In a shocking abuse of power, acting Minister for Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries, Bjarni Benediktsson, has granted whaling permits for the next five years in the final moments of his interim government.

Two licenses have been approved. The permits authorize Loftsson’s Hvalur hf. to hunt fin whales and Tjaldtangi ehf. to hunt minke whales, with a quota of 217 minke whales per year.

“Iceland’s corrupt caretaker government cares more about returning political favours paid for by the blood money of Christian Loftsson than protecting endangered species in the world’s oceans and upholding international marine mammal protection laws. we will be there for the whales this summer to put and end to Hvalur’s North Atlantic cetacean death machine”. Locky MacLean CPWF Campaigns Director

Recently, a scandal revealed that whaling licenses were promised in exchange for government positions. Despite this, the licenses were approved, showing a blatant disregard for the law.

In 2009, following the collapse of the government coalition between the Social Democrats and the Independence Party, Einar K. Guðfinnsson, the Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture, approved the resumption of whaling. Later, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, the then Minister for Fisheries, expanded the whale protection areas in Faxaflói in November 2017 before leaving office.

The Foundation’s flagship the John Paul DeJoria has been under a refit in anticipation of this eventuality and will be making its way across the Atlantic in spring to protect endangered fin whales in Icelandic waters.

#StopIcelandicWhaling #OpIceStorm