 people at Ecuador cockfight

Spain police dig up underground shooting range used by gun traffickers

Trump, 78, says feels in 'very good shape' after annual checkup

Romanian truck driver fined $29 mn over French cocaine haul

WHALES AHOY
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.