A lack of demand for whaling products has stopped commerical whaling in Iceland. Einar K. Gudfinnsson, the Minister of Fisheries, said that there was no point in issuing new quotas if there was no demand for whale meat in the domestic market.
Until market conditions improve or Iceland gains permission to export whale meat to Japan, Gudfinnsson said that no new quotas for whaling would be issued.
In an interview with Reuters he said, “The whaling industry, like any other industry, has to obey the market. If there is no profitability there is no foundation for resuming with the killing of whales. There is no reason to continue commercial whaling if there is no demand for the product.”
Iceland issued permits last year for commercial fishing companies to hunt up to 30 minke whales and 9 fin whales, the first time since 1986.
The move gained international attention, especially amongst environmental groups, but low demand has meant that only a few whales have been killed since the quota was introduced.
The hunt may resume next year if Iceland can secure a market abroad and Japan seems to be the most promising candidate. An officer at the Ministry of Fisheries, Stefan Asmundsson, said that negotiation on matters relating the whale trade were in progress.
“We are talking to the Japanese government but so far we have not reached a conclusion on how best to secure the health and quality of the products,” he said. “Hopefully this will clear up soon as the uncertainty is not good for anybody.”
Leader of the minke whaling association, Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson said, “In my opinion the minister should not have any say on whether there is a market for our products or not. How are we supposed to find markets if we don’t have a product?”
But the environmental protesters have no plan to stop until whaling ceases. Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare in the UK, Robbie Marsland said, “There is no humane way to kill a whale, and all of our studies have also shown there is little appetite for whale meat in Iceland or internationally. We welcome the minister’s comments and congratulate him for recognising the lack of market and choosing not to press ahead with the pointless killing of more whales.”