The coalition campaigning against whaling and against companies that are involved with whaling in Iceland will not slow down despite recent reports about the Finn Whale hunt by Hvalur hf having been brought to a halt this summer due to bureaucratic hindrances in Japan.
The coalition goes by the slogan “Don’t Buy from Icelandic Whalers” and they encourage supermarkets and food service representatives to avoid purchasing seafood from Icelandic companies tied to whaling. They intend to promote their agenda during the upcoming Boston-hosted Seafood Expo North America (SENA) beginning Sunday, March 6.
On their website they quote Taryn Kiekow Heimer, senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “Endangered Fin Whales will receive a temporary reprieve from Iceland’s harpoons this summer, but we urge companies to use their buying power to ensure Iceland stops killing whales permanently,”
Even though the hunt for Fin whale is temporarily out for economical reasons, there are no signs that the Icelandic government will bring whaling to a permanent halt again for conservation reasons. If the marked in Japan were to change its approach Hvalur hf. would likely resume whaling and the black Mink whale is still hunted in small numbers for domestic consumption in Iceland.