Iceland's whaling fleet sails again amid protests and planned ban
Two Hvalur whaling ships have sailed from Reykjavik after a two-year suspension, as an activist briefly occupied a mast and the government prepares to propose a full ban this autumn.
Return after two-year pause
Iceland's sole remaining whaling company Hvalur dispatched two vessels this week, ending a commercial whaling hiatus that began in 2024. The ships left Reykjavik's harbour on the evening of 19 June, according to Icelandic media reports, and were expected to move to open waters over the weekend to begin hunting fin and minke whales.
- Minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir halts whaling over animal welfare concerns.
- Whaling resumes under strict conditions two months later.
- Hvalur obtains permit but opts not to sail, citing economic uncertainty and Trump tariffs.
- Commercial whaling suspended for second consecutive year.
- Two Hvalur ships depart Reykjavik; an activist chains himself to a mast.
- Police remove the activist; the vessel returns to port temporarily.
- Government expected to introduce a bill banning whaling in the autumn session.
The last time a whaling permit was issued was 2024, but Hvalur chose not to sail that year, citing global economic uncertainty and the impact of Trump's import tariffs. In 2025 the industry remained idle.
Quotas and a shrinking market
Ahead of the season, which runs from mid-June to mid-September, the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute recommended sharply lower catch limits. The annual quota was set at 150 fin whales – a 28 percent drop from the 2018–2025 reference level – and 168 minke whales, down 23 percent.
Joanna Swabe of Humane World for Animals said no humane method exists to kill a whale and that the meat is unwanted by most Icelanders.
It is deeply discouraging to see the Icelandic whaling vessel leave port to start another season of killing whales, despite overwhelming evidence that there is no humane way to kill a whale.
Protest and police intervention
As the ships prepared to depart, an Icelandic activist climbed the mast of one vessel and chained himself to the structure. Images shared by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation showed him sitting in the crow's nest. He told local outlet Vísir he did not know what else he could do to oppose whaling in his country. When the ship returned to port temporarily on 20 June, police used a crane to bring him back to land and then escorted him away. No injuries were reported.
Political trajectory toward a ban
Whaling has been controversial inside Iceland for years. In 2023, then food and fisheries minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir halted the practice on animal-welfare grounds just as ships were about to leave, although it resumed two months later under tighter conditions. The current government plans to submit a bill this autumn that would outlaw whaling entirely.
Marine conservation expert Mona Schweizer of Pro Wildlife described a trend away from whaling that could not be reversed, noting that Icelandic society is turning against the hunt and that Japan – once a key buyer – is losing importance as an export market.
This hunt has long been economically unprofitable and politically no longer justifiable.
Global context
Iceland is one of only three countries that still allow commercial whaling, alongside Norway and Japan. The International Whaling Commission imposed a global moratorium in 1986, but Iceland and Norway openly continue the practice, while Japan hunts whales under a "scientific research" label that supplies meat to markets. The resumption comes weeks after a single-day hunt on the Faroe Islands killed over 700 dolphins and whales, during which two Sea Shepherd volunteers were detained.
